Holga 120 GCFN, Fuji Neopan 400 @800, self-developed

Many times you come across stunning photographs online to find out that they were all made through the lens of that cheap plastic camera called the Holga. And time and time again you are blown away and reminded of what a powerful tool the Holga is.

These pictures submitted by Ana did just that to me. It also nagged at me for weeks for leaving my Holga sitting at the bottom of my bag while I was on the road for the last 2 months.

Holga 120 GCFN w/ Fuji Pro 400H, self developed

These 2 images here have to be my favorite from the bunch for the crazy pop-out effect they have. The subjects are at the right distance away from the camera for them to be very sharp with the background softening from the focal point out. This is obviously one of the many beautiful traits of shooting with the Holga.

I’m going to stop now and let the pictures speak for themselves. Do visit Ana’s Tumblr and Flickr for many other Holga pictures she has procured over time well-spent!

Holga 120 GCFN Portra 400VC, developed with Jobo CPP2 + Rollei Digibase

Holga 120 GN w/ Provia 400X, Developed with Jobo CPP2 + Tetenal E6 kit

Holga 120 GCFN w/ Kodak E200, developed with Jobo Cpp2 + Fuji Hunt E6 kit

(all photos by Ana)

Fuji Provia 400X on Holgamod 120N

Took these pictures sometime last winter when I was in Amsterdam for work. (You don’t believe me?? No, seriously, I was there only for work!). The fil, was cross-processed but half of the roll came out looking x-pro while the other half looked like they were processed in E-6.

I think you can tell from the images above that they have the conventional Provia blue-green tint, although the hue is very muted, which gives the overall image a neutral overlay. Not being a fan of xpro film, I rather like the results I got.

Now, lo and behold the following pictures that lack the deep blue-green tint! They look like they were dipped in E-6 chemicals, they way I like them, despite the fact that they were actually cross-processed. Now why is this?

My only explanation is that the first 3 shots were taken in less light while the last 3 were shot with the sun strategically highlighting the scenery. I would not say that the different sets were shot under low light vs. when the sun was up high in the sky, as you can tell from the shadow overcast in all the pictures, that it was a nice warm (in color) cozy day, with minimal sun glare. Once again optimal lighting plays a vital role in the outcome of your images.

I’ve seen some amazing pictures shot on the Provia 400X at night and they look stunning, with very fine grain for a 400 film. Something I would love to try out when I have my Kiev 88 with me again.

-eleanorrigby236

Fujichrome Provia 100 on Mamiya 645

When it comes to my vices, I have 4 major ones: owning as many Apple products as I can afford (haha) and satiate my ever growing analogue lust -film cameras, vinyls & paperbacks. Nothing makes me happier than listening to good music, shooting film and curling up with a good old book. 

The texture of crisp paper in your hands, the clarity of music on black is just incomparable; no matter how much I love my iPod nor constantly toting the iPad everywhere I go. 

In that sense, shooting film just gives you the satisfaction that no app in the world can ever emulate. Right? :D

I may be a slave to the capitalistic digital world, buying one product after the other - a neverending race between Achilles & the Tortoise but just remember…it pays to slow down for a while and live your life one frame at a time, the analogue way.

-delusiana

Fujichrome Provia 100F on Ansco Pix Panorama

The Ansco Pix Panorama is really a small plastic 35mm camera that much resembles the unassuming Vivitar UWS. It isn’t really a true panoramic camera, but instead falls into the category of “pseudo panoramic” cams. It’s essentially a normal 35mm camera that has a mask obscuring the top and bottom frames, thus producing instant “panoramic” images.

I’ve actually cropped out half of both the upper and lower black frames, instead of eliminating them completely cos I thought that the photos contrasted better against the black.

It’s really a cheapo plastic camera, but I find that it works really well under bright bright sunlight. But honestly I’ve no idea how the really strong vignetting appeared in the last 2 shots as compared to the others. Hmm…

EDIT:

You know sometimes I can be really lazy in blogging and I thought sharing the photos would be fine but I guess people are interested in the details of the places I went to, lol. 

Alright, the first 4 photos were taken in Penang where I was backpacking cum photo-walking with J.K. It was somewhere near Nagore Street in Georgetown, a real eyecandy with colorful heritage buildings that would make any photographer/photography hobbyist go ga-ga.

The Sungai Siput photo was taken in-yup, you’ve guessed it: Sungai Siput, Perak. Taken from the train we were on, during one of the many stops to Penang.

The stone bench photo was from a jaunt I had with eleanorrigby236 at the Putrajaya Botanical Park and the last 2 photos were of the historical KTM Building in Kuala Lumpur.

-delusiana

Fujichrome Provia 400X on Lomo LC-A+

Here are my Provia 400x shots, all shot around Barcelona mostly in really low light at the Festa Major de Gracia (a big street festival every summer).

The shots were taken after dark with no flash, the only light was from the amazing street decorations at Festa Major De Gracia - all the streets were closed to traffic and each competes to have the best-decorated street. Then there were little stages with live music, bars, street food. So much fun and such a good atmosphere!  

The Provia 400x held up even better than I expected in the low light, I was pretty much shooting and hoping for the best but they came out OK!

-Harriet Green

La Sardina El Capitan, 22mm Wide Angle Plastic Lens f/8, Fritz the Blitz Flash

Finally, a La Sardina review! 

OK, let me start by telling you that the La Sardina is a really neat little plastic camera that combines the best of several worlds. It’s 22mm focal length plastic lens boasts a wide angle view which is pretty much similar to the cult Vivitar Ultra Wide Slim plastic cameras and it’s Superheadz clones but with a larger aperture of f/8 instead of f11. Among other upgrades are a slower shutter speed of 1/100 with the addition of the Bulb mode and a threaded shutter release button (making long exposures a breeze).

The La Sardina is also somewhat similar to the LSI Sprocket Rocket with the unlocked rewind button and a multiple exposure switch (MX) so you can do multiple exposures or even go back as many frames you want for some crazy pseudo-film swap goodness. This also means endless panorama shots or even the psychedelic microclicks technique shouldn’t be too hard to achieve on this sardine can wannabe.

The Fritz the Blitz flash comes with 4 different colored clip on “gels” and has a micro contact to the side of the camera, giving a really cool vintage vibe and a definite eyecatcher. My ONLY GRIPE (and from what I heard, a common complain among those who have bought the El Capitan & Fischer Fritz La Sardina cams) is that the flash WILL NOT WORK unless you screw it really and I mean REALLY tightly till your fingers hurt against the camera body. The flash should also be inclined slightly forwards. In my opinion, your micro contact idea sucks LSI. You should either make a shorter screw so the contacts snugs tightly or improve on the designs. I prefer the traditional hot shoe flash anytime. Bah!

As for the photo quality, well, I think the UWS takes sharper photos, the La Sardina produced a somewhat dreamier quality akin to the Diana. But I kinda like the soft focus so that’s a plus.

I also like the fact that I could carry this fish anywhere and at anytime, especially for night shots which is previously unheard of with the UWS. Well, provided that the FLASH WORKS! I’m not a happy camper with regards to the flash here.

In summary, I’m pretty much satisfied with my La Sardina and the design is pretty cute. As for the photowalk I had to the Pudu Prison ruins (circa 1891), let’s just say it was really scary and I will save that for later post(s), complete with the interior shots of this oldest Malaysian prison.

Enjoy your lazy Sunday.

-delusiana

p/s: That’s me and my El Capitan (Thank God the flash fired!!)

Holga GCFN

It seems that I have been featuring this same dead cherry tree in all my recent postings. Well, forgive me since I did lug all three loaded cameras to the exact same spots and snapping like a madwoman because I can’t wait to see their results! Yes, I’m a film waster…or rather, a film monster. Heh. I should exercise some restrain next…

-delusiana

This is why I heart Kuala Lumpur.

-delusiana

Pentax ME, Zenitar 16mm f2.8 Fisheye

Frankly I’m quite disappointed that most of my open skies shots (especially ones with direct sunlight) turned out dark blue/indigo like the first pic below.

On the other hand, Provia 100F works best indoors/shady areas/night with sufficient illumination of the objects you plan to shoot.

Back to square one I guess..bah.

p/s: Oh, pics 3,5,6 were taken at the graveyard of Wong Loke Yew, and it was damn scary there, even in full sunlight! I’ll write more on the “supernatural” incidents related to the burial ground in my next installment. XD

-delusiana

Pentax ME, Zenitar 16mm Fisheye f2.8

Pentax ME, Rikenon 50mm f2.0

I received the Sprocket Rocket as a gift earlier this year and after using two rolls on it, I know I love it ;) You just can’t go wrong with this camera as long as you shoot under enough light.  The flash makes as a good companion when light is scarce but obviously only works for close-up shots.

Here are some shots from my Fuji Provia roll.  As always Provia brings out bold colors, especially the greens which are naturally saturated, with a nice soft yellow cast.  The color shifts are not too crazy and the tones are strong yet not overdone. For fans of the more bright and vibrant Elitechrome or CT Precisa, the realistic contrast may be too subdued for your taste but I personally love the mild “color pop” this film has to offer.  

-eleanorrigby236

Sprocket Rocket

So this time I managed to get my hands on the elusive Provia 400X (expired btw) and tested it on my newly acquired Pentax ME. I’m still not used to the aperture priority ME so excuse my poor colors and exposures. 

Also, when I had it developed today (this was a slide film and since my local lab did not provide E-6 processing so naturally it was cross-processed), I was expecting vibrant colors a’la Provia 100ISO but boy was I wrong.

It turned out that Provia 400X gave natural, faithful color reproduction and since it’s a fast film, shots that were taken under dim light came out as if they were taken under a sunny condition. In fact, all the temple shots were taken at 5pm while it was cloudy and about to rain.

The thing that bugged me was the fact that this film was cross-processed but the colors were so natural that they looked as if they were taken with a color negative film. I wonder if the colors would turn out better if they were processed with E-6.

So for now, all I can say is that Provia 400X is a very stable slide film that stays true to the natural colors, even after cross-processing unlike its 100ISO counterpart which is much more vivid. However if you were to check out our previous Provia 100ISO shots, you can also see that the colors did not dramatically shift, only becoming more pronounced and saturated.

-delusiana

Pentax ME, Zenitar 16mm Fisheye

My shots here were taken under dim light producing darker and less vibrant tones. You can compare my shots with the shots that delusiana took under sunlight here and see how the color pops more under proper light. The thing I really like about this film is how it retains strong highlights in all situations accentuating your images even in the darker areas. I intend to attempt some long exposure shots next with this film!

-eleanorrigby236

Lubitel 166U, T-22 triplet, 75mm f/4.5

In my opinion Provia is a great all-rounder film that gives off bright vivid hues of green,blue, red and yellows. The night shots came out nice and bright…but the camera shakes were my bad though, didn’t rest the Lubitel on a solid surface while shooting.

-delusiana

Lubitel 166B