Jesus Saves

So many film-photography bloggers I follow get such nice results from ColorPlus, Kodak’s low-priced ISO 200 color film, that I couldn’t reconcile the meh results I got from my first roll. I shot it in my Olympus Trip 35; see some of the images here.

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So I tried again, thanks to the largesse of Analogue Wonderland, who sent me another roll in exchange for this review and this mention. Get your ColorPlus from them here. I put this roll into my black Olympus OM-1 and mounted a 50mm f/1.8 Olympus F.Zuiko lens.

Then I took this camera to work, in Downtown Indianapolis, and brought it out at lunch or after hours to make some images around the center of the city. I work around the corner from the City-County Building, the seat of the combined government of Indianapolis and Marion County.

City-County Building

You’ll find the old City Hall a couple blocks away. It’s currently vacant. The orange seats are for people waiting on a bus. They came out of one of the stadiums we used to have here that was demolished to make way for bigger and better stadiums.

Bleacher seats at City Hall

I looked specifically for colorful subjects among the beiges and grays of Downtown’s buildings. ColorPlus looks mighty good to me in these images, far better than what I got from it in the Trip 35. It’s a mystery to me, as the Trip usually does lovely work. But I discovered long ago that some lenses love certain films and not others.

Bank of Indianapolis

It was a bit of a risk to shoot ISO 200 film past dusk, but I managed to hold the camera steady enough for the long exposure. These evening colors look mighty pleasing to me!

Downtown at night

I made this shot while sitting outside at a restaurant with my brother. I liked the juxtaposition of all the lines. Keen eyes will spot Kurt Vonnegut painted onto the side of a building.

Hedge Row

Lesson learned: it’s not fair to pan a film based on one roll shot. These colors are lovely.

Green car at Qdoba

Kodak ColorPlus is a good consumer-grade color film, rendering realistic tones through my F.Zuiko lens. If youโ€™d like to try ColorPlus, order it from Analogue Wonderland here.

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Comments

23 responses to “Another go with Kodak ColorPlus”

  1. P Avatar
    P

    The photo of the repurposed stadium seats is very nice. They all are, but that one is my favorite. It’s nice to see they thought about a beneficial way to actually keep them in use, rather than just trash them.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Thanks P! It is at once nice (because of reuse) but hilarious to see these stadium seats on bus routes all over town

      1. P Avatar
        P

        It may be comical, but I think it also adds character and a unique touch. I’m glad they did it. I think it was smart on multiple fronts. I mean, you can’t go wrong if it is beneficial to everyone and at the same time puts a smile on your face.

  2. conspicari Avatar

    Great images Jim, and very timely as I’ve just received today, 5 rolls of Colorplus expired 08-2019 at a bargain price.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      8/19? Should be as good as fresh! Enjoy it!

  3. Dan James Avatar

    Good results Jim, I’ve always had pleasing results with ColorPlus 200, it’s equally as reliable as Fuji’s equivalent, C200 (aka AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 200).

    I’ve also always had good results using it expired up to five years or more, which can often be picked up cheaper than new.

    On that note, it seems the link to this film on Analogue Wonderland shows it’s all out of stock – hopefully as a result of your review here!

    I also really like the repurposed cinema/theatre seats, what a great idea. It’s a shame it looks unfinished with that bare plank of wood they’re mounted on, is it still a work in progress? The orange and the shape of the seats can’t help but make you smile though.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      ColorPlus is not easily come by here in the States, in that you can’t buy it at the drug store or at Walmart. The leading Kodak film available in such places is Kodak Gold 200 and 400.

      That bare plank of wood has been there all the years the seats have. It is a curiously unfinished look. It would look better if they had painted it in a color complementary to the seats, at least.

      1. Dan James Avatar

        Oh I wonder if it’s more of a European film then, it’s pretty easy to come buy over here, easier than Gold, in my past experience.

        Yes, agreed about painting the wood, even black!

        1. P Avatar
          P

          I don’t know, guys. I think I actually like the unpainted plank. It seems to fit well with the rusted iron and other rough edges, at least in my opinion.

          1. Dan James Avatar

            Perhaps something like a reclaimed railway sleeper might fit in with the whole “repurposed” look?

        2. P Avatar
          P

          Dan, I think you’re onto something. A reclaimed railway sleeper — aka a railroad tie where I’m from :) — would be perfect. It would fit in with the repurposed look much better than the newly cut board does.

  4. arhphotographic Avatar

    Hi
    I have three rolls left of six dated 11/2008. I have rated at 100 ISO. Looking forward to developing and seeing the results.
    Andrew

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      If you post your work online, come back here and link to it!

  5. dionyb Avatar

    I like shooting ColorPlus with my Nikon Action Touch, this combination captures colors as I see them and the camera’s zone focus gives me that fuzzy slightly out of focus look that I prefer.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I’ll bet this is the perfect film for a P&S camera.

  6. Mike Connealy Avatar

    I started buying ColorPlus on line when Fuji 200 and most other films became unavailable locally, and the ColorPlus was a bit cheaper then. Lately, I have seen the two films offered on line at similar prices. Then, just recently, I’ve seen some 400-speed Kodak at Walgreen’s with an $18 pricetag for a 3-pack! That seems ridiculous, and I’m hoping there are not enough clueless film photographers to support that kind of pricing.
    I like both the Fuji and Kodak 200-speed films and have some of each in my refrigerator now. Home processing with Unicolor C-41 helps keep costs under control.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I’ve noticed that film at Walgreen’s and CVS is priced sky high. My neighborhood Meijer still carries Fujicolor 200 I think but I haven’t priced it there in a while. I’m still shooting up a stock of expired but frozen Agfa Vista 200, the same stuff. Maybe I’ll branch out into C41 processing after I master b/w.

  7. bodegabayf2 Avatar

    Nice work here with ColorPlus. I bought a brick of it at The Shot on Film Store. I really like the stuff and the price is great!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Thanks! This is fine stuff, but I’m more used to the Fuji 200 color signature and that’s what feels normal to me now.

  8. marcusterrypeddle Avatar

    I like the photographs. The colours from that film are very nice, aren’t they? I used colorplus on vacation last summer and got good results. It’s cheap and plentiful here in Korea. I made a few photos that I thought were worth putting in my portfolio, but there’s a lot of grain in the film. It’s not ugly grain, really, but there is quite a bit of it. How do your photos look at full screen size?

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      The colors are surprisingly warm, but otherwise true to life. It’s a good stock. If it were more readily available here I’d probably shoot it more often. You can see the photos at full screen size yourself by clicking any one and going to it on Flickr. I didn’t spring for the deluxe scans so these are only about 1500 px on the long edge.

  9. Sam Avatar

    Great looking results!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Thanks Sam!

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