ISSUE 2: Canberra with the Fujifilm X100V
A trip to Australia's capital city was the perfect time to try out 3 film simulation recipes with the Fujifilm X100V.
If you ask Australians which of our cities is considered the most boring, our nation’s capital Canberra will get its fair share of votes.
Like Washington DC and Brasilia, Canberra is a planned city. It was founded in the middle of nowhere shortly after the Australian colonies federated in the early 20th century.
A few years ago I visited for the first time as an adult. A number of things struck me about the place, putting it at odds with other cities in Australia:
There are no skyscrapers.
There’s a lot of roundabouts.
There seems to be so much space everywhere.
Almost every building seems to have some connection to government.
Despite these differences, the stereotype of this being a boring place is far from the truth - there’s actually quite a lot to see, do, and photograph in Canberra. From busy restaurants and bars to national museums and art galleries - and even the odd neon sign.
Camera choices for Canberra
The photos in this issue were taken on my X100V during a short work trip in December 2022. My photography was limited to a couple hours in the evening and on a Saturday morning.
Along with the X100V I took the Minolta TC-1. Yes just 2 cameras - perhaps I’m becoming a minimalist? I only ended up taking 7 film photos though - I had a roll of Ektar in the TC-1, so unfortunately it was unsuited to many of the low light shots.
X100V film simulations
I took the X100V mainly so I could try out 3 different film simulations from the excellent Fuji X Weekly website. I loaded up the Kodachrome 64, Portra 400, and Ultramax 400 recipes before I went.
You can see a comparison of the 3 film sims across 7 sets of photos in my latest YouTube video. (Please note that for the 88mph neon sign in the video, I put the Portra 400 and Ultramax 400 photos the wrong way around!)
Shooting digital again
It was an odd feeling using the X100V again after shooting so much film during the pandemic. I never actually stopped shooting digital, but when I’ve been out and about over the last 3 years - even when working on a project - I’ve always shot film.
So why more digital now? A number of reasons. First of all, the X100V has become the hottest camera round right now thanks to apps like TikTok. Having bought one a few years ago, I felt guilty for leaving it on my shelf.
The second reason is due to the scarcity of colour negative film we’ve experienced over the last year or so. Even though I have enough film for another 6-12 months, perhaps I’m worried that if I use it all, I’ll have none left.
Finally, one of my goals for 2023 is to bring more balance between film and digital photography. I shoot some travel and stock photography - sadly film is not as attractive nor as convenient as digital.
Newsletter poll
Which of the following images do you prefer: digital or film? Both images are straight out of camera / straight off my lab’s scanner. I think I know what everyone will vote for, but here goes:
Last week’s poll result
Last week’s poll was a tight one. Digital led the way but film levelled up over the course of the week. This morning digital pulled away by 1 vote.
Fancy seeing more of Canberra?
Our nation’s capital has previously featured in 2 other videos on my YouTube channel:
That’s all folks
That’s it for Issue 2, I’ll be back next week with more photography fun.
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