Tag Archives: Kit

Expired Tetenal C41 Kit meets Expired Kodak Portra 400

While cleaning up my photo gears, I see a box of Tetenal C41 kit that I got and opened a couple of years ago in Shanghai.  Since then, it made its way to Hong Kong and to San Francisco.  On arrival to SF, I discovered that one bottle of the Blix solution actually bursted and was leaking all over the box.  All these items were stored in a storage that was certainly quite hot (30C+) for months before making its way to the US.

I also found a few 4×5 film boxes of Kodak Portra 400 that I loaded about two years ago.  This is when expired chemicals meet expired film, a combination that has the word “disaster” written all over it.

Expired Tetenal C41
Expired Tetenal C41

I got my Paterson Auto Colortherm machine from Toronto some time back.  I refitted it so that I can use the roller for my jobo tank.  I mixed the chemicals into its three parts and noticed a few things.  First, the clear blix mixture has a lot of residue at the bottom and was stuck.  I warmed it out, it helped a bit but there are still chunks of it at the bottom.  Second, the stabilizer bottle have merely 50mL left.  1L mixture required 100mL, what the heck, just mix it.

I took my Graflex SG with a Fujinon 400mm f8 lens on my roof for the test shots in one late afternoon.

Graflex speed graphic with fujinon 400mm f8
Graflex speed graphic with fujinon 400mm f8

I shot the Kodak Porta 400 at ISO 200.  I developed the sheets slightly longer than the recommended times.  Developed 3:30min, Blix 5min.  When I opened the Jobo tank, I see images, solid images.  I scanned the negatives with my Epson Perfection V700.  The unedited result is shown here.

Expired Kodak Portra 400
Expired Kodak Portra 400
Expired Kodak Portra 400
Expired Kodak Portra 400

All the details are there.  The edges showed some funky chemical gradient that made the image looked like something out of a roll of lomography film.  The overall look of it is vintage and reminded me of a postcard from the 60s.

Overall, I am happy with the result and I guess I will develop many more sheets with the Tetenal kit before it runs out.

 

Polaroid Land 250 + FP3000b + Wedding = Lotophotos

A little while back, I attended Dennis’ and Rachel’s wedding.  As usual, I planned to shoot some lotophotos with my vintage equipment.

In my bag was a Canon QL17 + Canolite D flash + Ilford XP2 film, Canon Powershot S90, Mamiya Universal + 127mm F4.7 lens + Polaroid back with FP3000b and a overhauled Polaroid Land 250 (I just fixed this and wanted to test it out) + Portrait Lens kit.

My Mamiya Universal had not seen light for a while and I figured will be the perfect camera to shoot during the ceremony.  Manual exposure, F4.7 lens, nice shutter release and hand grip, everything ready.  Just before the bridal party started the march in, I took the Universal for a test shot at the groom’s family.  Weight lifting the 15 pound machine, I clicked the shutter.  I hear no “click” sound, crap.  I knew somehow the shutter didn’t go off and somehow it was stuck.  I dashed back to my seat, pulled the film out and just as I suspected, it was completely black.

Frantically, as the bridal party started to march in, I took the film pack out of the Mamiya Universal and inserted it in the Polaroid Land 250.  I did not have my dark bag with me nor did I had time to waste.  By taking the pack of film out like this, I openly exposed one shot.  I pulled the dead shot from the Polaroid Land 250 and it was ready to go.  Life is good again.

The church was well-lit and the FP3000b film was good enough for hand held shots.  Here are the lotophotos taken with the Polaroid Land 250 that day.

Even with ISO 3000 film, action shots were proven difficult with the wide opened f8.8 aperture.  Both of the following shots were slightly blurred but exhibited strong sense of movement.

Action Shot 1
Action Shot 1

This shot I particularly liked the flower bell bokeh.

Action Shot 2
Action Shot 2

Semi-still shots were acceptable, given the couple weren’t moving too much.

Semi Still Shots 2
Semi Still Shots 1
Semi Still Shots 1
Semi Still Shots 2

With still shots, this is when the Polaroid Land 250 performed the best.  These cameras were made for still shots and the resulting photos were all super sharp.  The following shot was taken with a tripod and a modified Polaroid self timer #192.  I will post another blog featuring this timer and why it has to be modified in the near future.

Still Shot 1
Still Shot 1

Family photos are among my favorites and below is a lotophoto that I took of Dennis’ family.  Always loved to see some people with their eyes closed.  With film, this was the way it was.  You won’t be able to see the result until you develop it, long after the event.  With that mentality, I didn’t even bother taking another shot with my Polaroid.

Family Lotophotos
Lotophoto of Dennis’ Family

I attached the portrait lens kit with the following two lovely shots.  Here is Joseph, the best man and the groom.

Joseph and Dennis
Joseph and Dennis looking sharp

The last and certainly my favorite shot of the day.  I was delighted to capture the genuinely happy couple in this photo.

Happy Bride and Groom!
Happy Bride and Groom!

The shoot was proven successful.  It’s amazing what you can achieve with simply a pack of film and an old camera.  The overhauled Polaroid Land 250’s exposure was dead on.  Particularly the last shot, totally reminded me of the 2R sized photos of my parents of their wedding day that are still in their wallets.  With the Polaroid Land 250, a camera that was made in the mid 1960s, even after almost half a century later, continues to capture the special moments for the reason of its first existence.  Looking at the eight shots I made, reminded me of my parents’ lotophotos of their wedding day and the dusty albums that I loved going through when I was a child.  I hope one day, the children of the happily wedded couple will enjoy them the same way as I did with the ones of my parents.