Rollei RPX 25

While I love slower 35mm film for the fine grain, I was disappointed with the results from Rollei RPX 25. I blame myself, not the film stock. I should have waited for a sunnier day and used a balance on my tripod. I have to correct the horizontal perspective for all of the images. And on a very sunny day, I may not even need a tripod.

NOTE: I'll begin this experience report with a brief disclaimer. It's been less than a year since I've returned to shooting 35mm film after switching to digital photography over 20 years ago. I've inundated myself in as much film education as I could find between web articles and advice from experienced film shooters. But, with my former experience way in the past and limited recent experience, this review is coming from a relative novice point of view.

Last December, on a cold (2ºC), overcast and damp day, I ventured into Princeton on a personal photo walk. I wanted to complete a roll of Rollei RPX 25 that had sat in my Minolta X-700 for several months. I explored the homes and other buildings along Witherspoon Street and Leigh Avenue. The sky was filled with grey clouds give me a "softbox" lumination. Exposing the ISO 25 film was a challenge given the lighting conditions, but fortunately, I had a tripod. I alternated using my Fuji X-T2 with the XF27mmF2.8 lens (~ 41mm FOV) and the X-700 with the Minolta MD-Rokkor-X 45mm F2 lens.

The images sat around in my Adobe Lightroom catalogue, and I rediscovered them today. I shot the roll at box speed. The roll was developed and scanned by an old school camera store New Jersey Camera and One Hour Photo. When I saw the display case full of 1970-1980s classic film cameras, I knew I had found something special. The only camera store in the area filled with more nostalgia is New York Camera in Princeton.

While I love slower 35mm film for the fine grain, I was disappointed with the results from Rollei RPX 25. I blame myself, not the film stock. I should have waited for a sunnier day and used a balance on my tripod. I have to correct the horizontal perspective for all of the images. And on a very sunny day, I may not even need a tripod.

Product Highlights

  • Type: Panchromatic B&W Negative Film
  • Base: Polyester (PE)
  • Film Speed: ASA-25, with a Latitude between ASA-12 and ASA-50
  • Formats Available: 35mm/120/4×5
Princeton Fire Department
Princeton Fire Department | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
Conte's Pizza
Conte's Pizza | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
Molisana Deli
Molisana Deli | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
Molisana Deli
Molisana Deli | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
Maria's Hair Salon
Maria's Hair Salon | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
Lupita Groceries
Lupita Groceries | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
La Mexicana
La Mexicana | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
Chapin Guatemalan and Mexican Cuisine
Chapin Guatemalan and Mexican Cuisine | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
Lawrence Shopping Center
Lawrence Shopping Center | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
Lawrence Shopping Center
Lawrence Shopping Center | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
Lawrence Shopping Center
Lawrence Shopping Center | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25
New Jersey Camera and One Hour Photo
New Jersey Camera and One Hour Photo | December 2020 | Minolta X-700 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2 | Rollei RPX 25

Leigh Avenue

It's another cold (2ºC), grey, overcast but thankfully sunny and windless morning in Montgomery Township today. The air is a lot dryer and cooler. I was hoping to get outside to complete the roll of Rollei RPX 25, but the vertigo is still present from yesterday. I am not keen to walk or drive when my sense of balance is off-kilter, so I expect to spend another day indoors. I took the day off from work yesterday to rest up, but the nausea has subsided enough to get back to work.

It was cold and damp last Saturday when I captured these images along Leigh Avenue in Princeton. The kind of damp cold that aches my ageing joints and numbs my fingers. The sky was filled with grey clouds worsened by the subdued illumination one would expect to see in the late afternoon. I explored the homes and other buildings between Witherspoon and John Streets.

12 Leigh Ave, Princeton | Saturday 5 December, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8 | f/11 | ISO 4000

Named after Albert Leigh, a businessman who opened a slaughterhouse on the street, Leigh Avenue was laid out circa 1900. Still, by 1918, several slaughterhouse buildings had been taken down and replaced with housing units. Today Leigh Avenue is mainly residential, and the block between Witherspoon and John Streets is lined on either side by tiny early 20th-century houses with flights of steps to reach the orch. Many of these single-family dwellings have a large front porch. Numbers 14-16, a four-family double house.

19 Leigh Ave, Princeton | Saturday 5 December, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8 | f/11 | ISO 6400

Leigh Avenue contains a small commercial area at John Street with buildings constructed in the first decades of the 1900s.

Maria's Hair Salon, Leigh Avenue
Maria's Hair Salon, 42 Leigh Avenue | Saturday 5 December, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8 | f/11 | ISO 4000

In the 1930s to 1960s, these buildings, at the corner of Leigh Avenue and John Street were grocery stores, candy stores and restaurants owned by black, Italian, Jewish and Greek families. The residents in this community patronized these stores because the stores on Nassau Street did not welcome black customers.

In the 1930s and 40s there was a grocery store owned by Mr Irvin Ferrar. Frederick and Doris Burrell purchased the building in 1943. Doris started a beauty parlor, and in later years she added a fashion boutique, conducted Yoga classes, and provided nutrition information for her clients. Fred opened a florist shop, where he supplied flowers and plants for weddings, funerals, dances and many events in Princeton.

Princeton History

Local Greek, 44 Leigh Avenue | Saturday 5 December, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8 | f/11 | ISO 3200

This continues today. Maria's Hair Salon at 42 Leigh Avenue offers hair styling and haircuts preferred by the mostly black and Latinx communities in this section of Princeton. Over the years I have lived in the area, the location at 44 Leigh Avenue has been a Mexican restaurant, a coffee house, and a middle eastern restaurant. It's now the location of a Mediterranean restaurant, Local Greek.