New to film - Questions!

[kriskerry91]

Hi guys, been shooting digital for around 5 years with over 100 different cameras, and now i'm stepping foot into the wonderful world of film to enhance my knowledge and skills.

I've picked up an Olympus OM10 with the standard 50mm 1.8 lens (Japan made), hoping this was a good choice ha.

Couple of noobie questions for you lovely people:

I have around 4 rolls of lomography film from a build-your-own film camera I made. It's standard 35mm film. 2 rolls are black and white 400, the other 2 are 100 colour (I think). Would they work fine in the OM10? And what really is the difference of standard film vs lomography film?

And then another question on film, is Ilford a good film make? I've been looking at the ilford black and white 400 film. Also, is the 400 black and white from Ilford a good choice for street photography? I usually shoot black and white in digital format with my street suff, but is 400 good for outdoor street?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[480sparky]

I won't comment on the lomography question as that's not my thing.

But Ilford is a good film and 400 is a good all-around choice for general shooting if you know you're going to be in low-light situations.

 

[Gary A.]

I echo 480sparky on both counts.

 

[limr]

Lomography film is exactly the same film as other brands. Literally. Kodak or Ilford, for example, sells them film that might be about to expire or oddball stock of older emulsions, and Lomography slaps its own label on the roll and sells it that way.

So yes, as long as it's 35mm film, it will do fine in the Oly. And also yes, Ilford makes excellent film and I think the HP5 is fine for street photography.

 

[waday]

If you want to read more about Lamatography, you can go here: Promotional images for my show Photography Forum

Oh, wait, Lomography. Oh, I defer to @limr and others.

 

[limr]

If you want to read more about Lamatography, you can go here: Promotional images for my show Photography Forum

Oh, wait, Lomography. Oh, I defer to @limr and others.

Oh my god, that dude!

I would suggest shooting up the Lomo film you have and then sticking to known quantities. It's not that the Lomo film is bad, but it's kind of hit or miss. One day you might get rebranded Tri-X but the next time, you might get rebranded Foma or Shanghai and wonder why the film is not behaving the same way.

 

[chris]

Ilford HP4 is excellent, as are the other conventional B&W films by Ilford. If you are not going to process the film yourself then you may want to consider Ilford XP2S which is a 400 ISO chromogenic B&W film that is processed in C41 chemicals so that you can have it processed at a store that still processes colour negative film.

Old colour film will not damage the camera but it may leave you wondering whether it was your exposure or the age of the film that was responsible for the final result.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I like Ilford B&W film and their photo paper, and Kodak TMAX and Portra and basic uh, what do they call it now?? I usually use 400 in lower light and 100 outdoors on a sunny day.

(OK what I have sitting nearby is Portra and Gold Ultra, I think now they just call it Ultramax don't they? I'd have to go look in the fridge.)

I've used Lomo film, when I'm taking pictures for fun and am not too concerned how they turn out. But usually I can't tell the difference and have to look at the negatives to see what film I used. If you can get a proper exposure it'll probably work fine, if the exposure's off or you were in low light that might be where you'd see more difference.

I forgot about that guy! but I remember I did find this interesting photo. And that may have been one good thing about his visit here.

Cornet Wilkin 11th Hussars

 

[cgw]

Shoot up the Lomography stuff. After that, buy fresh film. It's the only way to support future production and up the chances we'll have film to shoot down the road. Buying old, short-dated, and/or re-spooled "mystery" material gets mistaken by many as the only way to do film photography--not. For the $, Fuji Superia 200 and 400 are affordable, reliable color films. Ilford XP2, a color-process b&w film, is also nice.

 

[kriskerry91]

Thanks for all your replies! I used the Lomo black and white 400 in the camera and tried to get it processed at a local store, but needs sending off....

So i'm gonna pop my Kodak 400 b&w in and get that processed when finished instead!