My Journey Into Photography: 3 films + 2 cameras = 1 Afternoon of Fun!

Whilst at the Lancashire Mining Museum, I took the opportunity to break out my OM-2 and my Agfa Isolette as I knew that one roll of film just wasn't going to be enough for our afternoon photowalk around the museum. I loaded a 120 medium format roll of Rollei Retro 400S into my Agfa Isolette and also a 35mm roll of the same film into my OM-2. Keith had given me both films a while ago and I decided to use them on the gloriously sunny afternoon we were blessed with that day. I also had a roll of Kodak Double-X that was my last roll of the day in my OM-2

I really enjoy using my Agfa Isolette I, it's a great inexpensive way into medium format film for any aspiring photographer. I have been fortunate enough to have not one, but two. I bought the second one initially for spares for my original Isolette, but after putting a test roll through it I found it was working just fine. Not a bad find for £15.

I had also fitted my Watameter rangefinder to help with any close ups I might find, but mostly shot it maxed out with a shutter speed at 1/200th and aperture between f/16 and f/22, depending on the cloud coverage. The lens hood I found online also came in very handy for dealing with the high and bright summer sunshine we enjoyed on the day.

I was also shooting Rollei Retro 400S with my OM-2 and it was a good experiment to compare Kentmere 400 and Rollei Retro 400S shot at Box speed. Kentmere 400 is slightly cheaper than Rollei Retro 400S, but how do they compare when shot with Olympus cameras and their marvellous Zuiko lenses? My OM101 had the Zuiko 50mm f/2 power Focus lens and my OM-2 had my favourite Zuiko 28mm f/3.5. I would find out when I developed my film a couple of days later.

I also shot a few frames and a couple of videos with my Nokia phone camera. I'm conciously using it more, not to overtake my film photography, but to compliment it. It's always with me so why the heck not! It gives me a chance to show you the machinery running and you too can experience the sounds of an engineering workshop. I love the sound of vintage machinery, it's hypnotic and I reckon you can dance to it.

It doesn't take long to shoot 3 rolls of film with 2 cameras in 1 afternoon when you're having fun. It was around closing time when we finished our film photography shenanigans for the day and we will definitely be back to visit the museum again. It's free entry, there's refreshments and a gift shop. The Engine Running days are quite popular as folk enjoy seeing the winding engine run and have a ride on the narrow guage railway. Donations are always welcome too. I will post the link to the museum website below.

I developed both of my rolls of Rollei Retro 400S in HC110 1+31 dilution B for 6 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had them hanging to dry in my bathroom. The next day I developed my roll of Kodak Double-X in HC110 1+63 dilution H for 10 minutes at 20 celcius and hung that to dry. Once dry, I digitised my films with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi film holders, Pixl-Latr and A5 size led light pad. I edited the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.

How did Rollei Retro 400S and Kodak Double-X fare? Rather well actually. Rollei Retro 400S in 120 medium format is a great film and certainly getting up there with HP5 and Tri-X in the same format. For the price it's a film I enjoyed great results with and I will use it again.

How did Rollei Retro 400S compare to Kentmere 400 in 35mm? It shone, especially when I put the orange filter on for a few shots. It's better than Kentmere, not by a huge margin, but enough to put it above Kentmere. Kentmere is a decent everyday film for the budget concious film photographer. Rollei Retro 400S just has that little bit more performance and I could happily shoot it every day. It's worth spending the extra money for Rollei Retro 400S.

Kodak Double-X is in a league of it's own. I use aperture priority when using my OM-2 and my Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 is a great street lens. Kodak Double-X, I must say, is a great choice for an everyday film if you can buy it cheap enough. Some folks like to buy a bulk roll and respool it themselves. I just like to buy a couple of rolls as a treat every so often and it never fails to make me smile.

Here's a few of my favourite shots from my three rolls shot with 2 cameras in 1 afternoon. It was a lot of fun and I now have a choice to make for my next visit as I could happily shoot Kentmere 400, Rollei Retro 400S and Kodak Double-X again next time. Cheap film doesn't always mean you will produce crappy photos, I put some effort into it and got few bangers. All of the films I shot during our visit to the museum don't cost a lot, make sure to shop around for the best bargains.

As always I have placed them and more in albums on Flickr you can visit and don't forget to visit the Lancashire Mining Museum website, all via the links below. I hope you enjoy them.

Lancashire Mining Museum
Rollei Retro 400S - OM-2
Kodak Double-X - OM-2
Rollei Retro 400S - Agfa Isolette I