Using this camera has been really fun and rewarding for me.
The inherent limitations of a basic camera like this force you to be creative and thoughtful with your shots,
I loaded a roll of Ilford XP2 into the camera (200/400 iso films are recommended due to the fixed exposure) and went out and took some shots around town.
The ease of just being able to 'click, wind, click, wind' mean that you don't have to worry about focussing, exposure controls or zoom, I found this pretty liberating as you avoid the anxiety over autofocus and the extra layer of the unknown that comes with that. The fixed focus does of course mean that the shots aren't super sharp overall, but they are still perfectly nice from my point of view.
This camera can take some really nice shots in the right hands, it's both fun and extremely easy to use and really happy with how a good few of my shots have come out.
Of course sharpness on the edge of the frame is an acquired taste but can add a nice effect to your shots.
To sum up, this camera is a bit of fun, you have to expect a bit of unpredictability, but that in my view is what makes this camera such a pleasure to use.
Before using this film I checked the advice from the Ilford website. You absolutely need a tripod and a IR filter - I used a Hoya R72.
Choice of camera helps. With an SLR you won't be able to see anything with the filter in place - A TLR or Rangefinder will be easier to use. I used my Mamiya C220 TLR.
Pick a bright sunny day to get the best results. Overcast conditions will give dull, grey results.
For exposure your exposure meter will not be accurate, and it is best to use a modified version of the "Sunny 16" rule. For sunny conditions it's best to start with 1 second at F8 (using the R72 filter) and bracket 1-2 stops either side.
Follow that and you'll get great results. Skies are dark, foliage is almost luminescent, and stone buildings shine !
I used some very unorthodox methods. I did not have a development tank so I developed them in a bucket with Caffenol and salt water as fixer but I still got decent images
The Polaroid chemistry continues to improve in terms of colours and developing time.
Polaroid film in general doesn't have loads of latitude and I find that to more pronounced in SX-70 film. Shoot it in soft, fairly even light, or embrace the hyper-contrast look with black shadows and/or blown out highlights. Takes some practice but it's gorgeous once you master it.
My go to Black & White film is usually HP5, however this is my new favourite.
The grain is really fine for a 400 speed film, with lots of detail and great contrast. Really happy with how this has preformed in low light situations.
I really liked this film stock, the colours were vibrant and works well for landscape to portraits. Skin tones were accurate. Recommend!
The yellow cast looks great on a sunny day, especially during golden hour. It gives portraits a lovely vintage look. Sadly everything I took in the shade was underexposed and expired-looking.
I absolutely loved this film. I actually pushed it 2 stops to 1600 & home devoid it myself in Cinestill DF96. They're some of my favourite shots I've taken of my son so far & I absolutely adored the grain & atmosphere the film created. Loved it! It's pretty cheap too so will definitely be getting some more at some point.
I love this film.
I brought it first to pull process it to 50 ISO and got some good results but it was high grain (I was expecting this) I then used the rest of the roll and was testing a Olympus Trip that had not been used for over 15 years. It was so dull out today I chose to push process it to 400ISO. I developed it in Rodinal developer 1+50 for 14 mins and got the most amazing results. So very pleased.
The more I use this film the more I want to use it . Great in low light or indoors. Lush deep tones, fine detail and tight grain.
A wonderfully fine grained film. At 50 ISO, meter readings need to be spot on - there is little latitude for rescuing blown highlights or deep shadow. Lovely tonal range.
Leica M2 - hand held.
Loaded this on my final section of the Capital Ring. The weather was a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers. I was very pleased with the colour rendition giving warm saturated images. There is some obvious grain, but this is a 400 speed film so nothing unexpected. The film gave good images yet still with the analogue aesthetic. The amount of grain does seem to depend a little bit on exposure, on some of the shots the grain almost melts away.
The biggest downside is that this is only a "27" exposure film, and even then I would question the description of 27 exposures, generally with a 36 exposure I can squeeze a few extra shots if I am careful loading the film. I loaded this film in the same way and yet only got 28 shots in total out of the film. The final shot I managed to take was number 27 on the camera. This does make it a little more of an expensive option.
Td this film out in Cartmel Priory pushing it to 3200 ASA . Where I got the exposure close to correct the images produced were great. A lot of grain but this could be expected at 3200 ASA
I extended dev time from 3 min to 5 min to push the film not sure I took it far enough It is a film I will come back to latter for further experiments
I've shot plenty of FP4 in times past and always find it gives good results. Recently though, I've taken to shooting it at ISO 100 rather than 125, and feel this gives a slightly better white balance and seems to widen the tonal range in the final images. If you haven't already tried this, maybe it's something to think about. As always, FP4+ gives sharp images with very little noticeable grain. Even if i don't shoot it regularly (especially in the winter months) it's certainly a film I always have a roll or 2 in my fridge.
I love FomaPan film its so cost effective to use. I use it to test cameras and also for my other work. These were taken on a camera I was testing an Agfa Optima 335 Sensor. Very pleased with the contrast and grain. I was not expecting much with the Agfa Optima 335 Sensor lens and quality of it but was very surprised at what I got.
If you are testing a camera or using it for general all round this is a great film and well worth trying.
As expected from this iconic film stock great tones and exposure latitude as well as an amazing contrast. Perfect
I was excited to shoot this roll, but when I got the negs back I was a bit disappointed. I shot it at 400 but I think I’d get better results if I shot it at a lower iso of 200 or 100. I think this film really benefits from a bit of over exposure. (I also used the sunny 16 method for the first time, so maybe some of the fault is mine with the images I don’t particularly like. I also self scanned these but I’ve successfully scanned a fair few films now, so I don’t think I did anything overly differently with these.)
Some of my photos are very dark and grainy in the shadows, something I wasn’t really expecting after seeing the sample images. It’s definitely not all bad, and the photos in super bright sunlight look really nice and creamy. The flowers field shot surprised me as that was taken in fairly low light. But I don’t think enough of them are to my liking, so sadly I don’t think I’d buy this again. It almost gives off an expired colour film look, which some people may love, but this one just isn’t for me.
I've shot Rollei infrared a number of times over the summer, and it really excels when shooting with a R72 filter in bright sunshine. The blues in the sky turn a moody dark tone, whereas green foliage is rendered a bright white. Just remember to compensate for the 4-5 stops of light lost through the heavy IR filter. Oh, and as a bonus, I also found Rollei infrared to be a really solid standard b&w emulsion when not shooting with the R72 filter. It's a really versatile film for the summer months & I already look forward to shooting more of it.
This is a film that you have to shoot a roll first to see what works and what doesn’t. Once you figure out that rich colours really make this film shine and muted tones can wash a bit you’ll suss out how to shoot it. It’s definitely not a chuck it in and snap whatever film, you need to pick your scenes carefully to get the most out of it so it’s not the most versatile.
I’m not going to say this is mind blowing film but with the right conditions it really can put in some work especially considering the price point. I love high contrast film and this delivers while maintaining detail in the shadows. Highlights can get blown out a bit but when you nail the exposure on a shot with strong colours it really pops. Can’t complain at this price!
Tried this out today at Haverthwaite steam railway hoping to get some interesting shots however upon processing I was disappointed to say the least. If I had received these images back from a lab I would complain and find another lab Colour casts and heavy distress. It almost looks as if lomo have let their kindergarten into the lab This is not a film I will use again and if it turns up in another wonderbox I will complain and put it in the bin
The images I obtained will not be placed on social media
I tried the roll in few environments and in different weather conditions. In the city, in nature, in a sunny day on the beach. Its a perfect film for street/urban photography and wonderful for portraits. I was sad to hear Fuji dropped the Pro production, a little fed up with the Portra hype and CineStill gave me the 50D and I am now addicted. Can't wait to try the 800
Classic for a reason, this film is versatile, high-quality and accessible. A must for anyone starting shooting in B&W
Nicely made case, which I can grab and go when heading out on a days shooting. Not too big to tuck into my camera bag either.
First time using ortho film and I've liked the results.
Shooting landscapes it gives nice crisp details.
