Lomography Metropolis C-41 Color Negative Film

[Adrian Bacon]

I've had a number of rolls of Metropolis come through my lab and was intrigued because even though it's C-41, it doesn't really look or behave much like C-41 film, so I thought I'd burn a roll and see what it was about.

First off, it's not the same contrast as standard C-41. It's way more contrast. I doubt you could print it onto RA-4 paper. I measured the contrast by making a series of exposures of a gray exposure card metered at ISO 200, then subtracted two stops from that for my LD, then added 5 stops to that to form the HD. The (HD-LD)/1.5 for each color channel comes out to 0.49, 0.54, and 0.59 for RGB as seen by my digitizer setup (not intending to get into that, this is just a reference relative to standard C-41). By comparison, standard C-41 control strip (HD-LD)/1.5 comes out to 0.39, 0.48, 0.59 on the same setup. This undoubtedly makes for a difficult to print image if trying to print onto RA-4 paper.

The white balance multipliers to get a neutral white relative to film base plus fog are also quite a bit different than standard C-41: R1.243815 G1.000000 B1.138936. Standard C-41 comes out to: R1.172276 G1.000000 B1.368644

Assuming you could correct the contrast and get to a neutral grey in 5500K light on an RA-4 print, there's also the color palette to consider:

It's not exactly terrible, but not what I'd call the most awesome color palette ever. Given that it's C-41 and lately C-41 in general has been hard to come by, this could be a good diversion. Also, LOMO states that it's a 100-400 speed film. Nope. I metered it at 200 and the normally exposed grey exposure card came out exactly where I'd expect it to relative to the film base plus fog for a 200 speed film. You can expose it 100-400, but it's best at 200.

Anybody else shot this? Thoughts? I've got a couple more rolls. Once the weather clears up a bit and I can go outside without getting dumped on with buckets of water, I'll shoot some outdoors stuff, and maybe do some studio portrait stuff with flash to see what that looks like and update this post with that.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

@Adrian Bacon Thank you for this! I was planning to get some to shoot it as a "themed B&W" so to speak, but saw the recent announcement of its re-formulation. So now I'm in a holding pattern to try the updated version.

it’s very weird looking… there’s no orange mask, it almost looks like XP2 Super when holding the film base up to the light. I need to do this same exercise for lomochrome purple, but don’t have any rolls on hand right now.

 

[foc]

According to the Big Film Database:

Name: Lomography LomoChrome Metropolis XR 100–400 Film
Information / Suspected emulsion: Desaturated color film, C-41. Adox emulsion coated by InovisCoat

Interesting that it has no orange mask.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

Here's what it looks like when held up to the light. Not a typical looking C-41 with the orange mask.

 

[Agulliver]

Widely reported to be a happy by-product of Inoviscoat's journey to make a good C41 colour film. Lomography market it specifically for it's strange colour pallette/saturation.

I;ve shot one roll in 110 format. It's....interesting. Some shots in bright sunshine of subjects such as rocks, people and cars were quite pleasing. Landscapes less so. Probably good for cityscapes with lots of buildings/concrete and for subjects with busy colours. Grain was OK for the 110 format suggesting that it has the potential to eventually be a decent ish C41 film if that is Inoviscoat's eventual goal. In the meantime it certainly has it's uses but isn't an every day film. I haven't bought any more but have considered it in 120.

 

[foc]

Here's what it looks like when held up to the light. Not a typical looking C-41 with the orange mask.

View attachment 293236

Thank you for posting the image. It reminds me of the old (1950s/1960s) Agfa CN17 colour negs. They didn't have the orange mask and had the greenish colour like your sample.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

Widely reported to be a happy by-product of Inoviscoat's journey to make a good C41 colour film. Lomography market it specifically for it's strange colour pallette/saturation.

I;ve shot one roll in 110 format. It's....interesting. Some shots in bright sunshine of subjects such as rocks, people and cars were quite pleasing. Landscapes less so. Probably good for cityscapes with lots of buildings/concrete and for subjects with busy colours. Grain was OK for the 110 format suggesting that it has the potential to eventually be a decent ish C41 film if that is Inoviscoat's eventual goal. In the meantime it certainly has it's uses but isn't an every day film. I haven't bought any more but have considered it in 120.

I think Inoviscoat should keep developing it as it's not healthy to only have one or two players for C-41, and where it's at now shows quite a bit of potential if not planning to make analog prints off of it. Again, it's not terrible, it just isn't up to what you get with Kodak or Fuji, however, they've been doing it for how long? If you get the contrast and white balance right once digitized, the color hues and saturation are relatively straightforward to correct and punch up, you just have to keep in mind that it's not RA-4 compliant C-41 and act accordingly.

 

[Ten301]

We’ve been hearing the tale for quite some time that Metropolis was merely a stepping stone in InovisCoat’s journey to making a respectable C41 color negative film, a ‘happy accident’ so to speak, but I think we should give them a bit more technological credit than that. Remember, the company is staffed with the old, experienced Agfa/Leverkusen personnel, and they obviously have some pretty advanced coating equipment if they’re making many of the Lomo films.

One more possibility I’d like to throw in that’s not outside the realm of possibility: look at the new Silberra color films. Their masks are not orange, and in fact look oddly similar to the Metropolis mask. Their color palette is decidedly ‘Agfa’ in appearance. Silberra is a Russian company, and the boxes state “Made in Russia”, but that could only refer to finishing. AFAIK, Russia has no manufacturers of C41 films. These films do appear fresh, not respooled or old stock or repurposed. Not trying to start rumors here, but Silberra is mum on the manufacturer, and simply by process of elimination, we’re not left with many possibilities, especially considering the characteristics.

 

[Ernst-Jan]

ilberra is a Russian company, and the boxes state “Made in Russia”, but that could only refer to finishing.

Inoviscoat has no finishing facility themselves. If this is done in Russia, one can say it is "made in Russia".

Adox emulsion coated by InovisCoat

The former and current Adox never made/coated their own C41 / colour emulsion. Also Adox has nothing to do with InovisCoat. Maybe you are confused with Lomo or Filmotec/OrWo?

 

[AgX]

Inoviscoat has no finishing facility themselves. If this is done in Russia, one can say it is "made in Russia".

Inoviscoat meanwhile is connected to Filmotec.

 

[Ernst-Jan]

Inoviscoat meanwhile is connected to Filmotec.

I know. And they can make sprockets for 16mm and 35mm and put it on bulk rolls for motion picture industry. But they can't put it into cassetes or make 120 rolls - which is what Silberra sells.

 

[AgX]

Remember, the company is staffed with the old, experienced Agfa/Leverkusen personnel, and they obviously have some pretty advanced coating equipment if they’re making many of the Lomo films.

As far as being public only the 3 founders were from Agfa. Their coating machine is one of the Agfa production coaters, though now modified for small volume.

 

[brbo]

First off, it's not the same contrast as standard C-41. It's way more contrast. I doubt you could print it onto RA-4 paper.

Well, you could (just about). Or course, with the combination of high contrast of the negative and the paper, you won't be exactly enjoying amazing shadow and highlight detail (at the same time).

 

[Adrian Bacon]

Well, you could (just about). Or course, with the combination of high contrast of the negative and the paper, you won't be exactly enjoying amazing shadow and highlight detail (at the same time).

yes and no. The blue channel is basically the same, but the red and green channels are dramatically different. If you white balance it so the mid-tones are correct on RA-4 paper, you’ll get some pretty significant color shifting in the highlights and shadows relative to other C-41 films.

 

[halfaman]

I check some samples of this film and the color balance changes dramatically with light color temperature. You get severe colors casting to almost desaturated color with extreme contrast and very little detail.

Of course, people don't buy this film expecting "neutral" results but I didn't like what I see in the current version. Nevertheless I will try the new one that seems less "wild". I would like to see a comparison between both versions.

 

[brbo]

yes and no. The blue channel is basically the same, but the red and green channels are dramatically different. If you white balance it so the mid-tones are correct on RA-4 paper, you’ll get some pretty significant color shifting in the highlights and shadows relative to other C-41 films.

I was mainly talking about the contrast. But expecting any sensible colour palette from Metropolis is just... erm, well, if you read the Lomo promo material, you just don't expect it. And the colour balance in RA-4 print from Metropolis, as you can see, is just as bad as a scan of Metropolis from a mini lab on auto pilot. But that's exactly what the hipster asked for his $15.

 

[Lachlan Young]

It reminds me of the old (1950s/1960s) Agfa CN17 colour negs. They didn't have the orange mask and had the greenish colour like your sample

The lack of a mask, plus 'correct' sensitisation for a masked colour neg could produce the effects seen (essentially from overlapping absorption maxima). Sandwiching it with a piece of unexposed & processed regular colour neg would likely answer the question...

 

[AgX]

The existance of a mask or not should not be handled by spectral sensitisation. If the couplers as such cannot be changed the, interlayer effects could be used to counter the misabsortion of the image-forming dyes.

 

[Lachlan Young]

The existance of a mask or not should not be handled by spectral sensitisation. If the couplers as such cannot be changed the, interlayer effects could be used to counter the misabsortion of the image-forming dyes.

The generation of Metropolis shown here quite likely has neither a mask nor much in the way of interlayer scavengers - and there's no point in trying to find couplers etc that work in a maskless film if your end aim is a masked C-41 film (as would seem to be the case here). In fact it seems quite accurately in line with what a colour neg film before it has mask & interlayer components added would look like.

 

[wahiba]

My first 3 rolls arrived by post today, along with some Silberra 100 and 160. Thanks for the rate at 200 info. It was where I was going to start but glad to learn it works OK.

All I need now is some decent weather. Fuji A345 picture of films.

 

[eddyd]

I cannot wait to use it. It is available on their website. I cannot wait to try the Turquoise film when that is rereleased soon. I like film. Gimmicky, expired, cross processed etc.. At least they are making new films unlike other companies. And they are probably the only successful company when they do have a kickstarter everytime they are launching something new. I just used their 800 speed film. No complaints. Many like it better than Portra 800.I see others complaining on the price. Well film is very close to that price or more nowadays with it going up in price. It is what it is.

 

[Huss]

I cannot wait to use it. It is available on their website. I cannot wait to try the Turquoise film when that is rereleased soon. I like film. Gimmicky, expired, cross processed etc.. At least they are making new films unlike other companies. And they are probably the only successful company when they do have a kickstarter everytime they are launching something new. I just used their 800 speed film. No complaints. Many like it better than Portra 800.I see others complaining on the price. Well film is very close to that price or more nowadays with it going up in price. It is what it is.

I prefer the Lomo 800 to Portra 800, irrespective of price.

I love how Lomo supports film. For example no other mfg is producing 110 film. They all have given up. Lomo makes 5 different types!

 

[Huss]

Shot at ISO 400:

 

[Huss]

Shot at ISO 400:

 

[wahiba]

I have finished my first role of Lomochrome Metropolis using a Rollie35T, manual control the built in meter needs an odd battery and I manage without.

I must say I like the colour ambience of the film. Obviously not great for skin tones but the big surprise was in bad weather. Naturally I tested most of the film on a sunny day, but at the end a couple of shots were left when I took it into town fo processing, and it was raining. Now those two pictures look great. One in rain obviously, the other with the sun still shining. Bradford and Leeds Liverpool Canal earlier this month.