After a busy start to December, things got really hectic. Little did I know that by the middle of the month I would have attended a funeral closely followed by the incarceration of mother-in-law in a dementia care home in the same week. The funeral was lovely, more than can be said for the care home transition experience. I had to draw on her trust in me to get her to believe I was going to undertake a photo shoot with a group of OAPs. She reluctantly went with me, but thankfully for her, she cannot remember how she got there. That is something I have to come to terms with but it did stall me on the photographic front for a few weeks.
I have now pulled out of that dive and have just experimented with more Agfa Vista 200 from Poundland but this time in the Trip 35 (manufactured May 1979). I have put together a few shots taken around the University Campus Arts block on a particularly frosty morning a few weeks ago. Previously I had shot a roll in the Nikon FE2 with the 50mm F1.4 prime lens. I have to say that I am impressed with both tests although I could not believe that this was Agfa film. It seems that maybe Fuji make this film for Agfa which explains the colour balance more.
Just as an exercise, I then converted these to B&W for comparison.
By and large, I am impressed with the colour gamut of this film and at such an absurd price it woud be criminal not to shoot it. I’d like to get my hands on 120 and try that if it exists.
Talking of which, I took possession of a Fuji GW670III in earlyDecember and the 6×7 format negatives in Portra 400 and TriX have been stunning. I find it quite different from the Trip 35, apart from the size! I find the Fuji is more akin to my approach with large format photography. I am so much more measured in my approach with it. The Trip 35 on the other hand is a true snatch and grab it type of camera, plus it fits in my pocket easily.
The next steps for me will be to experiment with the Fuji under controlled lighting conditions, especially portraits. Let’s see what emerges in 2013.