{"id":20078,"date":"2014-09-01T02:00:48","date_gmt":"2014-09-01T09:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=20078"},"modified":"2014-08-28T07:14:43","modified_gmt":"2014-08-28T14:14:43","slug":"review-of-rollei-digibase-cn200-color-film-for-street-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/01\/review-of-rollei-digibase-cn200-color-film-for-street-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of Rollei Digibase CN200 Color Film for Street Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"21840015\"
Hong Kong, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recently I hooked up with my buddy Vishal from Hong Kong (he runs Camera Film Photo<\/a>) and he hooked it up with some Rollei\u00c2\u00a0Digibase CN200 film<\/a>. I was quite excited about the film (as it is new) — and decided to have a go. I shot around 2 rolls of film, and wanted to share some images and share some thoughts about the film.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First of all, I find ISO 200 a bit slow for me personally– (prefer Kodak Portra 400<\/a> for the speed). However I can imagine when you’re shooting in a brighter environment (and want to use a flash) having ISO 200 film might be preferable.<\/p>\n

I got the film developed and scanned at Dot Well Photo<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0in Hong Kong — and here are some of my example photos (if you’re interested to see how the film looks).<\/p>\n

I shot the film in a variety of lighting examples, some with flash and some natural light.<\/p>\n

I actually really like the look, grain, color, and feeling of the film. Also the reason they call\u00c2\u00a0the film “Digibase” is because it is designed to scan very well.<\/p>\n

These aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the best photos in the world, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m uploading them here for you to get a taste:<\/p>\n

Urban Landscapes<\/h2>\n

\"19290013\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"19290030\"<\/p>\n

\"19290036\"<\/p>\n

\"21840003\"<\/p>\n

\"21840004\"<\/p>\n

\"21840001\"<\/p>\n

\"21840023\"<\/p>\n

\"21840011\"<\/p>\n

\"21840032\"<\/p>\n

\"21840035\"<\/p>\n

Street Scenes<\/h2>\n

\"19290001\" \u00c2\u00a0\"19290027\" \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\"19290032\" \"19290033\" \"19290034\" \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\"21840005\" \"21840007\" \"21840010\" \u00c2\u00a0\"21840015\" \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\"21840026\" \u00c2\u00a0\"21840029\" \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\"21840036\"<\/p>\n

Portraits<\/h2>\n

\"21840028\"<\/p>\n

\"19290029\"<\/p>\n

\"21840019\"<\/p>\n

I really like how sharp the photos are, the rich and deep blues (especially of skies), the highlight control, the accurate color reproduction (not too warm, not too cool).<\/p>\n

The film is almost like a in-between film from Kodak Portra 400<\/a> (very warm, and saturated reds\/oranges\/yellows) and Fujifilm ProH400 (cooler images, with nice green\/purple\/blues).<\/p>\n

Overall the photos have a rich color reproduction, and they make me feel damn good looking at them.<\/p>\n

Considering I still have around 150 rolls of Kodak Portra 400 (I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t developed yet) and 75 rolls of Kodak Portra 400 (chilling and waiting to be shot) I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t plan on switching my film anytime soon. In addition, I prefer having a consistent look.<\/p>\n

However down the line once I decide to start new photography projects (or go back to Hong Kong), I will highly consider switching to Rollei Digibase CN200<\/a> (especially if Kodak discontinues Portra).<\/p>\n

A lot of people ask me: What will you do when they stop making film?<\/p>\n

Well, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think film will ever die out. People like Vishal from Camera Film Photo<\/a> and Bellamy Hunt (Japan Camera Hunter<\/a>) prove there is still a lot of love, passion, and interest in shooting film. They are kind of like Vinyl’s and other “retro” stuff– coming back into fashion (I think a lot of young people are frustrated with everything digital, and want to go back to analogue).<\/p>\n

I still shoot both digital and film (depending on my projects) — but ultimately I prefer shooting film for the slow process, the “beautiful mistakes”, as well as the zen and happiness I gain from it.<\/p>\n

Viva la film!<\/p>\n

Related articles to film:<\/h2>\n