The exposure tests appear to show that the EI 50 I chose (the box speed of this film is 80ASA) is a decent choice for this film. It can still be shot at EI 100 or the box speed with good results and more contrast but adding light doesn’t seem to look as good (while there are more details, changing the contrast of this film in post will add grain thus unless the “washed-out” look is desired, this is probably not the way to go).
Development times still need work as the base fog is still significant and I wonder if I could reduce the grain meaningfully.
Once I finish my tests, I’ll post a review and development times and also consider selling some rolls on filmbase.etsy.com
But I am pleasantly surprised by this thirty-year-expired film‘s wide dynamic range. There are easily seven or eight stops of DR in this photo, which NP20 appears to render.
With the exposure and development times I used, this film appears to have a medium contrast. And this contrast level can’t be easily altered without introducing more grain.
ORWO NP 20 is an aging black and white film for novelty half-frame cameras that expired back in 1992.
(Coincidentally, this is the same year Lomography was formed; these numbers are also used in their brand-new emulsion: Lomochrome Color’92 — analog.cafe/r/lomochrome-c…).
I bought three bricks of this film earlier this year in an attempt to figure out how to use it with my Welta Penti 0 camera (analog.cafe/r/welta-penti-…) which uses specialized film canisters that hold short strips for 24 half-frame exposures.
A few burned rolls in, I’m finally starting to get some promising results. They’re still quite grainy and the base is rather foggy but it feels like I’m on the right track and I’d like to share some of the successful takes so far.
Exposed at EI 50 and developed in Ilfosol 3 for eight minutes at 1:9 dilution.
Update. It appears that CineStill never sued CatLABS, according to this PetaPixel article and their quoted statements (with receipts) in it: petapixel.com/2023/10/11/f…
The article clarified that CineStill sent a cease and desist letter that’s “neither legally binding nor a lawsuit.” A copy of this letter can be found here: blogger.googleusercontent.…
I was upset to read CatLABS’ blog post, but I am now even more upset to see the evidence that colours their piece as deliberately misleading and unfairly damaging.
I expect CatLABS to respond or correct their statement.
TIL: CineStill is suing film photography businesses for the misuse of their newly-minted trademark, “800T.”
While the film community is generally tight and friendly, lawsuits around business entities aren’t unheard of. Some years ago, Polaroid threatened to sue Instax for the square format (which they settled under undisclosed conditions) — and I am sure there’s more. I think it’s fair to understand that photography, aside from being an art form, is often a livelihood for many, the threat against which can cause a lot of trouble to those involved.
Because CineStill’s lawyers demanded anonymity about this case, this action has been under wraps since May and we are yet to hear their (public) side of the story. CatLABS, however, paid a lawyer who helped them navigate the case and bring it to the public view on their blog: catlabsblog.blogspot.com/2… — which has also given an opportunity to another seller to come forward with their experience: reddit.com/r/AnalogCommuni…
According to CatLABS, this was done to curb the competition from Reflex Labs’ product, which is essentially the same product as CineStill’s 800T (a pre-processed Kodak 500T emulsion, more on that here: analog.cafe/r/cinestill-50…)
Hi Dmitri, this is my photograph to participate. I’m not sure if it’s my favourite, though, or if I do have a favourite one, but I digress… what I like about this picture is the almost abstract quality of the dark shape of the fountain with Eros on top against the buildings and the sky. Early morning, Piccadilly Circus, Central London — it also happens to be one of the tourist magnets in this large and beautiful city. I took this photograph with my SX-70 Land Camera (sonar AF).
Keep up the wonderful work you do at Analog.Cafe, Dmitri!
Took this photo of flower with a camera that’s far from instant, which is a 1971 Canon FTb but I do really enjoy all of the colour combination and I was testing the teleconverter I bought from Japan with next to nothing, loaded with fresh Kodak Gold 200
A YouTube short of cracking a brand new Kodak Ektar H35N camera open and shooting the first few frames featured in this article is now up: youtube.com/shorts/n4Fod03…
Lomography just launched a new Kickstarter project for their Nour Triplet V 2.0/64 Bokeh Control Art Lens.
They reached nearly halfway towards the $100K goal in the few hours since going live.
Nour is available for full-frame mirrorless mounts (Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Sony E) and comes with bokeh control, drop-in aperture plates and a modern helicoid focusing mechanism.
This 64mm lens has an aperture range of 𝒇2.0-𝒇16 and a 44mm image circle. Its closest focusing distance is 0.6m/2’ and it uses a 55mm filter thread.
Perhaps the most interesting feature is the bokeh control slider that can alter the look of the out-of-focus specular highlights between “bubble” (defined ring with translucent middle) and “soft” (feathered edges). The slider has no steps, so if you are planning to shoot a video, you can transition between the phases seamlessly. In the photo below (model: instagram.com/oooooooooooo… by: instagram.com/calvincffu) the control is in the middle for the “classic” setting.
Price (early bird):
Black aluminum finish — $335
Brass finish — $410
Price (retail, or after the early bird copies run out):
Gordon Nicol (Gordo…
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