Frugal Film Project 2021 - August

 For my August roll of Kodak ColorPlus 200 I decided to take a walk along the Leeds Liverpool Canal in the hope of seeing some colourful narrowboats. The best place that isn't too far away from my home is at Crooke, a former mining village a mile or two outside Wigan. I spoke about it in a previous blog when shooting my salvaged roll of EZ400 B&W film in my OM-2. I also had my Nikon D90 with me so I was well armed for a day of photography at a nice location and a roll of Kodak ColorPlus loaded in my Olympus 35RC.  

I shot my July roll at 100 iso and decided to stick with it as I was rather pleased with how they turned out. People often dismiss Kodak's consumer grade film in favour of Portra or Ektar. Whilst Portra and Ektar are indeed excellent films, ColorPlus is the surprise package amongst Kodak's range of colour film and for good reason.

When shot at box speed ColorPlus gives me a nostalgic vibe with grain that just screams 1970's holiday snaps at me. When you shoot ColorPlus at 100 iso magic truly happens and the cheapest of Kodaks colour films makes a dash for the top. Shooting ColorPlus at 100 iso makes the grain melt away. It is as though you had accidentally got your Ektar mixed up with your ColorPlus and loaded the expensive stuff instead. 

You check the scans a few times and cross reference with your negatives and yep, that really is Kodak ColorPlus looking silky smooth with great colour saturation. Those Narrowboats really do pop and the reflections look like glass. The only thing telling you otherwise being the slight ripple across the surface of the canal in the gentle breeze.

In a way I am glad the sky was rather overcast with few breaks in the clouds to give direct sunlight. There are no hard edges to the shadows and the light is very diffuse. The colours are even and the overall exposure is very pleasing to my eye. There is a little definition in the clouds on some photos and others the sky is blown out, but it doesn't detract from the photos at all.

My Olympus 35RC has really come alive with colour film and the E Zuiko 42mm f/2.8 fixed lens shows its true quality. I will be trying a more expensive roll of film in it at some point, but with results like these I may be tempted to go another stop and shoot ColorPlus at 50 iso just to see what happens. After all it's cheap film, right? 

Here's a few of my favourite images from my walk along the canal. I have placed them and more in my Frugal Film Project colour album on Flickr which you are welcome to visit by clicking the link beow. I hope you enjoy them.

Frugal Film Project 2021 Colour Film