Rollei Redbird Film

[Brian Moore]

For my birthday about a year or so ago my daughter bought me a few specialty films. One was Rollei Redbird. It's a "redscale" film. Some of you may know that with redscale the film is wound into the canisters backwards so that when you shoot the film base is exposed to light first, thus giving the image a strong reddish cast.

After shooting the film I discovered that it should be overexposed a couple of stops. With overexposure it leans toward yellow. Below are a couple of images, one more reddish and the other more yellowish.

I'm not sure I "get" why one wants to shoot redscale but who am I to judge?

Canon F1 and Canon FD 28mm lens.

54 Mercury


The Union Encampment at The Battle of Huntington Beach Central Park

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Interesting. I think the second works better, giving an older quality suitable for the theme. Maybe it would be good for portraits of peely-wally Scotsmen? A bit of skin tone?

 

[Pete Askew]

Interesting indeed. I have a few rolls in thr firdge that I bought at the same time as the Color Implosion but I haven't had the chance to try them yet. Like you, I'm not entirely sure I get it but it is interesting to see some real shots. I quite like the effect it has had on the car but I suspect Rob is right about it being better on skin. We'll see.

 

[Pete Askew]

I also have some Cross Bird as well.

 

[Dan Cattermole]

Hmmmm, yes, I'm not sure I 'get' the redscale thing either.
Nice vintage feel to them though Brian and I see what you mean by you having to overexpose them slightly.

 

[Brian Moore]

Interesting. I think the second works better, giving an older quality suitable for the theme. Maybe it would be good for portraits of peely-wally Scotsmen? A bit of skin tone?

Good point, Rob. And with the film's mercurial color qualities one could customize the effect, rendering our peel-wally brethren anything from lightly jaundiced (3 stops over) to Miami sunburned (1 stop under), with tunable degrees of desired coloration in between. It could be very useful!

 

[Brian Moore]

Interesting indeed. I have a few rolls in thr firdge that I bought at the same time as the Color Implosion but I haven't had the chance to try them yet. Like you, I'm not entirely sure I get it but it is interesting to see some real shots. I quite like the effect it has had on the car but I suspect Rob is right about it being better on skin. We'll see.

I like the effect on the car, too, Pete. By the way I had to dial in a bit more lumination than normal in post-processing to get the images looking their best.

Not sure its good for all skin, though it certainly has the potential to enhance us peel-wally northerners.

 

[Brian Moore]

I also have some Cross Bird as well.

I can't remember what that is offhand.

 

[Brian Moore]

Hmmmm, yes, I'm not sure I 'get' the redscale thing either.
Nice vintage feel to them though Brian and I see what you mean by you having to overexpose them slightly.

Thanks, Dan.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Nice look Brian - I love the way the tones and the subjects immediately impart that vintage feel

 

[Brian Moore]

Nice look Brian - I love the way the tones and the subjects immediately impart that vintage feel

Thanks, Chris. I do like what it did to that old car. (Don't think that's a Ford now that I look some more at it; I'm thinking Plymouth now.)

I have it on good authority that its a '54 Mercury.

 

[Pete Askew]

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/66027-Rollei-Crossbird-200-ISO-Slide-(Cross-Process)-film-35mm-x-36

 

[Brian Moore]

Thanks, Pete!

 

[Hamish Gill]

I quite like it ...
Have a look at this double exposure ... I dont know why, but I bloody love it! Ive nearly bought some redbird a few times just off the back of it!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43078504@N05/5782211207/

I like the car shot too!