Svema BLUE

Recently +Michael Raso of the FPP sent me a tester care package... So, I got to testing the film!

During the winter months I find myself preferring to staying inside and printing and getting caught up with scanning my negatives.

Either way, as a FPP tester I get rolls of film regularly from them to test.
One of those rolls was known as Svema Blue Sensitive film.  I just call it BLUE for short.  It's a very slow (1.5EI) 35mm blue light sensitive film, which is essentially entirely blind to any other light but blue light.

I have a roll currently in my Olympus Trip-35 that is being exposed at EI4, but the one I am going to be talking about and showcasing on this post is the roll I put through my Canon T90 using a 24mm ƒ/2.8 Osawa MC lens.  The lens is really lovely, and quite sharp even basically wide open, however it does suffer from softness in the corners as expected for this type of lens.  However, it is rectilinear, so you don't get barrel distortion, which I think is one of the most important things for this lens!
A nice flat field, not curved!

Slow Motion - Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8 MC

Earlier this month I was on a photowalk with Alex Luyckx, John Meadows and Ori Carmona (not to mention several other Film-Shooters), and that was the day I had loaded my Canon T90 with some of this UBER slow BLUE film.
Although the film is Blue-Light sensitive, oddly enough, it is yellow in colour.

I wanted to finish this roll, but the light (and my camera) definitely weren't cooperating.
The light was dim, and the weather was cold... My camera didn't seem to like the low-light and cold temps and gave me a EEE error. Strange..
Tried it again after resetting the EEE... same error..
So I put the camera away..

A few days later (just over a week actually) I took the camera out again in much much better light.  Bright blue skies and yet even more bitterly cold.  When I had -2°C and dull over-cast to -11°C and super bright sunlight (yeah you see where this is going?) I thought I'd have the same problem.
Nope, the camera loved the day instead.  Guess it didn't like the over-cast!  I know I didn't, but I still got some rather impressive images that day.

The photos from the Sunday (a week later).. well...
Lets just say I quickly fell absolutely in love with this film!  Darn Michael Raso sending me this film for testing, but I tell you... The other 2 rolls that I have to play with are going to get similar attention to detail, and will be used under identical light conditions.  HOWEVER one will be saved for the summer light and warmth.  Sorry, but I can only take so many -11°C or colder days!

Boardwalk - Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8

Clutching Branches - Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8

Lakeside Bike Ride - Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8

I must admit that my favorite shot of the three posted (from Sunday) is the shot of the cyclist on the beach.  I saw him riding, I just timed it to the point where he was just about under the sun so that I can get the most out of the lens-flare and the reflection of the sun off the water...
Yes, this image will definitely be getting a print.  It's just too good not to print!

Now one of the hardest things to work with on these tester films is developing times.
Since there is essentially no listed times, you have to make up your own and go from there.
I really wanted these shots to work, and so I went with a good staple in my arsenal.  Ilfosol-3 1+14.. My (lately) go to developer!  Yes, I know HC-110 has been my staple developer, but Ilfosol-3 has slowly been taking over for my tester films...!
Well, there's one other thing.  It is not RED LIGHT sensitive.  I went into my darkroom, shut off the over-head and flipped on the safe-light.
However to be safe I loaded the film into the daylight tank in complete darkness.. No sense in possibly fogging it.. Never know!
Set my timer to 12:00 and got the developer all mixed up.
At the 50% mark I opened the tank under the Amber Kodak #13 Safelight and took a look..
Lets just say that at 6 minutes it didn't go back into the tank.  6 minutes was perfect!
I dumped the developer, poured some Ilfostop bath (I was in my darkroom and the Ilfostop was already mixed for prints) then fixed.
A perfect roll!

So until next time fellow shooters, keep those shutters firing!

Svema Photo-125 C-41

This is not the first post I have done on the Svema 125ASA C41 film.  It's fantastic!

I can easily compare it to Portra 160 for smoothness and grain structure.  But for colour palette, it is in a league of its own.  Portra 160 is wonderful, absolutely, but I will have to say that this Svema film makes it look pale in comparison.

After seeing the way it renders landscapes, I will never shoot Portra 160 again!  It just seems to be missing that little bit of something for it.
Portraits? Well, I cannot compare.  Sadly I haven't seen how this Svema 125 works with portraits under proper controlled light, but I'm sure it probably does very well.

The first roll I shot was in my T90, and I gave it as much of a fighting chance to prove itself as I could. Rated +1EV and slapped a very damn good (and sharp) lens in front of it (Vivitar 28mm ƒ/2.5).  The images were nothing short of stunning.

However, I loaded roll #2 in my Ricoh Mirai 35-135 camera.  This thing is bizarre!  Looking more like a weapon from the future, it is very well designed. The lens is one of the best lenses I've used as a Zoom!

So using the funniest looking camera in my collection, I have captured one of the best images I've taken of a flower, or any other kind of plant life..

There's a reason I rarely take out this camera.. I'm scared that one day I'll have an accident with it and be left without it.

It's just such a damn good camera!  Optically, and functionally...

Until next time.. Keep those shutters firing!

First post of 2015 - Stay Tuned.. More are coming!!

Svema FN200 First Look - FPP Tester Roll

I was recently given a couple rolls of Svema FN200 film from the Film Photography Project to test out.  I didn't know if the film was fresh, which apparently it is, and what the nominal speed of it was, besides 200ASA being Box.  I had, however, viewed Leslie Lazenby's images on her Flickr account, and saw that she had shot it at box, and developed in XTOL.
Not having XTOL, nor finding any useful information online on this film, I had to go it all from scratch.

I had D-76 in mind, and began the work of figuring out a time to use.  But I began to consider... What Dilution?  And if it's expired, then it'll have a fair amount of Base Fog in D-76.  Having a sulphite rich developer is not a good idea for expired film, and I began to consider an old stand-by for unknown films.  Rodinal 1+100...  That started me thinking, and exploring more into a possible developer for this.  I then went into doing some reading on this film, and found out it wasn't expired.
That lead me, again, back to D-76.

I also found some developer recipes and times for FN200 on the web, but I wasn't sure if this IS FN200, or some other different emulsion, and so I had to again, reconsider.

Finally I settled on a dilution that would be the best solution for the dilemma.  Dilution M.  Yup, my own concoction of HC-110 dilutions.

1ml of Syrup for every 250mL of water. And the kicker for this, I was going to be using a 225mL tank. Yup, I was going to go against what Kodak suggests for the minimal developer amount of 6mL of chemical for any mix.  Then again, I have done this many times, without a single hitch, so why not.

Getting my mixture ready, film loaded into the SS tank on its reel, and I began the LONG process of developing the film.  60:00 long, with 1 minute inversions every 5 minutes.

The results were very nice!  Great tonality, and a decent grain...

Again the roll of film went through my Canon A-1, and was matched off using the Canon 50mm ƒ/1.4 S. S. C. lens.. A Michael Raso favorite!

The more I see these old phones, the more I find them being left and vandalized.  I guess it is becoming a less and less common site to see a phone, such as this, in use. The "Cell" phone revolution, I guess.

My wife and my Canon T-90. Strange, I don't remember seeing this roll of film for developing. Then again, I think I know why..

King's College Rd. and the University of Toronto Campus

Ori using his X-700 and a lens I gave him.  The Minolta 58mm ƒ/1.4 Rokkor-MC. He didn't even know I took this photo.  Well, until I let him see it!

She only asked, "As long as I look fabulous in the photo!"  Funny, she looks great in the photo.  Poor woman.  Although down on her luck, she's definitely not down on her spirit!

Young love, perhaps?  A couple of people who again, didn't see the camera.  I think I am getting better at this whole Street Photography thing.

The best mode of Core transportation in an Urban Environment.  Considering it is nimble, relatively fast, and ultimately, the most green option of transport.  It doesn't pollute, and is easy to operate.
Too bad there are far too many idiots who give the good cyclists a bad name.
The few spoil it for the many.  (Then again it's the Many who spoil it for the few in this case!)

Searching her bags.  Another person who didn't see the glint of the camera lens pointed her way.


What do I think of this film?

Good question. You know, it's hard to say.  I shot it at EI100, and ran it through a camera I know is very accurate with the meter, and has some of the very best optics money can buy. So it got a very good test, and you know what, I actually like it. But, here's the thing, I much prefer the slower FN64 instead.  The tonality of this film, and the grain structure is like something from the 60's and 70's.  A classic style emulsion for sure. The super thin emulsion makes it a beauty to scan, and it looks like it'll be just as easy to print. Plus, the best part, it dries perfectly flat!

How did you find the Latitude?

Another good question, and one that I cannot honestly answer fairly.  The photos I took leads me to believe that the film has a fairly wide latitude indeed.  I didn't get any highlights clipped, and I still got very good shadow detail. In fact, I am quite surprised with the amount of highlight and shadow detail that is retained. Then again, it COULD be the developing dilution I used, which can have a form of compensating effect, similar to using a weak Rodinal dilution.

As for recommending this film to friends, and family.  Most definitely!
The film isn't as fine grained as, say, TMAX, or Delta films, but it is a very lovely grained film.
I could see it used as a portrait film, as well as a street photography film, as I did.

As for street photography vs the typical Tri-X solution, no.  I cannot see it replacing Tri-X as the Street shooters choice, but hey, you can't expect miracles.  Tri-X has just too strong, and long, a foothold in the Street and Journalism style.
But for portraits, I could really see this film excelling.  It's not very contrasty, which is not a bad thing at all, as you can easily pump up the contrast when making a print, or even during the scan.

If you get a chance, you can pick up a roll of the Svema фото 200 from the Film Photography store.

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!

FilmPhotography Project - SVEMA 125 C-41 film

Recently I was sent a batch of new films in the FPP vault.  Some B&W, some colour.
The Colour films included some Hawkeye Traffic Surveillance film, and some fantastic SVEMA 125ASA C-41 film.  This stuff has a really bizarre colour palette, and some lovely grain.  It's a really impressive film, actually..
Well, being the first time I was shooting it, I decided to load it into my T90 and set the camera to use ASA64.  1 stop over, why not!  It's how I roll..!So I went about my business shooting the roll with abandon.  Travelling with a group of film shooting nuts, like +Alex Luyckx and Ori Carmona, including one Sara Mir, who out of nowhere produced a Yashica-A TLR!  It was like magic!  I turned around, and there is was in her hand.  So I quickly focused in my Canon T90 (with a Vivitar 28mm ƒ/2.5 mounted) and snapped off this photo.  I angled the lens just enough so that I saw the light flaring across the lens, and just had that feeling.. "BANG" I nailed the shot that'll really capture the moment.

Sometimes the light is just perfect the moment you focus in the image, and using the T90's legendary SPOT metering system, and setting a relatively wide aperture, it was just perfect!

I almost always use the camera in Manual or Aperture priority mode, and this time the Aperture Priority mode really nailed what I was after.
Perfect light, perfect shadow..
And a flare that will set this photo apart from the rest

Sure I got some images of others that day, like Alex, who is always sporting his killer WWII style trench coat. He was also sporting a fancy looking Contax G2 camera.

Naturally when we left, another photographer sporting a Leica M5 just so happened to notice his G2 and quickly stated, "I love that camera!"
So, yeah, I can't deny, it really is a sweet looking picture taker!

Well, we were hiking through the wonderful place known as "HIGH PARK" and discussing all sorts of things during the walk, from Digital Negatives, alternative processes, and Alex's new found love of Pyrocat PMK!

Seeing his TXP320 work for his 52-sheet project, I can't deny his love of that developer!

WOW!...  It really is a lovely mix.  Then again, TXP320 in 4x5 is an awesome film.  Beautiful grain, and a tonal range that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster.  Yup, it's a gorgeous film, we can all agree on that!

This film, however, the Svema 125, is about as good as the FN64 was in B&W.  I haven't posted my blog on the FN64 yet, but lets put it this way.  It's absolutely incredible!  I have some lovely images using that film, and it's just... wow!  I have been looking for it in 120 as well.  It's just too good NOT to use in 120!  35mm is fantastic, so 120 will be... out of this world?

So that said, the colour film is just as good!
Sure it's grainier than you'd expect from a medium speed 125ASA film, but honestly, it's a nice grain! Smooth, and easily enjoyed, especially with a splash of yum for the colour tones.  What a colour palette on this film.  It reminds me of a mix between Kodak Gold, and Fuji Superia, with a slice down the middle.  Has great warmth, like GOLD does, but yet a funny cast to it.  Almost like its Magenta layer is in bed with the Green Layer, letting the Cyan layer run free.
It has a green cast to it, and at the same time, really doesn't have a "ORANGE" backing like most of the other C-41 films.
After processing, it almost had a "Cross Processed" hue to it.
Perhaps this film can be XPRO'd in E6 chemicals for a very interesting slide?
I'll have to try it using the +Kelly-Shane Fuller method of E6 processing, where you use B&W chems, then fog and C-41 the rest..
Never know, it might very well be some weird palette E6 film as well!

 Here's the thing, though.  Through some colour balancing, you can get a pretty accurate rendering of the colours from the day, or a true-to-life feel to the images.  The tones are wonderful, and the contrast on this film is fairly soft, which is nice.
Scanning is really simple, but honestly, scanning is only half-the fun of the film.  What it really boils down to is the print.  This film would probably be great for making some RA4 prints, but I just don't think I'll ever get into that style of printing.
But B&W Silver gelatin printing, oh yes.  It's great!
In fact, this film, with a #4 contrast gel, prints up beautifully!  I know, because I did it..  The image of Sara with her Yashica-A I printed for Ori (seen in the above image).  What he does with the photo, well, completely up to him.
There is something about this film, though.  It has a look that puts it on a different playing field than Gold or Superia.  Sure, Superia is nice, but Fuji and I have had a falling out.  Gold, lovely lovely film, great warmth to it, but... again, something about this Svema film.  Maybe it's my love for funny Russian films, considering Polypan is possibly a film that was make at the old Shoska plant, which was bought out by Svema.  Who knows!

But it can really be as warm as you want it.  I love warm toned film, and this is definitely right up there.  The thing is, when the light changes, and you are suddenly faced with a much cooler temperature of light, say more cloud cover and less warm sunlight, you might get a funny tone in your film using Gold.

This film, nope!  I get cool blue shadows.  What I saw is what is there.  It's like the film knows exactly what I want it to see, and it sees it with me.
Perhaps it is the camera and myself becoming Zen.  Who knows, but there is really something to it.

I guess as long as it remains available I'll be trying to get my hands on it.

The greatest part of this film was after the processing.  No, it doesn't need some fancy developer, as it is a typical C-41 film, not like there's any special developer for C-41, as C-41 is C-41.  CN-16 is CN-16 (which is Fuji's C-41 developing name).

It actually dries flat.  There was literally no curl, no cupping, no weird I'm going to strike you in the eyes type of look to it. Just beautifully flat film!  The kind you want to smile and hold and hug because it is going to make your life of scanning easy!
Heck, even a film that curls is a pain to print under an enlarger.  Getting it line up and set in the holder under the light for printing with a curled or cupped film sucks.  If it's badly curled, it's hard to load.  If it is badly cupped, it might sit funny in the carrier, and get possible scratched when it gets compressed under the head.
This film, however, like the FN64, sits wonderfully flat!
Very impressed with it...

Anyway fellow bloggers, should you want to try your hands at shooting this film, check it out at the Film Photography Project's store.  SVEMA 125 Colour film can be had for just $16.99USD for 3 rolls! (Price as of March 01 - 2014).

What a wonderful gift to that photographer in your life this would be.  Or maybe it'll be the perfect gift for yourself to shoot.

Well, go for it!  You won't be sorry.

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!

All images taken on Canon T90 35mm SLR using a Vivitar 28mm ƒ/2.5 lens on Svema 125 C-41 film, and processed by David Nardi of E6IT.ca and scanned on a Epson Perfection 4990