Good morning! 👋 Hopefully it’s off to a good start.

I finally got out this weekend with my camera. I trekked all across Brooklyn, carrying the beast, Mamiya RB67. 🏋️‍♂️ I got through two rolls of some interesting film, which we’ll talk about. Also, the Elektra 100 ✈️, re-spooled Kodak Aerocolor IV film, that I ordered from B&H arrived! I’m excited to try it out.

Alright, today is going to be all about film:

1. 🔥 Harman Phoenix in 120

2. 😬 Outside my comfort zone

3. 📦 Film version of Costco?

🔥 Harman Phoenix in 120

Took longer than I wanted, but I was finally able to shoot a roll of Harman Phoenix 200 in medium format. As a quick recap, Phoenix 200 is a brand new color film (no re-spooled) that was created by the UK company, Harman. Their 35mm version has been out for a while, but they more recently released the film in 120.

I will say right off the bat, I like it in 120 a lot more than 35mm. With the bigger negative it’s less heavy on the grain. I like the colors, it’s got this kinda washed out look. It was a very bright sunny day☀️ and I was having a hard time metering. It was like f16 in the sun and then f4 in the shade. What’s interesting is there is absolutely no detail in the shadows of these two images. 🤔 

I have another roll of 120 to shoot. I will try it out when the lighting conditions are less extreme.

😬 Outside my comfort zone

The other film I shot over the weekend was little out there and not something I normally shoot. It was Lomography’s LomoChrome Turquoise. This is certainly an experimental film. It basically turns everything either orange or well…turquoise.

It’s rated with an ISO 100 - 400. I shot it at 400. It was interesting, but I don’t think I would shoot this again. I just don’t like when the colors are that outside the norm. Maybe there is a subject that would be better suited than buildings around Brooklyn.

📦 Film version of Costco

We all know film isn’t cheap. 💸 If you want Portra 400 be prepared to pay. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the cost of film photography. In the long run, developing and scanning film yourself is cheaper than using a lab. But how can we save on the film itself? Buy in bulk of course.

That’s right, you can buy bulk rolls of film (usually in 100ft rolls) and use a bulk film loader to load your own film canisters. There is an initial up front investment to get the bulk loader, but after that you can save money by loading your own. You don’t even need to buy empty film canisters. By using a film leader retriever you can take the film out to be developed without breaking the canister. So let’s do some math 🧮:

• A 100ft roll of Ilford FP4 is $110.99

• This will produce approx. 18 rolls of 36 exposure film.

• A regular roll of Ilford FP4 on B&H is $10

Savings: $69.01 💵

I personally haven’t tried it yet, but it’s definitely something I’m considering. Besides saving money, I think it also would be fun. It’s just one more part of the process you can do yourself.

Alright, that’s going to be it for today. I’ll see you on Thursday!

Go turn a bulk of negatives into a bulk of positives.

Ben Henschel

📷 Mamiya RB67 / 🎞️ CineStill BWXX