Everyday I scan the internet for nice camera’s or music gear. In Holland we have the online second-hand Walhalla Marktplaats (‘Market place’) and I simply can’t get enough of scrolling through it. From creepy dolls that you can’t imagine people would actually put in their bedrooms to very collectable or weird camera’s: it’s all there.
Part of my journey back into B&W film photography has been experimenting with different film types for different situations. I have developed a love of using Ilford Delta 100 for street walks and PAN F-50 for landscapes in bright situations. A portion of my digital work includes casual portraits with friends, so it’s been an interest of mine to find a good film for this situation as well. My first audition for this niche was a 5 pack of Lomography Kino Babylon 13. This emulsion has its uses, but I plan to keep looking and experimenting.
It has always been hit or miss for me when I shot with slow speed films. Images were tragically soft or out of focus. I would either overexpose or underexpose each frame. Maybe I didn’t have the patience to just slow down and focus on the moment (no pun intended). Maybe my technique of holding the camera was pure rubbish. I don’t know but I was never satisfied. So, I stayed away from any film slower than 100 ISO. However, when Lomography introduced Babylon 13 and Fantôme 8 last year. It was an opportunity to try to redeem myself.
Back in late March I told you about my first experiences shooting Lomography’s new ‘Fantôme Kino’ 8 ISO film. What I wasn’t able to tell you about at the time was that I also had the opportunity to shoot another forthcoming release, the announced today ‘Babylon Kino’ 13 ISO film.
