Rollei Digibase 200 Revisited

In my November 29, 2013 blog post I offered my initial comments on this film stock after shooting my very first roll. The results were beautiful then and a year later I am still really pleased with this film.

The shot above was taken of an abandoned structure overgrown by weeds beside a small pond. Its an interesting structure and I can’t figure out what it was but the light was golden and the reflections in the pond offered an intriguing image that begged to be captured on this warm and colorful film. This one was shot with the Pentax ZX-L but I didn't record and don’t recall the settings.

In my comments last year I compared this film to Fuji Velvia and I still believe there are similarities between the two. The Rollei is faster by a stop and the clear base seems to have been designed for scanning. Both films offer a warm and brilliant color palette that is pure magic for shots taken during the “Golden Hours” and beautiful anytime.

I highly recommend this film and will be using it again.

Rera Pan 100 Rocks!

My last two or three posts have highlighted images shot with a digital camera. Enough already! Its time to get back to film – which is after all, what this blog is supposed to be all about.

Recently I was bemoaning the absence of a good black & white film available for my 127 roll film cameras when I heard about Freestyle Photo starting to carry Rera Pan 100. I had never heard of it but decided to try it anyway. The results from my first roll are spectacular.

I hate to make sweeping endorsements based on only one roll of film but if my results are typical of what to expect,  it is an awesome film. Black “blacks” like my all-time favorite black & white film, Tri-X. Plenty of rich grays with lots of detail everywhere, and all this from a Beacon II which is essentially a really cool looking, 127, bakelite, box camera from the late 1940’s.

I’ll talk more about the Beacon II in a later blog post.

The shot above was taken at the old state capital in Baton Rouge of one of my favorite subjects, a fire hydrant sitting unnoticed right out front. Processing and scanning were done by The Darkroom.

I couldn't find much information on Rera Pan except that is a traditional fine grain black & white film from Japan that can be processed with the usual black & white chemistry but I think I’ve seen what I need to see. I will definitely be shooting this film again!

Sometimes They’re Hidden

New Iberia seems to do a great job decorating their fire hydrants but you really have to hunt for some of them.  Here’s one in colorful camo attire that was discovered next to the St.’s College, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. It was off to the side standing guard over the entire Grotto and backed up by an awesome angel.

Sometimes the real attraction is off to the side or behind the what everyone else is seeking.