How cool is it that we can still find disposable cameras on the shelves of convenience stores here in Tokyo? The look of the resulting photos is delightfully nostalgic. It may be 2016, but through these cheap, plastic cameras, it feels like 1996, or even 1986 (maybe—I didn’t actually exist yet that year.) I purchased a Fujifilm Instax Mini last year in pursuit of that same, special atmosphere. Most of the photos I’ve taken with it are pretty weak overall, but there are a couple gems here and there. The sometimes harsh contrast, faded blacks and blurriness capture moments quite differently than a smartphone or digital camera.
Not too long ago, I also stumbled upon the gorgeous film photography of Gui Martinez, a Brazilian photographer based here in Tokyo. All these things have kind of culminated in my feeling inspired to take my film game to the next level.
As such, I recently sent a message to a photography-loving acquaintance asking if he had ever shot on film and what he recommended. He had heard great things about the Contax G2, and I almost immediately purchased one with three lenses from Yahoo Auctions. Due to the hastiness of my purchase—which I might add is quite out of character for me—I failed to notice that the G2 is a rangefinder and not an SLR.
As such, it’s been a trial-and-error learning experience… mostly error.
The film I loaded into the G2 first was Fuji Color Pro 400H, on which I shot various portraits of the aforementioned acquaintance and his surrounding neighbourhood of Setagaya. Most of the photos I shot in the shade or indoors are either blurry or kind of discoloured, but the ones taken in broad daylight have a beautiful, almost pastel colour palette.
I got this roll of film developed and printed at Bic Camera, but realized it would probably be worthwhile to get my own scanner, both for my illustrations and film. Enter the Epson GT-X830, stage right. It came with two film holders and boasted a scanning resolution of 6,400dpi, so I felt pretty good about the purchase. It works like a dream with my drawings. The film, on the other hand… I’ll get to in a moment.
I next used the G2 on a two-day trip with some friends to Chichibu, trying two very different films—Fuji Color Natura 1600 and Kodak Ektar 100. During our stay, we had kakigoori (a summer snack similar to a snowcone), saw some neat boats on the Nagatoro river, and visited the impressive Hodosan Shrine. After developing the two rolls at Bic, then scanning them myself at home, my first impressions were “aw, crap.” Those are still my impressions, actually.
I immediately noticed the 1600 film was really washed out and unattractive. The sharpness of the photos was also surprisingly questionable and I’m not sure if it’s my camera, my photography skills or the scanner. As for the Ektar 100… my god, do I have a tough time with slower films. Most of the shots are just blurry messes and therefore haven’t been included here.
So what have I learned? Don’t make a close-to-two-grand purchase without doing due diligence first—rangefinders are tricky! Otherwise, well, I’m not quite sure yet, to tell the truth. I have some more photos and thoughts to share, but I’ll do that in another entry.
2021 Update: All photos scanned by my Epson GT-X830 have been replaced with new professional scans from Popeye Camera in Jiyugaoka, thus solving my tone/colour/sharpness issues.