Thursday 29 August 2013

Retro 80s

Off on holiday to Europe I loaded up my trusty Nikon F with a roll of Retro 80s film. I was hoping to capture some crispy contrasty landscapes and dramatic skys and this film has a good reputation for contrast. I'm not sure who makes this film, its often called Rollei Retro, but the film canister says its made by Agfa. I purchased a couple of rolls from Silverprint (here). On my return I processed the roll in Rodinal, 14mins, 10sec agitation every minute. Here are some of the results, most of them taken with a Nikkor 24mm F2.8 lens:
I'm very happy with the clouds on this shot, but a common problem with this film is shadow detail and the detail on the shady side of the hill is a little poor.
Another shot with the sort of clouds I was hoping to capture.
This is probably my favourite. It has a really nice quality about it almost like a painting. Finally this photo, taken in bright sunlight and a cloudless sky shows the films contrast off well:
I will definitely use this film again, I love its contrast and the way it brings out clouds. Best results were in bright sunlight, with shadow detail poor. I may well try stand development next time.