Night Tripping with the AgfaPhoto Vista 400 35mm

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Spending less time to shoot in the day means exploring night photography as the next viable option. And this will require using a film such as the AgfaPhoto Vista 400 that will perform well under less than ideal conditions.

There are many reviews of the AgfaPhoto Vista 400 as a daytime film. And I agree that the colors do come out bright when shot under the right conditions. In fact my own experience with this film is rather positive.

Shot in daylight

However, as I am spending less time than I like to shoot in the day, I have been experimenting with films that will complement the Olympus Trip 35 for nighttime shooting.

I have been reading about how the Olympus Trip 35 can be used for available light and night photography. Night trippers have been advised by fellow trippers to use a film speed of ISO 400 or higher when shooting at night. This is because more often than not, you will be shooting at a shutter speed of 1/40 and aperture of f2.8.

Other than the film, the other element to make available or night photography a success is having a bright light source.

However the film sprung a surprise on me. This was a photo that I thought would not turn out well or at all.

I was passing by this place when I saw a small crowd gathering and looking at something. I turned and saw a blackened shop. Apparently the shop caught fire early that morning. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air. I hesitated about taking a shot as it was dark with the only light source coming from the small shops opposite. But I decided to try my luck and forced a shot. The photo turned out much better than I thought it would.

For artificial light conditions such as indoors of a shopping mall the film did reasonably well.

Even snapping some paintings in a room with florescent lighting was fine.

And for outdoor dawn photography too. It was bright yet I still had to force a shot by setting the aperture to f2.8.

All in all I find this film to be versatile enough for my needs. This is another roll of film that I will put in my bag.

See the rest of my photos snapped at night or with available light here.

written by uncle_jay on 2012-05-31 #gear #review #street-photography #singapore #snaps #olympus-trip-35 #low-light #agfa-vista-400 #lomography #night-photography #vendors #ang-mo-kio #user-review #f2-8 #toa-payoh #1-40

7 Comments

  1. wuxiong
    wuxiong ·

    Heihei, like this article a lot, with detailed explanations and the fotos speek for themselves...<:) I think I will try this too...<:) Thanks for sharing dear jay...^..^

  2. uncle_jay
    uncle_jay ·

    @wuxiong: Thanks for your feedback! Do try shooting at night with the PEN series. I look forward to seeing your photos! :)

  3. jaszee
    jaszee ·

    Ahhh. Nice article about the Film and Camera. Was pondering should i give the Trip a try.
    :) Staying around AMK too Uncle Jay? :D

  4. uncle_jay
    uncle_jay ·

    @jaszee: Thanks for your kind comments! I do like the Trip 35 a lot (as you can see from my profile pic). Just happened to be at AMK and saw the lighting conditions to be just right for my little test. :)

  5. samsar
    samsar ·

    Hi! when shooting at night do you just really depend on the available night or do you also use flash? :)

  6. uncle_jay
    uncle_jay ·

    @samsar I prefer to use available light for night photography. As I tend to shoot without a tripod at night, I use ISO 400 speed films or higher and at F2.8 or faster.

  7. zotaylor
    zotaylor ·

    I like your photos, and street scenes. Especially the one with pink sky. And inside restaurants photos look cozy and nice.

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