A Grand Day Out

There are few pleasure in life that compare to some proper father and son time.  My son and I have a love for all things automotive. He's recently purchased a Ford Mustang 5.0 Liter monster of a car.  I have a Harley Davidson  motorbike that has a 1.7 liter engine. Fast and American is the way to go. 

So it was with enthusiasm that I agreed to join him at a Rock and Ribs festival in Dorset.  

This festival showcases American Rock and American cuisine (BBQ, Pizza, Enchiladas, Burritos, Fajitas, steak and of course pork ribs).

I took my Chroma Camera 679 and a few rolls of  120 Ilford HP5 Plus film, not for me lugging about a DLSR.

Much of the attraction of American culture harks back to a simpler time, with simpler views and very definitely film photography.

My first camera was a Kodak DuaFlex box camera.  This took 620 film and was gifted to me by my parents. Ever since then I've had a thing about box cameras. I like the way that they work, their simplicity and the quality of their images. 6x6 on medium format film is great.  The Duaflex had two speeds, Instant and Bulb. It sported a fixed aperture and the focus was good from about 2 meters to infinity.

So me taking my Chroma Camera 679, I set the aperture at F22, the shutter at 1/80th and loaded the HP5 Plus. I set the focus to 2 meters and used the camera like an old box camera.  

I didn't faff about with metering the scene or framing shots or composing scenes. I was enjoying my day out with my son and I took a few pictures box camera style. I shot 2 rolls (20 pictures on 6x7)

The resulting negatives were much better than I expected. Obviously some where I was closer than 2 meters had focusing issues but on the whole you gotta expect that from snaps, right?

The great thing was that I didn't let my photography get in the way of a great day out and time with my son.

Box cameras are the way forward, maybe. 😀

Film Manufacturers and Rebranding (part 3)

There are some films that are only available in certain formats.  For example Kentmere film, a budget film produced by Harman Technology, is only available in 35mm cartridges.  Harman have positioned the film as a student/starter film and therefore see very little point, or profit, in producing it as a 120 or sheet film. 

Harman are also competing with themselves as they produce the Ilford line of films.  Ilford films are available at a very keen price point too. 

A 35mm roll of HP5 with 36 exposures is 5.75 GBP, 120 roll of HP5 is 5.00 GBP and a box of 4x5 sheetfilm (25 sheets) is 45.00 GBP.  Compared with Kodak films these are a bargain to start with. Kodak Tri-X 400 is 10.00 for a 35mm, 36 exposure roll, thats twice the price! 

Kentmere film in 400 iso is 4.50 for a 36 exposure 35mm film.  That's 1.25 GBP cheaper than HP5, which is quite a saving. 

Recently I have been buying Agfa APX 100 film, which is available as 35mm only at 5.00 GBP for a 36 exposure film.  Great price and really nice film.  I have also bought some Adox CHS 100 II in 35mm which is also 5.00 GBP per 36 exposure film.  Both films I am really enjoying and love using them. 

However, there is a rub (to paraphrase the Bard).  I use a lot of 120 film and 4x5 sheet film. The Adox is available as various sizes of sheet film and 35mm cartridges.  But no 120 film.  I understand the complexities of producing film and that Adox do not have the machinery to produce 120 film rolls. Adox can coat film, cut film and produce 35mm cartridges.  But they don't have the film available in 120.  Which is a real shame because the Adox is a wonderful film that has a beautiful tonality.  I shoot a fair bit of 120, so I'd like the Adox in that format.  I do understand that just because I would like something to happen, my personal situation does not present a compelling business case for a film manufacturer. 

The situation is similar with the Agfa.  The Agfa APX 100 is only available as a 35mm cartridge, no 120 and no sheet film.  It's a shame but again my personal situation does not present a compelling business case for a manufacturer. 

Another thing that may feed into this discussion is that Agfa APX 100 is made for Agfa by Harman and is in fact Kentmere 100, rebranded.  If this is the case then the effects of Brexit will be mitigated for the UK because the Agfa film is produced here.  This situation is believable because Agfa Photo is a different company to Agfa Gevaert, who are a film manufacturer that produces mainly military and industrial use films.

  

This also means that unless Harman change their position then the situation with formats other than 35mm is unlikely to change. 

As an aside, Agfa Gevaert produce Agfa AviPhot 200, which is an aerial reconnaissance film. This film is sold under a number of different brand names for stills photography use but the main brand is Rollei. Their Retro 80S, Retro 400S and Superpan 200 (available as 120 tool!) are all derived from large rolls of AviPhot 200. 

If you really need to shoot real Agfa film then shoot Rollei! I'm going to give it a go.

On the upside, Adox are working to procure and implement a 120 machine.  This will be fantastic but is more longer term aim. Procurements, moving machinery, setting up a production line, testing it all, packaging production will all take time.  Also the aforementioned Brexit issue may play havoc with supply and pricing from European countries.  Bergger products from France are already in very short supply.

In the meantime Ilford will have the majority of my 120 business and HP5 will remain my go to 120 film. which is no bad thing.