For my trip to Japan in the fall of 2015 I was more determined than ever to shoot film. To this end I brought the petite Nikon EM and the travel inconvenient Pentax 6×7 with the additionally inconvenient 55mm F4, 105mm F2.4 and 200mm F4.
To circumvent airport security scan worries, I decided to have all of my film developed in Tokyo. I cannot comment on how difficult the procedure is for non-Japanese speakers since I had the help of fluent friends, but I suspect it is bungle-able if no special processing is required.
For geographic convenience all of the film was dropped off at the Bic Camera in Shinjuku. Bic Camera is a chain with many locations throughout Japan and they offer the options of developing the film in-house or sending it to Horiuchi Color professional film lab. Given the minimal price difference between the two I opted for the latter. I didn’t inquire about all supported film formats but they readily accepted 35mm and 120mm colour negative, positive, and black and white for processing. Surprisingly black and white film took less time to process than colour negative film and reversal film was even faster with the development times being 3, 2, and 1 days respectively. It is pretty much the opposite of here in Edmonton, Canada and at about $5 per roll, it was also cheaper.
Provia 400x
On a whim I picked up a roll of Provia 400x reversal film, which I had never shot before. Up until that point I had only seen reversal film sold in five packs and I didn’t want to commit to so many rolls given the latitude restrictions and my experiences of high developing times and costs in Canada. But Kitamura Camera in Ikebukaro had a few individual rolls for sale so I picked one up and shot it in Shinjuku with the Pentax 6×7.
As always seems to be the case with positive film, the results were seductive, but what was particularly surprising was the quality despite the relatively high speed of 400. The amazingness of 400 speed reversal film started to seep in and I was suddenly eager to shoot more. Bic didn’t have it, and neither did the Shinjuku film sub-store of Yodobashi Camera (another giant camera/electronics chain). Kitamura Camera in Shinjuku didn’t have it. Suspicious I googled Provia 400x. After reading about what a wonderful and flexible film it is (it can easily be pushed to 1600!) I came across the news that it was being discontinued at the end of 2015. Most likely most of the remaining stock was snatched and stowed in enthusiast’s freezers immediately after the announcement.
A similar thing happened during my previous trip to Japan with Fujifilm Superia 400 in 120. I discovered the film the same month it was being discontinued. It had the distinction of being the last 400 speed vivid option in 120, and of being the format’s cheapest alternative.
One downside of the film, or any reversal stock, is that it is difficult to scan, particularly with an affordable scanner. I have an Epson V700 which generally does an admirable job with negatives but has difficulty penetrating the dark areas of a film like 400x. I’ve since learned that to aid scanning I probably should have over-exposed a bit, which is the opposite of the usual advice of avoiding overexposure at all costs when shooting positive emulsions. Overexposing slide film means there’s even a smaller latitude range to play in. Still, it’s worth using when the conditions are right, even just for the experience of holding the developed roll up to a lamp and seeing the glorious colours shine through (I wish I had a projector for 6×7!).
Velvia 50
Having been inspired by Provia 400x, and not being able to find more of it, I picked up a roll of Velvia 50 instead. It was an appropriately low contrast overcast day when I loaded it into the Pentax 6×7 and headed to Daikanyama with my friend. The low contrast conditions persisted but unfortunately by the time we got to our destination the clouds had darkened to the point where 50 iso was not really adequate for even the 105mm 2.4 lens I was carrying. Adequate shutter speeds had dropped to 1/60 and 1/30 of a second and I didn’t have a tripod.
Since my time in Tokyo was limited and precious there was no way I would waste a day not shooting so I proceeded to take photos with inappropriate shutter settings. The surroundings, conditions, and company were inspiring so I blew through the roll very quickly and then switched to the much more appropriate 400h.
Several days later I picked up the developed results. Without a loop or scans it was hard to judge the sharpness but the colours looked fantastic when the film was held up to light. Upon returning home and doing a hi-res scan I was pleasantly surprised to that the too slow shutter speeds and monstrous mirror of the Pentax had not wrecked as much havoc as feared. Perhaps only one shot would hold up to printing large but most of the images were adequate for web viewing or small prints.
I enjoyed the results so much that a panic set in. What will I do if, or more realistically, when, Velvia 50 is discontinued? I immediately ordered 2 boxes.
Ektar 100
The price of Kodak films recently skyrocketed in Japan, roughly doubling between my trip in March of 2014 and November of 2015. Because of this I thought I would stick to Fujifilm this visit but in the end succumbed to a box of Ektar in 120. It was about 6000yen, or roughly $60 Canadian at that time’s exchange rate. After seeing the results I’m glad I splurged. With the discontinuance of Fujifilm’s Reala, no other negative film in 120 is comparable. The saturation and lack of grain were well suited for what turned out to be the main subject of the trip: vending machines. The machine’s colourful contents and lighting were beautifully captured and the film’s resolution will allow for large prints.
Pro 400h
Fujifilm’s 400h was my main staple for the trip. At roughly 4000 yen per 5-pack it was ⅔ the price of Portra 400 while (apparently) offering only slightly less performance.
As I was wandering without a tripod, the 400 speed allowed for a longer shooting day and made the Pentax 6×7’s 200mm usable in a wider range of conditions.
Delta 3200
To extend hand-held medium format film possibilities into the evening I shot a couple of rolls of Ilford Delta 3200. Normally I would process the black and white myself but, more so than any other film, I did not want to risk going through airports with this highly sensitive emulsion. I was pleasantly surprised that B&W developing only took 2 days.
I still haven’t figured out how to properly expose delta 3200 for contrasty night scenes filled with bright fluorescent and neon lights against shadowy streets. It seems to need a bit more overexposure than expected. Irregardless, I can make it work often enough to be worthwhile and it’s intoxicating to be able to shoot 120 long after the sun has set.
35mm
Almost on a whim I packed a Nikon EM. Since it is so small and can share the D700’s lenses it hardly took any extra room. I am so glad I brought it. Not only was the small size a relief for my back but the relative grit of 35mm and the punch of the available films added another dimension to the trip’s photos.
I ended up using 3 different 35mm films: Kodak Ultramax 400, Fujifilm Superia 400 (used for the example above), and Superia 800. All similarly colourful, grainy and inexpensive. I figured 35mm was the best format to exploit film’s funk while high quality was best left to 120, so I attempted to play each format to its advantage.
After just one trip I know that the EM or a similar 35mm camera will be a permanent part of my Japan travel kit.
Conclusion
In the end I was extremely happy to be able to develop my film in Tokyo. Not having to fly with the film was a huge relief and freed me up to shoot as much as I wished and without iso limits. I will definitely follow the same pattern in future trips and recommend that all traveling film photographers look into developing on location.
exposure.contemplation 