Continuing my mission of feeding my Kodak Ektar H35 with a varied diet of film stocks, I put a roll of Portra 160 through it this summer because I have a 5-pack of Portra 160 and was feeling like I could handle the risk of them all being duds.
The results are far better than that, though. The scans show bold reds and rosy skin tones, beautiful scenery and skies, and greenish shadows. Like all film stocks in the Ektar H35, the best results came from shooting in bright daylight.
I can’t believe how good these turned out. Of all the film + camera combos I shot this summer, Kodak Tri-X in the Ektar half frame are my favorite.
Is black and white just magic or something? I put b/w through my Canon AT-1 and didn’t get anything like this (granted, the film was expired…) but seriously, whatever this camera + film combo is doing, it’s working for me. Ordinary moments became bold and dramatic!
Disposable cameras are bulkier than your phone, cost more than the film camera you presumably already own, cost more to develop than an ordinary roll of film, and don’t even have the decency to let you know your finger is in the shot.
Despite all these drawbacks, the humble disposable camera still has something unique to offer: the shots they produce look more like my 80/90s childhood than any filter or modern camera has managed to capture.