Trying out film stocks, selling my Fuji stuffs, gear acquisition syndrome, and (maybe) making videos

This photo is available on my print shop here

Hello friends,

It’s been quite a few weeks for me lately. I’ve been shooting a decent amount of film, trying out different stuff, and acquiring a LOT of things. Seriously, my GAS fueled adrenaline streak has been uncontrollable. It’s both exciting and kinda tiring at the same time. The anticipation of things to come.

I still have a few things on the mail, and then I’ll stop for sure 🤷. 

In the mean time, I guess writing about it is a way of calming me back down. So let’s go over what happened.

Trying different film stocks

This is probably the most fun part of film photography… which makes me quite sad that a lot of things have been discontinued a lot lately.

(Fuji C200, the old version, not the USA kodak shit, is something I LOVED that Fuji just abandoned, and yeah it hurts)

It’s still pretty exciting though.

I have been mostly buying any cheap stocks I can get my hands on. Stuff like Portra or Ektachrome or even Ilford HP5 are so dang expensive, I really can’t justify it right now. Until then, thank god there are some exceptional value options I still can get with my dinky third world income.

1. Respooled Kodak Vision3 250D/500T

Respooled cine film stocks, my beloved. This is the stuff that I hold on to ever so tightly at night. I heard about this news about Kodak stopping selling bulk rolls to normies a while ago, and my heart skipped a beat. Thankfully it seems like it hasn’t affected the respoolers in my country yet.

This is the main, and the most economical way for me to shoot film. Right now I can literally get 3 rolls of these stuff for less than one roll of Portra 800, which is crazy considering how good these cinema stocks are.

Some of these shots are definitely portfolio worthy already.

2. Ilford Pan 400

Yep, you read that right. Ilford Pan 400. Not Kentmere 400. Not Ilford Hp5 400. From what I’ve gathered, Ilford sell this stock exclusively to Asian markets because it’s quite a bit cheaper.

And yeah, it does feel like a cheaper stock, with very large grain. I dig the grain though. Its dynamic range is pretty good, which gives me a bit more flexibility in post. That’s the best upside, unlike the next B&W film stock I’ll talk about next.

Anyways, monochrome is quite an important part of my photography, and I’m just glad I have something cheap that’s 400 ISO for these overcast and foggy days in Hanoi. Maybe I’ll try to push this stock to 800 ISO, but it’s probably not for every occasion.

You can get 3 rolls of Ilford Pan 400 for the price of 1 roll of Portra 800. (this is quite a funny way to talk about price. It’s also how I think about film prices when I make a decision, so I’ll keep doing this, LOL 😏)

3. Fomapan 400

The other monochrome stock I’ve been shooting. I like Fomapan a lot, probably more than Ilford Pan, even though objectively it might be a bit worse.

For starter, this film has like, 2 stops of dynamic range or something. This roll I was shooting on a heavily foggy overcast days, and the sky is still burnt to a crisp.

Another thing is this stock is probably more of a 250 ISO film, rather than 400. That’s why I still shoot Ilford Pan along side Fomapan. Because that’s more of a “true” 400 ISO stock. If you shoot Foma at 400 ISO, probably should get used to getting shadows getting crushed to bits.

Regardless, I do still like Fomapan 400 a lot. It is quite moody, which is a vibe, really. Don’t think it would be my daily stock, but it’s definitely something when I want to bring out the mood.

It’s also quite a sharp film stock, much better than Ilford Pan 400 which is juuuust a tad too muddy sometimes, for what it’s worth.

You can also get 3 rolls of Fomapan 400 for the price of 1 roll of Portra 800.

4. Wolfen NC400

This is a “fun” stock that I wanted to try. The results of this stock online were kinda a mix bag, but I dig it. The de-saturation. The coarse grain. The color palette. It really brings out the “post war depression” vibe, if that’s even a thing.

This stock has quite a narrow latitude too. I rated the stock at 320 and metered for the shadows, and the highlights are pretty much blown to bits all the time as well if there’s sunlight. Maybe I could get something back if I home scan my film, but that’s another can of worms that I’m not ready to open yet.

Still, I love the result, and I’ll definitely shoot this stock again.

You can get 2 rolls of Wolfen NC400 for the price of 1 roll of Portra 800.

5. Fujifilm 400 (the USA version)

I just shot one roll of this to see what’s what. Internet says it’s basically just Ultramax 400, and while I think it’s a bit different, it definitely doesn’t have the magical greens of Fujifilm stocks, which is quite sad really.

Fujifilm just doesn’t seem to give a shit about the film part of its name anymore. They are probably rolling in cash selling film simulations anyways (I would know, LOL).

Classic Negative in Fuji digital cameras are probably the closest thing you get to a Fujifilm film stock these days. Too bad it’s still digital. Having shot film again, I realized now that film as a whole is just… irreplaceable. It’s just magic. The color palette is just one part of the equation.

Still, if a cheaper Ultramax is not nothing. I just really don’t know if I like Ultramax or not, yet.

You can get 2 rolls of Fujifilm 400 for the price of 1 roll of Portra 800.

That actually brings me to the next “thing” that I’m very excited to try out soon:

A new mythical Fujifilm 400 that’s made in Japan for the Japanese market.

I just got some of these unicorns from my drug dealer (fillm dealer I mean, same thing) on the dark web called Facebook marketplace. I haven’t got a clue of what the colors will look like, but I’m excited to try it out.

… And that’s it for the most exciting part, here comes the more boring ones of my dealings. I’ll sprinkle some of my latest film photos in there just because🙂 .

Selling all my Fujifilm gear.

Yup. It’s been a good run, but I really can’t justify holding on to my Fujifilm gear if I’m not shooting them anymore, not when their prices are so over inflated these days.

The X-T50, for all its worth, is like freaking 1500$ brand new. I sold it for more than what I bought too, which is also crazy to me. I also sold most of my lenses for close to the buying price as well (the 35 f1.4, 18 f2, and sigma 18-50). I kept my manual ttartisans stuff and the kit lens, which is not really worth selling. If I ever get a cheap Fuji body again, those would be nice too.

I’m the most sad about parting ways with the XF 35mm f1.4, which is probably one of my favorite lenses ever, but c’est la vie.

Using the money I get from my Fujifiilm kit, I got a DJI pocket 3 to make some videos (hold that thought). I also got a bunch of Canon FD lenses to complete my collection, including a 400$ 20-35mm f3.5 that I’ve been drooling over for a while.

I also have a 600$ reserved for an used Sony A7ii someday, maybe, if I ever want to DSLR scan my photos/go back to shoot some digital. The Sony A7ii just seems unbeatable value wise, has been for that past few years, and I can adapt all my Canon FD glass onto it and get the same focal length as 35mm filmm.

Aaaand I still have left over money to buy film and accessories and random stuff. How crazy is that. The Fujifilm tax is quite crazy.

Film gear acquisition.

So… yeah. I got a bunch of Canon FD lenses, which are mostly quite dirt cheap, except the 20-35. The addiction to “have everything because I can” is so tempting. I could never be able to afford primes and zooms of every focal length with digital, but now I can 😏. I don’t even know why I do this, when most of my shots are on the 20-35 and the 50 anyways, but alas, here we are.

I also got a Canon FTb for like 50 bucks, which shoots full manual with a partial spot metering, which I think is perfect for my style of shooting.

I frankly don’t get why the AE-1 is so popular and inflated anyways, when it’s probably the worst options, compared to the A-1 or the FTb or the EF (the film one).

(Don’t buy film gear from Amazon btw, the prices I saw there are criminal. Definitely click my affiliate links anyways though 😏)

The FTb is very simple. Shutter speed, aperture, ISO. No messing around with automatic futuristic shit. It’s also fully mechanical and built like a tank. The film winding lever feel is also just plain endorphins pumper (compared to the weird cheaper feeling of the A-1’s lever).

This is what film photography is all about anyways: A satisfying and addicting film winding lever and shutter slap.

Only “downside” is the battery situation (it uses a mercury battery, which is supposedly not available anymore). But here’s my secret tip for you if you ever want to try it out: Just get a hearing aid 1.45v “zinc air” battery. Those are the direct replacement of mercury batteries. Sure the battery only lasts for a month instead of a year, what a shame. Guess what, a pack of 6 batteries is only 2 dollars anyways.

I think I’ll get the Canon F1 eventually though. The F1n, or the New F1 version. I love my FTb, but it just have one flaw that I just can’t deal with: its viewfinder are not very bright, or big. For most people it’s probably fine, but my eyes are… not the best, to say the least. I wear glasses as well and my glasses get fogged up way too often. Too much video games my friends.

The later F1s just have a large and bright viewfinder, which I tried and love. I will also probably get a speed finder someday to get more eye relief.

The most “ideal” film camera for me is probably the Nikon F3, with its high-point finder designed for people wearing glasses. But alas, I’m too “locked in” to the Canon FD system 🤷.

Shooting videos

I think I’ll take another crack at shooting some videos again, just so I can have another medium to show my photos, and maybe a better way to earn some cashola along the way. Making videos can be a very creative process as well. I do like editing video.

… Most importantly, I think I’ve figured out the kind of videos I want to make.

I used to think I “have” to do these walky talky things on camera, which is… a problem for me, to say the least. It’s just that I’m a shy boy that has no self confidence 🤷.

Probably don’t have the personality for that too. I’m not a native speaker either, and I’ll always be self conscious of that.

But now I’ve realized that I don’t have to do all those, and I can probably do a calmer style of videos. Like the ones I’ve been falling asleep watching lately. Ok it’s mostly graindays.

Analog photography and calm, quiet filmmaking just goes so well together for some reasons. Don’t think I’ll even have commentary. Just some text, maybe.

I’ve been driving around the north of Vietnam to find stuff to shoot lately, and recording some videos of the journey would be a nice addition.

Making videos are quite time consuming, which is probably the biggest barrier to it. Not just shooting. Editing, sound design, effects, color correction, grading, etc. Those stacks up to be a mountain of work.

Hence, for this go around, I aim to keep my work flow very streamlined, and the gear very light and minimalist, if I want to keep doing this. I’m already hogging many kilos (or pounds if you’re American, I guess) of film gear, which leaves little room for a video camera.

Luckily, since last time I dabbled in making videos, the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 happened. This is probably the most perfect camera ever for my needs of a small and minimalist filmmaking camera (the recent firmware upgrade that gives it 2x lossless digital zoom is actually the thing that does it for me. changing focal lengths is one of the best thing you can do for filmmaking, and I’m so glad the damn thing can zoom now).

The thing is also a gimbal in itself, and it has a very good internal microphone which is a massive pro. Natural, ambient audio is very important to me.

Ultimately my photography will always come first, as it’s the medium I loved the most and want to get better. But I guess sharing my work is an important part to make this sustainable anyways.

Film photography is also a lot more “thrilling” than digital, which somehow inspires me to make videos again. My goal ultimately is to bring everyone along and tell good stories from my film photography journey, and hopefully that brings more value to the photos itself.

I’ll have a few trips soon. Will see what’s what.

So… yeah. For the 2 of you that are still here, we’re all caught up. Thank you for reading, and thank you for staying on this journey with me.

Until next time,
Peter.

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