Ilford HP5+ 400 - Kodak Retina Ia

  The second week of June rolled around and I needed to get out again as I ramped up my film shooting habit, but what would I use? My Kodak Retina Ia loaded with a roll of Ilford HP5+ 400 and a yellow filter that served me so well during the Frugal Film Project in 2025. It is, without doubt, one of the bargains of my camera collection that has performed admirably for a camera made at the Kodak Nagel Werk in Stuttgart in the early 1950's. Would that run continue, or would my legendary absent mindedness take a turn and mess this film up? 

I started at my favourite tree on the old spoil heap near my home. It was rather windy on the day with plenty of clouds to provide a little definition to the background, but bright enough to give me a decent shutter speed to reduce the movement of the foliage being blown about in the stiff breeze. Once satisfied there, I headed to see how the derelict car was decomposing. Turns out it's deteriorating nicely, no doubt aided by local kids jumping all over it. Eventually it will be a pile of rust either absorbed into the clay or blown by the wind, back to nature.

I then headed up the new path towards Standish. Well, I say new, it's been two years since it was getting sorted and it has proved very popular with locals walking, cycling, out with the dog or simply getting from A to B. I spent some time chatting to a local woman walking her dogs, one a Terrier of some sort and the other a young black Labrador made of springs. 

That dog bounced everywhere! He also came back to his human when folk where heading our way. He was a good boy and didn't bowl me over with his enthusiasm for running around in big circles through the trees and along the path at breakneck speed, bless him. Sadly we had to go our separate ways and I must admit I enjoyed chatting as we walked along.

I took the path past the big trees at the farm and then down the ancient lane, finding compositions as I walked along. When I got to the first of the farm houses on the lane, it seemed like all the wind was waiting to greet me and it darn near blew me over as I made my way out from the cover of the tree lined lane. Thankfully the houses sheltered me from the wind as I pressed on and wasn't a problem after that, It is now known to me as "Windy Corner!" 

I picked out some familiar compositions as I continued down the lane before heading back to the Horses to finish my roll of film. It took me a while to get home from there as I was knackered after my walk and was glad to get home for a brew, some painkillers and a well earned afternoon nap.

I developed my film a day or two later using Bellini Euro HC 1+31 dilution B for 5 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry. I digitised it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 size led light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Studio.

When I hung my film to dry I could see I had a winner and after processing the RAW files I was reminded why this simple 35mm film camera is highly regarded. It doesn't have any bells or whistles, just a reliable film transport mechanism, a superb Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenar 50mm f/2.8 lens and a beautifully crafted Sychro-Compur shutter. No rangefinder, no light meter, just reliable German engineering from the Kodak Nagel Werk in Stuttgart. 

The only addition to the camera used in every shot was my yellow filter that lives on there. I did take my Watameter rangefinder and Gossen Trisix selenium light meter with me on the day, but hardly used them. I used sunny 16 and zone focus to give my brain a good work out. My long time readers will know I indulge in Photography as therapy after suffering a stroke. It is rolls like this that remind me why I made exactly the right choice when faced with starting cognitive behavioural therapy a decade ago. Sometimes the best therapy is the most enjoyable.

Here's a few of my favourite photos from my walk along the nature trails and footpaths near my home. I have placed them, and more, in an album on Flickr that you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Ilford HP5+ 400 - Kodak Retina 1a