How to get Lomo-like photos on SLR?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Camera Equipment : One Thread

I've been thinking of getting a lomo camera to add to my increasing collection of cameras and wondered if there was a cheaper option. Basically I would like to know if it's possible to achieve the super saturated effect on a regular SLR (I have a Minolta 505 for what it's worth)?

Obviously if it gets more than 100 dollars or so I may as well buy a Lomo.

Thanks

M

-- Max (greenspun@atlaz.net), May 29, 2001

Answers

"Basically I would like to know if it's possible to achieve the super saturated effect on a regular SLR . . . ."

Of course! But it's more of an issue of lens and film rather than the camera body. Leica and Zeiss lenses, and those on the Minox and Lomo camera (the Lomo is essentially a Minox copy) are know for their rich colour rendition quality. High saturated film such as the Kodak Royal Gold/Gold 100 can produce the most brillantly colour photos. The camera's metering helps too, and, generally, exposure slightly under the 18% grey standard (about - 1/3 stop) will tend to give better colour saturation on slide film (print film is another matter if you have no control over the printing process). Printing your own film definitely helps in controlling the saturation of your photos. Or you can go to a reputable pro-lab that will cater to your printing requirements. Photo-artists who are particular about colour saturation ususally do their own printing, or have the negatives printed at their favourite pro-lab.

Should you get the Lomo? Yeah, either get that or a Minox 35 (Lomo's cheaper!).

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), May 29, 2001.

Hoyin,

Could you explain to me how I can control COLOR SATURATION when I do my own printing? I looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

-- Eric Laurence (Edgar1976@hotmail.com), May 31, 2001.


Eric, I hope this is not a trick question to test the depth of my knowledge in colour printing--because I will fail the test! ;-) Any printing experts out there reading this post are most welcome to correct (and educate) me for any mistake made.

I did a lot of black-and-white printing in my younger days. I missed out on learning colour printing as I was about to graduate from high school when the school's darkroom began to convert to colour printing equipment. Luckily, I managed to attend a very brief introductory course on the use of the equipment, and that little knowledge I have (which is probably obsolete now with digital printing technology) helps a lot in discussion with lab technicians my requirements when I have my prints made in pro-labs.

Very basically, as I understand, you can make adjustment on the three basic colours on your colour printer and the printing time to affect the print result. I have had an experience of sending my negatives to a lousy street lab, and the prints all had a faded greenish look. I then re-printed the negs in a Kodak lab, and the colours were much richer, so I knew the lab people there knew their stuff. Another time I took a photo of a church interior lit with incandescent light, and the print from a regular lab had a strong orange cast over it (due to standard setting on its equipment). I went to my regular pro-lab and asked if they could readjust the colour balance and make it a little more saturated, they said no problem with the former ("too much red," as the guy told me), but would try their best with the latter. To cut a long story short, they were able to produce a print result to my satisfaction. I once asked a friend of mine, who is a nationally well-known photographer in Holland, on how she managed to produce such rich, saturated prints shot with her Olympus point-and-shoot camera, and she said, "Ah, I do my own printing."

So, what I'm really saying in my earlier post is that even if you have taken photos with the right exposure, right film, and right lens, you may still not achieve the high-saturated result if you have your negs printed in a lab that doesn't do a proper job.

This link here more-or-less explains why controlling the colour printing process is critical to achieving the colour saturation of the final print result: http ://cweb.middlebury.edu/cr/powell/techinfo/DYEINTRO.HTM.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), May 31, 2001.

Hoyin,

It was indeed a trick question. You can only control color saturation with brand of film (ISO and option available from the same ISO of a given brand) and paper brand (Kodak, Fuji...). They are other variable like chemistry status/brand for RA-4 and C-41 process and enlarger head type (Condenser and diffuser box). Of course the quality of camera lens play a major role but the biggest factor remain the Film.

-- Eric Laurence (Edgar1976@hotmail.com), June 01, 2001.


Last thing I'll mention, some special filters for the camera lens can affect selected color saturation.

-- Eric Laurence (Edgar1976@hotmail.com), June 01, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ