One Roll Review - Lomochrome Color '92

I have to hand it to the minds at Lomography. Whatever sources they have, or partnerships with film manufacturers, they have been able to come up with some films that simply defy convention and encourage experimentation by photographers.  I'm not sure where this latest release stands in the world of C-41 films that Lomography has come up with, but when I saw it available, I purchased three rolls from the Lomography store.  

First of all, I knew that I wanted to test this film in a camera that has shown reliable results with color films, my Yashica Electro 35CC. With its 35mm f/1.8 lens, this camera is considerably more compact than the big Yashica Electro 35s most people are familiar with.  That's one reason that I use it, and the other is that I like the aperture-priority operation of this camera (even if I don't know what the exact shutter speed will be), and the 35mm lens is perfect for much of the photography that I do.

I already had a roll of Kodak Pro Image 100 in this camera, which was fortuitous, since I could compare the color rendition of the Color '92 with the Pro Image 100.  I shot the roll of Color '92 in Murphy and Asheville, NC.  I shot it at the box speed of ISO 400, and it was developed by Ball Photo in Asheville, and I scanned the negatives on my Epson V700 scanner. Minor corrections were applied post-scan in Corel Paintshop Pro.

The Henn theatre, shot on Pro Image 100

Henn Theatre, shot on Color '92

As you can see, the Color'92 has a bit of a slightly different palette, but nothing like the Lomo Metropolis film.  If anything, it reminds me of some older slide film scans, but with better shadow detail.    In the two photos of the Henn theater in Murphy, NC, the red looks slightly muted compared to the Pro Image 100, but blues are more intense.

Some more images:

The rest are from Asheville, NC

Based on this sample, I'd say that the reds have some cyan that mutes them a bit, and that the film really shines in full sun.   Overall, it's certainly a choice on whether to use it or any other 400 ISO color film.  It's not going to be as obvious a result as say, Lomo Metropolis or Lomochrome Purple. However, I do like the look of this film

Is it worth the extra price over some expired 400 ISO film?  It all depends on what you are looking for. I think the more muted appearance in shade is quite nice.  

One Roll Review - SHD 100 Pro

Last month, I stopped into my local photography store - Ball Photo, in Asheville, NC.  I bought a few rolls of film that I hadn’t seen before, and one of them was SHD Pro 100.  I was a little surprised, as I thought that Lucky film in China had disappeared from the scene, so I was certainly curious and eager to try this film.

The box containing the film has an expiration date of October 2023. While there is no mention of the Lucky brand on the box, the web site for the film is www.yangziyicn.com - which took me to a Facebook page.  However, the film is available online at the Reflx Lab website at $5.99/roll, and the information from Reflx Lab states the following:

“The SHD 100 film stock is using the emulsion formula from the time-honored Chinese brand Lucky Film.”

Well, it was many, many years ago that I shot with Lucky film, and if I recall correctly, it suffered a bit from halation.  Not a bad thing, if that’s what you want. Well, what the hell.  I loaded the roll into my Leica M2, and shot the roll on a sunny afternoon along the French Broad River N of Asheville.  I used my Doomo light meter that I keep on my M2.  

The box actually has development times for D-76 and HC-110 printed on one of the flaps. The film cassette is one of those plastic two-piece units that Lomography’s been using.  There is also a separate DX code sticker to go over the paper label if your camera requires DX codes to set the ISO to 100.  

I developed the film in D76 1:1 at 20°C for 11 minutes, rinsed in water for the stop, and fixed for 7 minutes. A couple of observations right away - the film is on a triacetate base and lies flat when dry- which makes it easy to scan on my Epson V700 flatbed.  The sprocket holes don’t seem to be die cut nearly as smooth as other films — maybe it’s the thicker film base, but it’s just an appearance, not something tactile.  

The film is fine-grained and damn, I love it.  I am very happy with the results from this first roll. I did not see any halation problems or artifacts.  I like it so much that I ordered 5 rolls (each roll is 36 exposures) directly from the Reflx Lab web site.

Here are some sample images from this first roll.  

Among The Trees - My latest issue of Monochrome Mania

 I've been publishing Monochrome Mania since January 2020, and every issue has had a different focus.  My latest, Among The Trees, is the 11th issue, and I've put a lot of thought into it.  First of all, I limited it to images made since 2018, which certainly made choosing the photographs a lot easier, and not having to go back over 20 years for source material. Secondly, most of the images have been made within an hour of where I live in NC, with a few from SC.  Among The Trees is a personal journey, but I also hope that it resonates with others that find the forest to be a place of solace, inspiration, and enjoyment.  

Putting this issue together has been sort of an ongoing project with different starts and then set aside. I realized that I had to narrow my focus to recent material, because I've been so inspired by the forests here.  Once I narrowed it down, the writing became easier, and more personal in nature.  I grew up at the edge of the Adirondacks in northern NY, and the woods were my playground when I was a kid.  I hunted and fished there when I was older, and went to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry for my B.S. and M.S.  In short, I've been a naturalist for a good part of my life, and in moving to NC, my affinity for the mountains and the forests has tapped into a reservoir of knowledge and the marvels of the area.  A walk on a forest path quickly sharpens my perception, lowers my blood pressure, and I become more attuned to my surroundings.  That immersive experience is a central tenet of the zine,  

Almost all the images in this issue were shot on film, and I provide the information for each at the back of the issue, as well as selected references that are mentioned in the text.  My choice of films were primarily Kentmere 100/400, and Fomapan 100/400.  The Derevpan 100 also gets some use.  The cameras were largely Nikons and Spotmatics for 35mm;  Hasselblad, Lomo LCA 120, Yashicamat 124, Agfa Isolette and Pentax 6x7 for medium format.  

I really enjoy living in Western NC, and living close to the Blue Ridge Parkway certainly has its advantages.  I had so much source material from the past 4 years, that I may end up doing some new zines and just call the Among The Trees or something like that. Here are a few samples from this issue:

Among The Trees is 8.5 x 11 inches, 36 pages plus covers.  It's available at my Etsy store (link in sidebar), as well as at Ball Photo in Asheville, NC.  A direct link to the zine is here. The price is $10+ shipping.  

I'll leave you with a few images that didn't make the issue...

Retro Digital - The Nikon Coolpix 5000

The E995 - 3.2 MP system camera
Hiyotada, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Back at the turn of the millenium, Nikon wowed us with the Coolpix 950  (E950) - a nearly 2 megapixel digital camera with an unmistakable twist - the body swiveled to provide the user with a more stable handling, while the lens section was pointed at the subject.  That was not the first appearance, though. The swiveling body was introduced a year earlier (1998) in the Coolpix 900, a 1.2 MP camera.  To be fair— at the time, such a revolutionary design was quite a departure from the digicams that had been appearing on the market.  Anyone that was a serious photographer scoffed at the 1.2 MP toy that Nikon had introduced.  Well, a year later, the 950 appeared with improved features and because it was a NIKON, it should be taken seriously.  Then in 2000, the Coolpix 990 (E990) appeared with a 3.2 MP sensor, more improvements, as well as a suite of attachments and accessory lenses.  Nikon sought to capture the advanced photographer that wanted a decent digital camera, and the only other option at the time was the D1, a monster of a camera that was weighty, slow, and too expensive for most of us.  The Coolpix addressed a different audience, and the Coolpix 990 camera became quite popular. With a price of about $900, it offered a slew of features that a lot of the competition just didn’t have.  Not to be outdone by competitors, Nikon released the Coolpix 995 (E995) in 2001, and while still with a 3.2 MP sensor, it incorporated a number of improvements, including the use of an EN-EL-1 rechargeable battery.  Part of the attraction of the Coolpix 9XX series was the 28mm filter ring on the lens, which allowed the continued use of attachments that were not obsoleted by a newer model.  Nikon’s use of accessory lenses, filters, and flash attachments was far better than other manufacturers at the time, and the Coolpix 995 was considered to be a serious digital camera. At about $900, it was significantly cheaper than the Nikon D1, which sold for $5500.  It was not until 2002 that the 6 MP D100 DLSR was introduced, with a price tag about double the Coolpix 995.  

I used a Coolpix 990 and 995 quite a bit in 2002-2007 in my work at the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan.  The camera was really good for a lot of close-up photography  and with the ES-28 Slide and film copying adapter, I used it extensively for quickly digitizing hundreds of 35mm slides. The ability to use an external flash was a tremendous advantage, as it allowed me to use my Nikon Speedlights  for better flash photography than you would get with the pop-up flash on the E995 body.   In short, the Coolpix 900-series ecosystem offered a serious user a lot of options via the accessory lenses and adapters.  I’ll discus those things a bit later.

Some examples from the E990 and E995:

My old darkroom with the wide-angle adapter

The E990 with off-camera flash

E995 with off-camera flash

E995 with off-camera flash

Over the past few years, I have come across a lot of the accessory lenses, such as the fisheye and teleconverter, as well as the ES-25 slide copier.  They have sat in a box, and one day I found an adapter that I had not seen before.  It was to use the 28mm accessories for the Coolpix 900 series on a Coolpix 5000.  What? What was the Coolpix 5000?  After some research, I found that the Coolpix 5000 had some similar features of the 995,  but it was a rigid body with a 5 MP sensor.  Hmmm.  I really didn’t want to find a used E995 with only 3.2 MP, I wanted the E5000 with 5 MP!  A quick search on eBay brought numerous E5000 cameras, but one offering looked great - and for $14 + shipping I got a like-new E5000 in the original box with all the chargers, connectors, manuals, and CD that it came with.  

About the Coolpix 5000 camera

The Coolpix 5000 was introduced in November 2001 at the price of $1099.00. It retained use of all the 28mm accessories with a UR-E5 adapter, which is a big deal for those who had invested heavily in the E900 series accessories.  The body of the camera is Magnesium alloy, giving it a very durable and comfortable feel.  The rear LCD screen - which is minuscule by today’s standards - and very similar to the rear LCD on the E995 - pops out away from the body and can be rotated in various directions.  You can use the optical viewfinder in lieu of the LCD, and save battery power, as well as for ease of use. The lens has the focal length equal to a 28-85mm zoom on a full-frame camera, with maximum apertures from f/2.8 - 4.8.  

Camera specs:

• Sensor- 2/3” (5.24 megapixel total)

• Image sizes-  2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480

• Image formats-  TIFF, JPEG, MOV (movie clips)

• Aspect ratio- 4:3 / 3:2 (2560 x 1700)

• Lens- Nikkor 3x optical zoom, 28 - 85 mm (as 35mm equiv.)

• Lens max. aperture- F2.8 - F4.8

• Digital Zoom-  x1.2 - x4.0 in x0.2 steps

• Auto Focus-  Contrast Detect,  5-Area Multi AF or Spot AF selectable

• Focus modes-  Continuous AF, Single AF, Manual

• Focus range- Normal: 50 cm - Infinity, Macro: 2 cm - Infinity 

• Metering - 256-segment Matrix. -center weighted average, spot, spot AF area

• Shutter speeds - Bulb (max 5 mins), 8 sec - 1/4,000 sec

• Apertures- Wide: F2.8, F3.1, F3.5, F4.0, F4.4, F5.0, F5.6, F6.3, F7.1, F8.0

• Tele: F4.8, F5.4, F6.0, F6.8, F7.6

• Exposure control-  Program Auto (with flexible program), Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual

• Exposure compensation- +/-2 EV in 0.3 EV steps

• Auto exposure bracket -  3 or 5 frames within +/-2.0 EV

• Sensitivity-  Auto, ISO 100-800

• White balance- Matrix Auto White Balance, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Flash, Preset, White bal. bracket

• Viewfinder- Optical type (with diopter adjustment)

• LCD monitor- 1.8" 110,000 pixel TFT, Flip-out and twist type

• Storage- Compact Flash Type I or II

• Shooting modes-  Auto, CSM #1 - #3 (three custom mode memories)

• Capture modes- Single, Continuous H (3 fps, max 3 images), Continuous L (1.5 fps, max 10 frames), High-speed Continuous (SXGA, XGA, VGA; 3 fps), Ultra High-speed Continuous (QVGA; 30 fps, max 100 images), Multi-shot 16 (3 fps, 16 frames on one image), Movie with audio (15 fps, max 60 seconds)

• Self-timer-  3 sec, 10 sec

• Flash- Guide no. 10, Sensor flash system, Auto, Cancel, Anytime, Slow-sync, Red-Eye reduction

• Accessory shoe-  ISO 518 standard

• External speedlights - Nikon SB-50DX,  SB-28DX, SB-28, SB-27, SB26, SB-25, SB 24, SB-23, SB-22s

• Play options- Single image, Thumbnail (4 or 9), Slide show, Movie play (with audio), Magnify (up to 6x), Exposure information, Histogram with highlight display, Focus confirmation indication

• Connectivity -USB 1.1,  A/V output (Video & Audio), DC Input

• Power- Nikon EN-EL1 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery,  2CR5 / DL245 Lithium,  Optional battery pack: (6 x AA batteries),  Optional AC adapter

• Dimensions- 102 x 82 x 68 mm (4.0 x 3.2 x 27 in)

• Weight (no batt)- 360 g (12.6 oz)

• Weight (inc batt) - 414 g (14.6 oz)

As you can see, for its time, the Coolpix 5000 was an amazing little feature-laden digital camera with enough megapixels for printed 8x12 images.  With the following accessories, one could have a very flexible system:

• Fisheye Converter FC-E8

• Wideangle Converter WC-E68

• Telephoto Converter TC-E2

• Telephoto Converter TC-E3ED

• Adapter rings UR-E5, UR-E6

• Lens hood HN-E5000

• Battery pack MB-E5000

• Slide copy adapter ES-E28

• Remote Cord MC-EU1

I purchased the MB-E5000 battery pack from an online seller that was selling them as New Old Stock, for $24, including shipping.  It cost more than I paid for the camera, but the MB-5000 provides power from 6AA cells, as well as an extended grip with a vertical zoom control and shutter release.  The UR-E5 adapter ring allows me to use the FC-E8 fisheye lens as well as the TC-E3ED telephoto converter lens.  I’ve used the SB-50DX speedlight with the Coolpix 5000 with excellent results.  

with the SB-50DX and battery pack

with the fisheye lens and adapter

So, after 22 years, how does the Coolpix 5000 stack up?  When it was first released, a 6MP DSLR had yet to appear, and it wasn’t until a few years later that many less expensive point and shoots were available with 5 and 6 MP sensors.  Today, we see digital cameras — even low-end point and shoots, with 16 - 24 MP.  My iPhone has an 8MP sensor - although a much smaller sensor than the Coolpix 5000, it’s probably more capable in most situations.   The camera’s use of a Compact Flash card means that I have to use an adapter to transfer the images to my computer.  The rear LCD is small and hard to read in strong light.  It gives just enough detail to determine if you had a decent capture.  At the time, it was “okay,” but now, there is no comparison with the LCDs on current cameras.

with the fisheye lens

BUT…

This isn’t about comparing raisins to cantaloupes.  A retro digital experience should rest on its own merits, and while it’s obvious that a camera from 2001 has a very different user experience than one from 2021, can a Coolpix 5000 take good images?  Of course, it can.  Nikon’s color fidelity and lenses provided great results, and a 5MP image with good lenses can still have a “wow” factor.  You may have to work a little harder, but the camera still can do many of the things we have come to expect.  A while back, I reviewed the HP PhotoSmart - a low-end digicam with a 1.3 MP sensor that was in use at the same time as the Coolpix 5000.   Of course, the Nikon Coolpix 5000 outperformed that in every imaginable way.  The price difference was also quite considerable.  

I think it’s quite interesting how far we’ve come with digital cameras since the Coolpix 5000 was introduced.  However, you know what?  I can pick up a 35mm film camera from the 1950s and put in a modern film stock and still create great images without the need for a battery, adapters, or computer.  As a photographer that’s seen the world go from nothing digital to digital everything, using a film camera might seem like an anachronism, but it’s not.  It shows how some technologies can escape the trap of obsolescence that’s been foisted on us by modern digital cameras.  So, grab a Pentax Spotmatic and a roll of film and see how effortless and fun it is to go make images.

However, if you aren't into shooting with film, these older cameras from 2001-2009 might be just the thing to have some fun with and can be had for the price of a pizza and a beer.