What current 35mm film for vintage look?

[sepiareverb]

Shooting with a Leica standard and hoping for a faster film than the Rollei Ortho 25 or Efke 25 from my dwindling stash that I usually put through it. What current production films have a vintage feel to match this vintage kit? FOMA 100 fit the bill? Images appreciated if you can post em.

 

[R.Gould]

Foma 200 and 400 fits the bill for me, especialy developed in Rodinal I like the vintage feel I get from this film, I only use vintage/classic cameras, including a Leica iiic, some pre war Voigtlander's and many from the fifties both 120 and 35mm
Richard

 

[faberryman]

Shooting with a Leica standard and hoping for a faster film than the Rollei Ortho 25 or Efke 25 from my dwindling stash that I usually put through it. What current production films have a vintage feel to match this vintage kit? FOMA 100 fit the bill? Images appreciated if you can post em.

How would you describe "vintage feel"?

 

[sepiareverb]

Looks like the 200 is no more? Was thinking about double x also, but as the standard only gets up to 1/500 a 100 speed might be a little more versatile?

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Here is an example of Fomapan 100, but taken with a Fuji 6×9 GW690II camera. This is Zollingers' Hill Road in Vicksburg, Mississippi. I am still experimenting with the Fomapan. Sometimes it is spectacular, but other times, dark areas looks muddy. My negatives were developed commercially in Xtol. Next time, I'll develop in Rodinal myself. The Fomapan is pretty grainy, so I am not sure how it would be in 135 size.

 

[Kodachromeguy]

I thought about your question some more. How about Tri-X 400 (the contemporary Tri-X)? It is consistent in quality and can be developed in many developers. This example is from a Leica M2 with 35mm Summicron lens in Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock), Burma. Title: Monks with Cigs.

 

[pentaxuser]

The picture of the monks looks as if it was quite foggy that day. Was this the case or is that the "vintage" look

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[Kodachromeguy]

The picture of the monks looks as if it was quite foggy that day. Was this the case or is that the "vintage" look

Thanks

pentaxuser

Dense morning fog, with wafting plumes of incense smoke. Thanks for responding.

 

[faberryman]

How did you achieve the greenish cast? Looks like you might have scanned the film with an RGB rather than Grayscale profile.

 

[Philippe Grunchec]

Foma 200 looks more "modern" to me. Try Foma 400 or Foma Retro 320!

 

[Kodachromeguy]

How did you achieve the greenish cast? Looks like you might have scanned the film with an RGB rather than Grayscale profile.

Yes, you are right. I think my old copy of ACDSee converted to sRGB when it resized. I have to manually set it to not do that conversion.

 

[Ian Grant]

Looks like the 200 is no more? Was thinking about double x also, but as the standard only gets up to 1/500 a 100 speed might be a little more versatile?

It's in stock at my suppliers.

I use Fomapan 100 & 200 as my back up films there's nothing vintage about their look, that's down to the equipment you use, particularly un-coated lenses, and the way you work & print.

Ian

 

[trendland]

A vintage look is no longer depending to some special films it is depending to a correct digital workflow and the right filter apps.
(...........that should be a joke..)

What is a vintage look ? - were one can find a correct definition of vintage look in photography ?

But ok - you asked. ....I will give a recomandation.
1) Vintage framing due to the restrictions of technology of that period you want to copy. Best way is original equipment.
2) Vintage lighting (not so easy)
3) ok the films.....perhaps Fp4 or better
PanF, all Foma films.
I would state you will need worst films you can get today.
So - you know Polypan F ? A Pan F derivate from Ilford.
The next is an E.I. of the period you like.
That would mean ISO25/15Din. is a hight speed film!
E.I. ISO12/12 Din. is a fine method due to the vintage workflow you will get soon.


with regards

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Not too long ago there was a long thread on essentially how to produce a 'vintage look.' People leaned toward the idea that film was the least important aspect in this regard. More important were such things as lighting, choice of subject, clothing, ... As Ian points out there is no film with a built in vintage look except perhaps an ortho film..

 

[chassis]

TX400

Do you want currently manufactured film? Or currently available? Plus-X is a great look and is available usually on the auction site.

 

[Ian Grant]

Thanks Gerald, I also pointed out that the so called "vintage look was also due to over-exposure as well as processing to much higher densities, this was to help overcome the low contrast of pre-WWII un-coated lenses.

Ian

 

[trendland]

Thougts were the same within the last
20 min.
Do you mean vintage photography?
Because it is no way to have a shot of
modern Kuala Lumpur with a special
emulsion to have a quite interesting vintage look.
So I would correct myself a little :
85% is scenerie
13% is equipment and workflow
2% is the film.

Remember picture motives in vintage shots! What were the events of shootings? So you have to shot (very old)
burning houses, sinking (vintage) harbour ferries, earthquake catastrophes in foreign regions, indigenous people,
a.s.o.
Landscape in wilderness - just remember
shots of Ansel Adams with very massive
snow !!!!
Perhaps the Chrisler Building (with massive snow) will do the job also.
with regards
PS : So don't sorry about the film.

 

[chip j]

Arista EDU 100 in 35mm.

 

[Pioneer]

It may be easier if you could identify what it is you consider vintage. To me vintage is a bit lower in contrast and shows more grain than more modern films. It also has a bit lower response to red so that reds come out a bit darker. Of course that is my perspective and may not be your own. You should also remember that to some degree that vintage look is also the result of the format used for many old photographs. Large format sheet film is well known for a much larger tonal response than is possible with 35mm.

It sounds like the look of Efke 25 in your Leica Standard is what you are looking for the closest I have come at this point is by exposing Ilford Pan F 50 at EI25 and developing it in a low contrast developer. I have been having decent results with D-23 (which I mix myself) which produces a lower contrast negative if I use it at 1:3. Believe it or not, if I hold off for a week or so in developing Pan F 50 I get and even softer look, but I haven't been able to get consistent results yet so I wouldn't recommend it. Reducing the amount of agitation will also lower contrast to some extent. There are a lot of tricks you can try but it does take some fooling around with your options.

Unfortunately I haven't yet found a real good replacement for Efke film, I am really going to miss it when I run out of my stockpile. One thing you may want to try is an orthochromatic film like Rollei Ortho 25. That really is a more vintage style of film and you may like the looks you get with it.

Like Ian mentioned, I think you can probably get the type of look you want with about any film if you do some experimenting with developers, times and agitation. I am currently playing with Arista EDU Ultra 400 (Fomapan 400) exposed at EI200 and developed with Beutler 1:1:8 with some interesting results. Fomapan 400 will naturally exhibit a bit more grain than Ilford Pan F does and EI200 works quite well with the available shutter speeds in the older Leica cameras.

I also notice (or at least I think I do) that my uncoated Elmar 50/3.5 seems to have some influence on the results. The pic below was exposed in my Leica III with a 1935 uncoated Elmar 50 on AEU 400 at EI200, then developed for 12 minutes in Beutler 1:1:8. I like the print quite a bit but the scan may not do it justice. The other problem is that there is a bit more cloud detail in the sky than I would expect from the vintage look.

 

[cliveh]

Sepia toning your print would give it a vintage look.

 

[sepiareverb]

Wow! Thank you all. I'm certainly all in with the old lenses, a 50/3.5 or 35/3.5 for sure, maybe a 28/6.3. The Efke 25 and Ortho 25 are always in this camera, but Was wondering if something faster could give me a similar vibe. Not afraid to play with developers, so will experiment with any film I get in, but it seems like maybe the lenses are more important than the emulsion. On the road all day tomorrow but will check back in the evening. Much appreciated!

 

[mhanc]

in my experience, any non-tabular grain 35mm b+w film can provide the look you are seeking. as noted: exposure, processing and subject are all variables to work with. a few currently produced films to consider:

- efke/adox 100 used to give me a retro look, but it is no longer available. looking forward to the new adox chs 100 ii when it comes out - supposedly sometime later this year if i remember correctly.

- new bergger pancro 400 looks promising from a vintage-look perspective -- i have just got 3 rolls each of 35mm and 120 but i have yet to try them.

- kodak double-x gives that look in spades from the examples i have seem.

 

[Ian Grant]

Arista EDU 100 in 35mm.

Fomapan 100 won't give you a vintage look compared to other modern films and that includes EKKE (Adox) 25,, not even when packaged as Arista EDU 100 Believe me I've used a few hundred rolls and sheets of Fomapan 100 and EFKE 25.

Ian

 

[trendland]

Sepia toning your print would give it a vintage look.

Definitifly not.Sorry to say but I don't agree with this.
If we would discus vintage look on the basis of sepia toning we would come very soon to a basis of scanning and the
use of filter apps.I mentioned it before but just as a joke.
It this would be possible with sepia toning you just have to print 100 fotos from the last year again with sepia toning
to get 100 nice and remarcable vintage
shots.
So it will not work - am I right ?

with regards

 

[trendland]

It may be easier if you could identify what it is you consider vintage. To me vintage is a bit lower in contrast and shows more grain than more modern films. It also has a bit lower response to red so that reds come out a bit darker. Of course that is my perspective and may not be your own. You should also remember that to some degree that vintage look is also the result of the format used for many old photographs. Large format sheet film is well known for a much larger tonal response than is possible with 35mm.

It sounds like the look of Efke 25 in your Leica Standard is what you are looking for the closest I have come at this point is by exposing Ilford Pan F 50 at EI25 and developing it in a low contrast developer. I have been having decent results with D-23 (which I mix myself) which produces a lower contrast negative if I use it at 1:3. Believe it or not, if I hold off for a week or so in developing Pan F 50 I get and even softer look, but I haven't been able to get consistent results yet so I wouldn't recommend it. Reducing the amount of agitation will also lower contrast to some extent. There are a lot of tricks you can try but it does take some fooling around with your options.

Unfortunately I haven't yet found a real good replacement for Efke film, I am really going to miss it when I run out of my stockpile. One thing you may want to try is an orthochromatic film like Rollei Ortho 25. That really is a more vintage style of film and you may like the looks you get with it.

Like Ian mentioned, I think you can probably get the type of look you want with about any film if you do some experimenting with developers, times and agitation. I am currently playing with Arista EDU Ultra 400 (Fomapan 400) exposed at EI200 and developed with Beutler 1:1:8 with some interesting results. Fomapan 400 will naturally exhibit a bit more grain than Ilford Pan F does and EI200 works quite well with the available shutter speeds in the older Leica cameras.

I also notice (or at least I think I do) that my uncoated Elmar 50/3.5 seems to have some influence on the results. The pic below was exposed in my Leica III with a 1935 uncoated Elmar 50 on AEU 400 at EI200, then developed for 12 minutes in Beutler 1:1:8. I like the print quite a bit but the scan may not do it justice. The other problem is that there is a bit more cloud detail in the sky than I would expect from the vintage look.

Yes Pioneer - this is indeed a very good
example of a vintage motive.
I can imagine a group of muscle cars in front of the hill and 100 hours in darkroom wouln't give the observer a feeling of a vintage shot.
So would you agree with - the motive is 85% and then it is very fine to have some
special developers with any film ?
with regards