I was hoping to share a clean set of photos from a recent trip to Prague. Instead, I am sharing a series plagued with light leaks. Yet I felt it was still worth putting out into the world – after all, what is film photography if not a constant struggle for control and learning to enjoy it’s failure?
I brought along my Ricoh 500 GX, a wonderfully compact fixed-lens rangefinder with a decent lens. What I conveniently managed to forget was that its light seals were long overdue for replacement. It’s my opinion that light leaks have less of an artistic flair when they are rendered in monochrome. No glow of red or shifts of blue-green, just a white line obscuring things here and there.
Before diving into the images, we need to talk about Rollei Retro 400S. Born from an unlikely past as Agfa aerial surveillance stock, yes, it was meant for taking photos from an airplane. It possesses a crisp, dramatic character that belies its ISO 400 rating. Built on an ultra-clear PET polyester base, it offers remarkably fine grain (for an ISO 400 emulsion at least) and high resolution, alongside a unique superpanchromatic sensitivity that dips into near-infrared (~750nm).
Yet for all its virtues, it comes with a few quirky demands. Its box speed rating is something of an optimistic white lie; rating it closer to ISO 250 or 200 helps preserve crucial shadow detail. Its naturally high contrast bites aggressively into dynamic range, punishing misexposed highlights if you aren’t careful. It isn’t a comfortable, forgiving everyday street film like Kodak Tri-X or Ilford HP5 Plus, but rather a sharp-edged performer that rewards a bit of patience and light-conscious shooting, which you will see me fail to do here.
For this roll, I rated the film 2/3 stop overexposed. The resulting frames rendered with slightly softer contrast than Rollei Retro’s typical punch. I’m not sure if that is the only reason though, I do not remember checking the expiry before I shot it, perhaps you could let me know if you think it expired.
This first shot was taken on a morning tram ride, with soft light streaming in from one side of the car. The tones came out surprisingly muted and faded rather than punchy. The light leak streaks neatly along the bottom of the frame, burning out the foreground clutter and focusing the eye straight onto the subject – a serendipitous bit of compositional fortune.
Shot on one of the sunnier afternoons at Letná Park, where a group of skaters were out practicing shirtless and enjoying the weather. Like the tram shot, the midtones rendered a bit more faded than expected for this stock, but the casual energy of the moment remains intact.
I took this while perched high on a rooftop walkway with slippery copper tiles behind me. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and the streetlamps along Charles Bridge were beginning to light up. Thankfully, the frame came out passably sharp despite the slow shutter. I really enjoy the moodiness here – the line of lights receding into the city and the spires silhouetted against the fading sky.
Back at Letná Park, which offers sweeping vantage points over the city roofs. I love the gritty texture of the foreground graffiti, though a double light leak – one massive bar on the left and a streak through the mid-right – conspires heavily against the composition.
Another frame from the park on a bright afternoon, this one showing more of the punchy contrast typical of Rollei Retro 400S. Metering for the fluffy clouds preserved the sky detail, leaving the iconic bridges over the Vltava River rendered as clean, pleasant silhouettes.
The resolution of this film is good, I can see a lot of detail in the windows of the buildings and stonework on the bridge, which is no doubt also a testament to the sharpness of the Ricoh 500 GX’s lens. Perhaps that is also a testament to the Ricoh GX 500 40mm f/2.8 lens. I’m sure you will agree this lacks the usual punchy black and white I see with this film stock. Is it the overcast skies? Film that has expired? or the overexposure? Let me know what you think.
This final frame was taken at the U Elektry Flea Market, located roughly 30 minutes outside the city center via tram. It feels a world away from Prague’s tourist center, but I have a deep weakness for flea markets – especially in former Eastern Bloc countries like Latvia or Hungary, where the tables are packed with eccentric history and bargains. Naturally, I couldn’t leave empty-handed: I picked up a Kodak Retinette Type 022.
Don’t be surprised if my next post features the Retinette – light leaks and all.
Camera: Ricoh 500 GX
Film: Rollei Retro 400S (exposed at ~ISO 250 / +2/3 EV)
Developed: by the lab!
You can read more about the Ricoh 500GX here by Chris Pattison.
I enjoyed comparing my frames to Phil Shemming‘s post and Simon King‘s along many others.
I do try to include links to other 35mmc articles in my own, that way it helps connect our personal experiences into a broader, shared body of work across the 35mmc community.
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