For me, the special thing in film photography is the almost endless possibilities of combinations of camera, lens, film and situation or purpose in which I can use them. There is always something new to try, to work out or even to repair, e.g. when the shutter of the Minolta HI-Matic suddenly jams… Trying out and testing the different films that are available was incredibly fun for me as a beginner.
I shot my first roll of Portra 400 exclusively with my 135mm telephoto and the photos blew me away. It was such a far cry from what a smartphone could offer me.
This hooked me. That was about 2 years ago and ironically only one other roll of Portra 400 has made it into my camera since. I think a main reason for this is that I later fell totally in love with the look of Fujifilm C200, which unfortunately is now no longer sold or manufactured. Instead, the Fujifilm Color 200 is now available, which, if some reports on the internet are to be believed, is nothing more than Kodak Gold?
After a while, of course, I stumbled across CineStill 800t. I found the film render photos in a greenish blue cine look that I really liked and reminded me a bit of The Matrix. At that time the film was still available and not too expensive. So I ordered 3 rolls.
What to do with that Film?
At first, of course, I wanted to go to the local petrol station at night for a long exposure. But then I didn’t want to serve this cliche. I shot the film at boxspeed instead of ISO 500 which is commonly recommended. There was no bright sun so I thought this wouldn’t be a problem.
It was a rather cloudy day, but it was still very bright. Since I knew the characteristics of the film quite well through research, I chose the train station and the university library as suitable locations for the film. The blue shimmering glass surface of the completely glazed library suits this type of Film very well.
The tool of the day was my trustworthy Minolta x-300 with the standard MD 50mm Lens.
I have to admit I edited the photos a bit afterwards and gave the sky a bit of magenta. I also increased contrast a little bit. Is editing film photos a red flag for you? Maybe you want to tell me in the comments…
The shots
So here are my 5 Frames of that day.
Thanks for reading guys! If you want to see more of my pictures, please visit my instagram at finding_the_view
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Comments
Bob Janes on 5 Frames of Cinestill 800t with a Minolta x-300 and the MD 50mm f/1.7
Comment posted: 07/11/2023
Your favourite is excellent, but the others are good also. I'm drawn to the legs on the stairs, but haven't quite figured out why it works so well yet...
Comment posted: 07/11/2023
Jeremy on 5 Frames of Cinestill 800t with a Minolta x-300 and the MD 50mm f/1.7
Comment posted: 07/11/2023
Sad about Cinestill - I like their film. I can't support their nonsense though - Ford can't trademark "V8", Shell can't trademark "10W-30", DeWalt can't trademark "10mm wrench", Philips can't trademark "2700k light bulb", and Cinestill CANNOT trademark "800T", no matter how much they want to. The trademark will be almost instantly invalidated if ever challenged, and should never have been granted. The fact they've used it to hurt a small time sellers that can't fight back is sleazy and short-sighted given the negative PR.
Comment posted: 07/11/2023
Comment posted: 07/11/2023
Comment posted: 07/11/2023
Comment posted: 07/11/2023
Paul Quellin on 5 Frames of Cinestill 800t with a Minolta x-300 and the MD 50mm f/1.7
Comment posted: 07/11/2023
Comment posted: 07/11/2023
Kary Schumpert on 5 Frames of Cinestill 800t with a Minolta x-300 and the MD 50mm f/1.7
Comment posted: 08/11/2023
Comment posted: 08/11/2023