There're less kinds of films than before and their prices are only going up. However, for the past few years, the value of film is re-acknowledged and there're more new films from a variety of brands on the market. So, it's better to have fun with the new faces rather than crying for the loss of old ones. This edition of LiveLeica is brought to you by me, Akio Inden who wants to keep using films until there would be no more films. If I load these new films into my Leica, will I feel like having my first love?
Kentmere 100
This is a monochrome film (ISO100) from a historical English brand Kentmere. Recently, they were merged into Ilford and their products began to circulate in Japan as well.
I was amazed by the soft tonal quality. People like different level of tonality and I personally like soft negatives because I utilize the tonality to print. It's best to develop films at home and control the density of negatives, but when I don't have time, I have to have it developed at the laboratory. However, these days, regardless of the laboratories, the Tri-X negatives tend to be high in density and look hard. On the other hand, this Kentmere negatives look good and I think I can leave it to the laboratories. I haven't printed from the negatives, but I can imagine that I'm able to get prints that are rich in tonality using number 3 papers.
A back alley is receiving the strong sunshine in the afternoon. An old alley like this is interesting as a subject, but it tends to lack of sufficient light. This is a difficult situation for films with narrower latitude and high contrast, but an easy job for this film: it realized the tonality from the highlight to the deep shadow.
This backlight situation was also difficult, but the soft tonality generates a nice aerial feeling. By the way, this is an ideal way of getting old, I think.
The fresh green is minutely depicted and this may be due to the small granularity. I shot with a Leica this time, but I'd also like to shoot landscapes with this film using a tripod.
Kentmere 400
Films tend to become harder as their sensitivity increases, but as far as I tried this time, this film is soft and rich in tonality just like the Kentmere 100. This 400 version is best for everyday shooting.
The stairs in an old building was receiving a light. Granularity is a little larger than the Kentmere 100, yet the details are well depicted.
I shot way under to utilize the light and the shadow. I notice grains in such a condition, but their form and arrangement aren't bad.
Stopped down to F16 and shot at 2m (with eye measurement). I shot without looking through viewfinder in order to get the live feeling. It was an open café, so the luminance difference was big. Still, thanks to the wide latitude, I could realize the atmosphere inside the café.
FOMAPAN 100 Classic
This is a film by Fomafoto from the Czech Republic. This brand is renowned for high quality photographic papers. The package design is stylish and I feel the esprit from East Europe.
I noticed a clear difference from the Kentmere films immediately after I saw the negative on the lightbox. The film base is unfamiliarly thicker and the density seems to bring high contrast. The difference is already evident on the negative and this was a refreshing experience for myself who was used to my regular films. The two brands are very different and again I realized how unique each film is.
Great contrast and plasticity isolate the subjects from the background.
Light looks transparent and the texture of wall is depicted powerfully. I think this dry depiction is great for urban landscapes.
I didn't expect much difference between films, to be honest. However, they are more different than I expected and made me realize the depth of the film world.
Because now everyone can process images once they are digitized, you may think kinds of film don't make difference. But, haven't you felt that you could take great photography with a certain camera or lens? The same goes for films. If you realize the characters of films, you can make film choices depending on subjects and you'll be able to shoot without hesitation.
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A choice of film makes a great difference in your feeling. Only films can offer you such fun. Just like you choose what to drink according to the side dish, choose films according to your subjects. If you use a film for the first time, believe in the uniqueness and have fun. I promise you will take a great photography directly reflecting your feeling.
So, what about my first love? Come back to the future LiveLeica.
* The next edition will be on color films. To be continued.
My senior photographer looked so cool checking contact prints with a dermatograph (a type of pencil similar to crayon) and I used to admire him when I was his assistant. Later, I started to do the same. If a photo rocked, I used to check in red. If a photo came out as expected, I used to check with a little white circle. And, the contact print with these check marks looked just beautiful.
My senior photographer looked so cool checking contact prints with a dermatograph (a type of pencil similar to crayon) and I used to admire him when I was his assistant. Later, I started to do the same. If a photo rocked, I used to check in red. If a photo came out as expected, I used to check with a little white circle. And, the contact print with these check marks looked just beautiful.
