When this film arrived from Analogue Wonderland I was stoked. A friend had brought back a roll from Japan last year and we all know about the ever decreasing lines of film coming out of Fujifilm so getting another chance to shoot it was great.
Unexpectedly I managed to get a few hours to myself on a damp and misty night in Spring. Despite the darkness I chose not to carry a tripod, trusting the film, the meter and my steady hands. I loaded my Canon AE1-P and fitted it with a 50mm f/1.8 and took a walk around the Barbican. I had picked a particularly quiet night so just meandered around enjoying the views of the architecture and the quietness of this wonderful, central London estate.
The sun had long since gone down but I set my ISO to 800 and went for it.
Arriving at the estate can be a bit over whelming if you have not been there before as there are interesting corners, pillars, shadows and reflections everywhere you look.
![Vanishing point](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Photo-06-08-2019-01-14-24-1024x678.jpg)
Don’t you just hate it when people don’t say excuse me? I think this shot is a bit out of focus because I tried to get the whole scene in including the lines of the floor tiles so I used and smaller aperture, maybe f/11. This led to a slower speed than I could handle. I knew at the time it was a bit slow.
![](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Photo-06-08-2019-01-15-56-1024x678.jpg)
I am much happier with this shot. The walkway is notoriously poorly lit but I do like the shadows of the lights behind the walls and those round ceiling light shades are very cool. I would be happier with a bit more detail in the shadows though and I think this could have been done without blowing out the highlights by using a tripod and using a slightly slower speed.
![A night time view of a a multi-floor building with from the side angle about halfway up an adjacent building](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Canon_AE1P_Venus_Barb__6_-1024x678.jpg)
Terrace bar. I did rest the camera on a walkway parapet as I couldn’t trust myself to keep the Canon steady for long enough. Still, I like the way the tiles in some places can be individually identified.
I tried a few frames in daylight too. London light is often a dull grey affair. Some may disagree but I think that Venus is a great film to shoot in London. It’s capable of bringing out some really nice colours even when the light is a bit meh. I took a few shots of an Extinction Rebellion demonstration and was impressed by how well the images came out.
![In the foreground is an empty police motorcycle. in the background and to the left is a dismounted motorcycle policeman talking to a protestor](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Canon-AE1P-Venus-1-1024x678.jpg)
I really should have taken my time with this shot. The light was good enough to have used a smaller aperture and gone for a deeper depth of field. This would have kept more of the bike in focus. Maybe I got intimidated by the police officer.
![Two people holding a banner in the middle of a traffic free street](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Canon-AE1P-Venus-2-1024x678.jpg)
There seems to be a bit of a blue tint to this image, it’s present in the buildings, on the road and in the white of the banner. I don’t mind this tinge. I reckon it slightly balances out the orange glow of street lights. I haven’t done anything to the colour in editing.
As usual I have not edited these images in any way. The scans are how they came from the lab. I really like this film. These colours are strong, punchy and can add a splash of fun into a grey and flat day. Shooting architecture the grain confidently picks out the finer details like tiles and window frames and at night it’s a great choice for that low light loveliness. As Spring approaches bringing with it the promise of longer brighter days we normally reach for slower smoother films but I would happily take a roll of Fuji Venus 800 out again and shoot it at box speed at any time of the day.
You can find a curated collection of thought provoking analogue art and info about a range of workshops and photo walks on my Instagram –londoncameraproject
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Nigel Cliff on 5 Frames with Fuji Venus 800 and a Canon AE1-P – by Robert / London Camera Project
Comment posted: 28/04/2020
Paul Elcock on 5 Frames with Fuji Venus 800 and a Canon AE1-P – by Robert / London Camera Project
Comment posted: 29/04/2020
At the moment my favourite colour film is the dirt cheap Kodak Colourplus 200. I get it processed by AgPhoto lab and scan it at home. I’m always impressed by the colours straight from the scanner.
Comment posted: 29/04/2020
Ray Rapkerg on 5 Frames with Fuji Venus 800 and a Canon AE1-P – by Robert / London Camera Project
Comment posted: 01/08/2020
Comment posted: 01/08/2020
Robert_ on 5 Frames with Fuji Venus 800 and a Canon AE1-P – by Robert / London Camera Project
Comment posted: 04/08/2020
What's not to love about the A series? It's a very well built bit of kit and that FD glass is beautiful.