LC-A: A History in Film

Welcome to LC-A: A History in Film! 

This is a rundown of all the film I have used since I first received my LC-A camera 18 months ago. Please feel free to ask any questions that come to mind, or if I have missed anything out that you would like to know, then please drop me a comment.

I hope this post can give you an idea of what kind of results you can achieve by using different film with your LC-A, it is by no means definitive, but I hope it can help you in your choice of film.

Fuji Sensia 100 ISO Slide Film (cross-processed)
[more photos here]

Sensia 100 was one of the first films I ever used in my LC-A... I wanted to try out slide film, found a couple of expired rolls at the local photo lab & took my new camera out for a day. I was so impressed with the beautiful pinks, purples & blues that you get from cross processing Sensia 100. One thing I found though is that if there is a strong light source in the frame that the shadows become very strong in the photos, so it may be worth shooting it at 50 ISO to lessen the darkness.

Rollei Crossbird 200 ISO (cross-processed)
[more photos here]

I was blown away with the results I got from Rollei Crossbird in my LC-A, the amazing yellows & greens and rich dark contrasts. It really is a perfect match for the LC-A, along with the fact that it's packaging states that you process it in C-41, making it easier to convince your local photo lab to cross process it for you without batting an eyelash! 

You can see my Rollei Crossbird review on Lomography.com here.

Fuji Superia 200 ISO (colour negative)
[more photos here]

Fuji's colour negative films are renowned for their colour balance & fine grain. I have to say that I was surprised with the beautiful quality these photos have, a light vignette without cross processing & lovely colours. This film is a delight to use & a wonderful choice for when you want a little more speed than a 100 film with a lovely fine grain. 

Kodak T400CN 400 ISO (black & white colour negative, now sold as BW400CN)
[more photos here]

To say that I love Kodak BW400CN is an understatement! It is one film that has never let me down, and has always given me consistant results. In the LC-A it gives balanced light & shadows, beautiful details & if well focused, beautiful crisp focused images. Another reason to love this film is that it is a C-41 development black & white film, so you can develop it cheaply & easily.

Rollei Redbird Redscale 400 ISO (colour negative)

[more photos here]

Rollei Redbird is a delight to use, if you are prepared to break the rules a little. I know it says its 400 ISO, but rate it lower, at between 50 & 200, you will find more than just reds & oranges, soft to bright yellows, lime to blue greens & beyond! I love redscale, but with higher ISO films it tends to get a little too grainy for my liking, so I tend to push these kind of films a little lower on the ISO & the light & detail they pick up are amazing & make for stunning photographs. With the LC-A especially, I find if I use the non-automatic aperture or zone focus, you can get wonderful results in portraits & close up shots. 

Kodak E100G Ektachrome 100 ISO (slide processed)

[more photos here]

Bright saturated colours? Fine grain? Excellent light expression & capture? Oh Kodak E100G Ektachrome, be still my beating heart! This is sadly a film I have not used as much as I would like too, but it is a stunning film & although I have only ever had it processed as slide film, I'm sure that you would get just as wonderful results when cross processed. I think that after the results I have had with this film in my LC-A I will continue to slide process it. The colours are truly amazing & consistant, it is an expensive film, but well worth trying.

Lomography XR50-200 Redscale 50-200 ISO (colour negative)
[more photos here]

Similar to the Rollei Redscale 400 ISO film, this film from Lomography has been promoted as a wide spectrum ISO film & is incredibly good at it! The further to push the ISO down, the more yellows, greens & blue you get. It is also a wonderful film to use in the LC-A if you want some unusual results without using slide film and cross processing. It is cheap to buy & process, from my experience once you start using it, you can't stop.

Lomography X-Pro Chrome ISO 100 (cross processed)
[more photos here]

The Lomography range of slide films really are wonderful to use & with the LC-A they will give you rich bright colours, textures & vignettes. X-Pro Chrome gives your traditional 'Lomo' effect & is wonderful for using on bright sunny days. You can push down the ISO a little to capture more light, but I tend to stick to it's 100 ISO rating. You can guarantee that your results will always be quite fun & colourful.

Lomography X-Pro Slide ISO 200 (cross-processed)
[more photos here]

Like X-Pro Chrom 100 from the Lomography range, the Lomography X-Pro Slide 200 will give you the traditional 'Lomo' effects, but with a little more light capture & a sea of yellows, greens & blues. A aqua blue overtone tends to be present in this film when cross processed, while with works well for many photographic scenes, it isn't everyone's cup of tea. I personally love it for street photography, where it brings out shadows & highlights, for this reason if you want to catch more mid-tones in your photographs, it would be best to go with a colour negative film in your LC-A. 

You can see my review of Lomography X-Pro Slide ISO 200 on Lomography.com here.

Kodak Ektar ISO 100 (colour negative)
[more photos here]

I had so many people tell me how wonderful Kodak Ektar was, they said that it is the saviour of colour negative films, I was doubtful... then I used it in my LC-A & discovered the slide like quality to it's colours & textures. Again I haven't used this film as much as I would have liked, but can't wait to use it more in the future. It has a beautiful blend of super fine grain & rich colours, along with the zone focus of the L-CA you could do wonders with this film.

Another tip you might find helpful is, if you own a LC-A without the +, you don't have a little window on the back door to see what film you have in your camera. If like me, you tend to forget what film you have in your camera at any given time, then you might find the Washi Tape & Sharpie Film Discovery Solution helpful.

I have also written a Diana Mini: A History in Film post that you may find helpful if you use the Diana Mini, Holga 135BC or similar 35mm plastic cameras.

x Mel

Diana Mini Workshop with Ian Tatton - Part 2.

As promised, the second and final part of Diana Mini tips and tricks from Ian Tatton's Diana Mini Workshop. Thanks to Lomography Australia/NZ.

Diana Mini - Tips and Tricks! 

Half-frame and Square frame settings. Only switch formats after you have operated the shutter and before you have advanced to the next frame. Don’t force the switch. You will break it. 

Long exposures. The lens stays open for as long as you hold the cable release or exposure button down when set on ’B’. Use a tripod or find something to rest your Diana Mini on or against... table, TV, brick wall. 

Double and multiple exposure photography double the film’s exposure with every shot. Build your shot with this in mind. Half wind forward, then shoot again for endless panoramas. 

The burnt edge is an added extra if you don’t over wind your film on. You can get 26 or 27 exposures out of a 24 exposure roll, and 40 or 41 out of a 36 exposure roll. And who doesn’t love extra frames. 

The Diana Flash can also be used while detached from the camera body! You can hold it up higher, aim it from the side, from underneath or let your subject hold it! Fire at will to get some funky lighting effects. And not to forget - in long exposures, you can fire it again and again and again (for use only in a darker setting). You’ll need to separate your flash from your Diana Mini, and give the flash to your photo subject (who, in this circumstance, really should be a person!) Turn your Diana Mini setting to long exposure (‘B’ setting), get your subject in shot and press the shutter switch down, holding for at least ten seconds before releasing. During this time, have your subject move to a few different positions with the camera’s view, firing the flash at intervals in every new position. 

Masks have been around since day one in photography. A mask is an area of film which is covered, blocked out or ‘masked’! 

Once you start your experiments it gets so addictive. So, here's how to do masks. 

1. Create an imagine for a mask. The size of the mask should match (or be slightly bigger to give it enough space when taping it your camera) the size of the frame of the camera you are using. 

2. Print it out on transparency. 

3. Cut it out. 

4. Turn it 180 degrees counter-clockwise or the image will come out upside down! Tape the mask on the frame inside your camera. 

5. Load the film over your mask. 

6. SHOOT! 

With film you will see every mistake you make! It’s all a part of learning how to use your camera. Be patient, and learn from your mistakes. If you aren’t sure of what you did wrong, just ask. 

(Text credit to Ian Tatton) 

You can find, Diana Mini Workshop with Ian Tatton - Part 1, here. If you have any questions, then you can leave a comment, email me or contact the Lomography.com.au team.

✦ Mel

Diana Mini Workshop with Ian Tatton - Part 1.

This past Saturday I was lucky enough to be involved in a Diana Mini Workshop held by Lomography Australia/NZ in Melbourne as part of the Diana World Tour.

A group of 20 or so Diana Mini owners gathered in the No Vacancy Gallery space, clutching our little plastic cameras ready to absorb & reflect on the advice of fellow Diana camera fanatic & photographer, Ian Tatton.

Ian has been gracious enough to let me share some of his Diana Mini advice, tips & tricks. In this post I will cover the Diana Mini Basics & the 'Think SAFE' steps, with more to follow in later posts.

Diana Mini Workshop

The Diana Mini

"No. 1 rule - remember to remove the lens cap! If you don’t, all your pictures will come out black... same thing will happen if you open the 'back door’ mid roll as you’ll be exposing the film to light.

All films have different film characteristics. Generally speaking the higher the film speed (ie. faster film - 100, 200, 400, 800), the more light sensitive it is. With the Diana Mini, I tend to lean toward 100ASA film unless shooting in low light conditions, you can go with 100ASA film unless shooting in low-light conditions, you can go with 400ASA. Besides colour and B&W film don’t forget there’s the eye-popping colour explosion of cross-processed slide films when processed in negative chemicals and the warm reddish hues of Redscale film!

To take a photo, you must manually set all the camera settings.

Lighting is key to all types of photography. Light can be measured and controlled by its brightness using ‘Aperture and F-stops’. Put simply, on the Diana Mini - Cloudy (f/8) or Sunny (f/11) and by its duration - ‘N’ setting (1/60) or ‘B’ setting (timed Shutter Speed used for long exposures).

THINK SAFE

S - Shutter. Set the camera to N for normal photos (B for long exposures - on the B setting, the shutter will stay open for as long as you hold the shutter down).

A - Aperture. Evaluate the lighting conditions. If it is bright, under sunny skies, use Sunny settling. For overcast skies, use the Cloudy setting.

F - Focus. Decide how far you are from the subject, and set the focus ring accordingly.

E - Expose your film. Trip the shutter, advance your film (if you wish) and repeat!

If in doubt, shoot 2 frames or more of the same subject. If I was using the sunny setting, switch the aperture to Cloudy, to get a second negative with slightly more exposure. "

(Text credit to Ian Tatton) 

To further help you with film selection, my next post will be examples that I myself have shot with my Diana Mini over the past year & a half with a spectrum of different 35mm film, followed by more of Ian's excellent Diana Mini tips & tricks.

❥ Mel