I grew up shooting film in the 80’s with a Nikon F3HP. My interests evolved to the rangefinder format in 2008 after finding the Leica M3 of my wife’s Father collecting dust in a box. Then I got bit by gear-acquisition syndrome (GAS) and acquired both a used Leica M6 and a used Hasselblad 503cx in 2009.
I am not one plagued by Gear Aquisition Syndrome (aka G.A.S.) per se since I have some solid cameras in my arsenal that I am happy with. What I have been in search of is the ideal film stock that I would feel nothing but joy while shooting it. While in search for this film …
5 Frames with Kodak Ektar, My Dream Film, on the Nikon F3 – by Tiffany Perez Read More
When the digital tsunami overwhelmed the world of picture-taking in the mid-2000s, I bought various digital camera and used them for color work. However, I continued to take black and white film photographs. In particular, I slowly used my stash of Kodak Panatomic-X in medium format cameras. To me, the traditional silver gelatin photon-capture technology just looked better and more authentic for the my type of urban decay photography. I became re-familiar with an old friend, Tri-X, using it in Burma and Cuba. In the last couple of years, I have been using film almost exclusively.
Last year in a second-hand shop I got that nice and cheap camera; the Canon AF35M 2 aka Autoboy 2 aka SureShot. I’m not into G.A.S. but I’m always looking for brand new oldies because of my ability to break cameras.
I have been a fan of Kodak Ektar for some time, specifically for shooting in low-light conditions such as a forest. It wasn’t love at first sight though. My first experiences with Ektar were in Greece, where I found I had a slight preference for Portra 400 over Ektar, as I didn’t like the saturation of colours that Ektar gives. In the summer in Greece where the light is harsh and the colours are bright Ektar can push it right over the top, at least to my taste. But in The Netherlands, where the light is cooler and softer Ektar works really well for me, specially in the winter. Ironic isn’t it, that I prefer the iso 400 film in the brighter light, and the iso 100 one in low light.
