Sedona Film
A look at my first experience with medium format plus a new film stock
Months ago we started planning a trip for a friend’s bachelor party. SoCal, Colorado, and Arizona were at the top of the list. Sedona won out, none of us having ever been. We got a rental house at the bottom of a valley. In its backyard there was a private pickleball court and a creek beyond that. Surrounded by high rock on each side, we were tucked in a little oasis for a few days.
I knew it’d be a great opportunity to try out a new camera and a new film. Blocky red mesas punch upwards out of the desert, trees pry their way out from rock faces, and shadows reach far across the valleys. I was relying on the photogenic environment for some “easy” subject matter so I could focus on the new gear. The results were mixed but the learning experience was wholly fun.
The New Camera: a Bronica GS-1, paired with the 100mm lens
This medium format camera, with a 6x7 back, shoots frames that are nearly five times the area of the standard 35mm, which means that much more detail and resolution. It’s expensive, though. The gear and the film. Each shot can cost roughly $3 to purchase, scan, and develop - which adds up quick. But there’s a special look that can only be captured on this format, and I’ve been eager to jump in for a couple years.
This is a bulky and heavy piece of equipment compared to my usual Pentax LX, which itself is a brick of a thing. One of my carry-ons was mostly dedicated to the Bronica, an extra viewfinder, and the film. I wore it like an anchor around my neck and managed to change the film while out and about. It’s not exactly a point-and-shoot when it comes to control - there’s a bit more to dial-in before releasing the shutter - but the tactile and manual controls are a treat to use, exaggerated versions of the mechanics on my SLR. I worked out my clumsy process for each frame, double checking settings and making mistakes. But the completely satisfying sound and feel of the shutter had me firing away.
I put three rolls of Kodak Portra 400 through it - thirty shots in all. As far as I can tell, the camera and lens performed well, no major issues with the gear. However, it was likely my error in unloading and spooling the exposed film that caused light leaks on almost every frame. In some cases it added an interesting layer to the frame but several shots were unusable.
The New Film: Kodak Ektachrome, 35mm
Earlier this spring I picked up two rolls of a new-to-me film stock, Kodak Ektachrome aka E100. These were in 35mm format so didn’t fit the Bronica, but I threw a roll in my Minolta, the same little point-and-shoot I carried through Spain. Ekatchrome is color positive, so once developed, the film reflects the actual colors. This type was used in slides so the projections would be accurate.
The Minolta made it easy to get more casual shots, and the Ektachrome gives them a nostalgic look, much how I remember Arizona from a childhood visit. I love the results, but the film runs higher than most color negative so it won’t be an every day stock for me. One more roll of it heads to the lab this week, though.
While the focus of this has been the photography, most of the trip was spent with my guys. We popped around town, hiked a few miles, ordered pizza in, played more than a few rounds of pickleball, and told stories over a beer or three. The photos I took, then, aren’t just good for analyzing new gear but for the memories too.