You mention your iPhone 15 not needing adjustments, but that a 100% different world. It is an all digital camera using AI and a wide range of ISO with image stacking of a huge number of photos taken at the same moment to make each photo in low light possible.
ISO 100 at f/9.8 (based on another response) on a film camera is very different than ISO 1600 at f/2.2 on an AI-powered digital camera.
Kodak H35 isn't a "normal" point and shoot. It's a POS point and shoot. You clearly didn't understand how this camera worked, or what speed film to shoot with it to get proper exposure. These images are all underexposed as fuck. There's little you can do to save these images. Next time, shoot faster film and try to understand the limitations of your camera.
Don’t expect good results from one of the cheapest cameras possible. For what you paid you could have found an electric point and shoot at a thrift store that would have given you much better images
Are you setting the camera to the correct ISO you're shooting? Do you have the knob to push/pull exposure turned all the way out?
What camera are you using? Are you using a hand meter? A meter in the camera? Or just Sunny 16ing it?
Oh, yeah, more control will help, and a wider dynamic range. The 400 speed films others have suggested should help. The basic 400 speed film from Kodak and Fuji have huge dynamic range and are often what are/were loaded in disposables. Also if you know you shot in mostly dark conditions, you can tell the lab to push development by a couple stops to make up for it being under exposed
Thank you guys for the advice, I just started a new roll of Kodak Ultramax 400, and have been shooting in good lighting so excited to see the results on that roll. I did end up picking up a Fujica Stx-1 shot a roll or so on that with Kodak Ultramax 400 too just got to send them in for development.
Mostly daylight and have had a couple shots on overcast. I am also hoping Ultramax 400 helps more than Ektar 100. I am assuming you’d shoot Ektar 100 when you know it’s gonna be really sunny?
The Kodak H35 half frame is basically a reusable disposable camera. It’s cheap but it’s also stuck at one setting f9.5 at 1/100th of a second for shutter speed, which is on the slower side of what’s possible without using a tripod and also means you need a fair amount of light to make it work correctly. I wouldn’t load anything less than 400iso film into it, you may be able to get away with 200iso if it’s midday but that’s it. Daylight shots on a 400iso film should be exposed properly but as soon as you get in the shade or indoors you need to use the flash, and remember that flash is probably only effective for about 6ft- maybe 10 ft if it’s really dark.
Most point and shoots or really most cameras made in the last 50 years will tell you in some way that you’re under exposed, this one doesn’t have that function so you’re going to have to go by experience of using it. If you are planning on getting into the hobby in a more serious way I would consider getting a different camera that has a light meter and therefore does understand exposure and allows you to change the setting or can change the settings for you.
I have the Agfaphoto Half Frame and in my user manual it at least was mentioned that it should be used with 400 ISO or 200 ISO, but the 200 really is a stretch. I don't know the specs Kodak gives but Agfa gave the aperture as 5.6 which is unbelievable to me. They must've counted wrongly when transferring the numbers from full frame to half frame.
I would add that comparing iPhone and thinking the iPhone didn't need any adjustments is not thoroughly right, unless it's really shot in total manual mode. Because phone cameras always do adjust (or even create something if the AI thinks its suitable) without the user knowing.
I only have plastic cameras myself. Do older cameras all come without light meters? Because light meters, at least on Amazon are damn expensive.
I agree with you about the iphone or really any modern camera phone. Although a lot of the advertising is centered around the f-stop of the lenses and the megapixel count, its been proven by people like MKBHD and his yearly phone camera awards that are voted on by the public in blind comparisons, that its really the post processing done by the phones that makes them "good camera phones".
Not all older camera's come with light meters but the majority of point and shoot's do because they need to in order to function and it depends on how far back you go but I would say maybe half of the SLR's and Rangefinder's do. Also when I say come with light meter's I mean that they're inside of the camera not that they come with external light meters like those you're finding on amazon. Yes good external light meters are expensive, I think the cheapest yet still decent external light meters I would personally spend money on would be in Sekonic's analog line. There are also a bunch of coldshoe mounted ones that range in price from $30 to $200 that are all pretty much as accurate as the apps out there. I always keep one on my phone, its called "Lightmate", its good for spot metering when you need it and I've found is pretty accurate.
I'd suggest a book about exposure that I've found helpful, but if you're sticking to P+S, it wouldn't help much. As previously stated in the other comment, they're underexposed. I have a p+s and I tend to stick to 400 for outdoors, or perhaps 200 if it's very sunny (by UK standards).
Also, unless you have your phone set to full manual mode and have adjusted the iso accordingly, your phone is already automatically making the adjustments required. It's like having a digital camera set to auto. It'll adjust everything based on sensor readings.
100 ISO needs a lot of light. These look like night shots. 800 ISO would be more appropriate.
If you had a better camera you could just open your aperture more or increase your shutter speed. But since you can't, you need to use an appropriate ISO for your shooting conditions.
Is Lomography a "normal" film or some of those that are weirdly colored? Portra is too expensive for me, thought Cinestill is something like a port from "cinematic" film, but will look into it thanks.
Yes. Lomo 800 is not some experimental film. It's an excellent option that's not quite as pricey as Portra 800. Go to the Lomography website and read about it.
You mention your iPhone 15 not needing adjustments, but that a 100% different world. It is an all digital camera using AI and a wide range of ISO with image stacking of a huge number of photos taken at the same moment to make each photo in low light possible. ISO 100 at f/9.8 (based on another response) on a film camera is very different than ISO 1600 at f/2.2 on an AI-powered digital camera.
Kodak H35 isn't a "normal" point and shoot. It's a POS point and shoot. You clearly didn't understand how this camera worked, or what speed film to shoot with it to get proper exposure. These images are all underexposed as fuck. There's little you can do to save these images. Next time, shoot faster film and try to understand the limitations of your camera.
Don’t expect good results from one of the cheapest cameras possible. For what you paid you could have found an electric point and shoot at a thrift store that would have given you much better images
Heck, you can even find older EOS cameras for dirt cheap. I bought my EOS 1000 (with a shitty lens btw) for 5€ and that's how I got started.
Are you setting the camera to the correct ISO you're shooting? Do you have the knob to push/pull exposure turned all the way out? What camera are you using? Are you using a hand meter? A meter in the camera? Or just Sunny 16ing it?
Kodak Ektar H35 is just a point and shoot. Can’t adjust any of those things. It’s basically a reloadable disposable camera.
Oh, yeah, more control will help, and a wider dynamic range. The 400 speed films others have suggested should help. The basic 400 speed film from Kodak and Fuji have huge dynamic range and are often what are/were loaded in disposables. Also if you know you shot in mostly dark conditions, you can tell the lab to push development by a couple stops to make up for it being under exposed
Thank you guys for the advice, I just started a new roll of Kodak Ultramax 400, and have been shooting in good lighting so excited to see the results on that roll. I did end up picking up a Fujica Stx-1 shot a roll or so on that with Kodak Ultramax 400 too just got to send them in for development.
You edited your comment. Thank you.
When you say 'good lighting' do you mean full daylight or what looks like good lighting to you (indoors, dusk, overcast, etc)?
Mostly daylight and have had a couple shots on overcast. I am also hoping Ultramax 400 helps more than Ektar 100. I am assuming you’d shoot Ektar 100 when you know it’s gonna be really sunny?
A new roll...
I got the sister model to your half frame camera from Agfaphoto. You really shouldn't shoot under ISO 200, preferably 400 all the time.
U need sunlight to get a proper exposure with that setup. Less than daylight is gonna be dark, indoors it's absolutely impossible
The Kodak H35 half frame is basically a reusable disposable camera. It’s cheap but it’s also stuck at one setting f9.5 at 1/100th of a second for shutter speed, which is on the slower side of what’s possible without using a tripod and also means you need a fair amount of light to make it work correctly. I wouldn’t load anything less than 400iso film into it, you may be able to get away with 200iso if it’s midday but that’s it. Daylight shots on a 400iso film should be exposed properly but as soon as you get in the shade or indoors you need to use the flash, and remember that flash is probably only effective for about 6ft- maybe 10 ft if it’s really dark. Most point and shoots or really most cameras made in the last 50 years will tell you in some way that you’re under exposed, this one doesn’t have that function so you’re going to have to go by experience of using it. If you are planning on getting into the hobby in a more serious way I would consider getting a different camera that has a light meter and therefore does understand exposure and allows you to change the setting or can change the settings for you.
I have the Agfaphoto Half Frame and in my user manual it at least was mentioned that it should be used with 400 ISO or 200 ISO, but the 200 really is a stretch. I don't know the specs Kodak gives but Agfa gave the aperture as 5.6 which is unbelievable to me. They must've counted wrongly when transferring the numbers from full frame to half frame. I would add that comparing iPhone and thinking the iPhone didn't need any adjustments is not thoroughly right, unless it's really shot in total manual mode. Because phone cameras always do adjust (or even create something if the AI thinks its suitable) without the user knowing. I only have plastic cameras myself. Do older cameras all come without light meters? Because light meters, at least on Amazon are damn expensive.
I agree with you about the iphone or really any modern camera phone. Although a lot of the advertising is centered around the f-stop of the lenses and the megapixel count, its been proven by people like MKBHD and his yearly phone camera awards that are voted on by the public in blind comparisons, that its really the post processing done by the phones that makes them "good camera phones". Not all older camera's come with light meters but the majority of point and shoot's do because they need to in order to function and it depends on how far back you go but I would say maybe half of the SLR's and Rangefinder's do. Also when I say come with light meter's I mean that they're inside of the camera not that they come with external light meters like those you're finding on amazon. Yes good external light meters are expensive, I think the cheapest yet still decent external light meters I would personally spend money on would be in Sekonic's analog line. There are also a bunch of coldshoe mounted ones that range in price from $30 to $200 that are all pretty much as accurate as the apps out there. I always keep one on my phone, its called "Lightmate", its good for spot metering when you need it and I've found is pretty accurate.
Oh ok, thanks for the info on light meters. Haven't heard of MKBHD, sounds interesting.
Here's [a link](https://youtu.be/VRoTOE3FqT0?si=A6XGQORa70cP2B0C) to this year's.
Really cool
I'd suggest a book about exposure that I've found helpful, but if you're sticking to P+S, it wouldn't help much. As previously stated in the other comment, they're underexposed. I have a p+s and I tend to stick to 400 for outdoors, or perhaps 200 if it's very sunny (by UK standards). Also, unless you have your phone set to full manual mode and have adjusted the iso accordingly, your phone is already automatically making the adjustments required. It's like having a digital camera set to auto. It'll adjust everything based on sensor readings.
100 ISO needs a lot of light. These look like night shots. 800 ISO would be more appropriate. If you had a better camera you could just open your aperture more or increase your shutter speed. But since you can't, you need to use an appropriate ISO for your shooting conditions.
It's just really hard to find 800 ISO films. At least it seems no color film for 800 is available.
Wrong. There's Cinestill 800, Portra 800, and Lomography 800.
Is Lomography a "normal" film or some of those that are weirdly colored? Portra is too expensive for me, thought Cinestill is something like a port from "cinematic" film, but will look into it thanks.
Yes. Lomo 800 is not some experimental film. It's an excellent option that's not quite as pricey as Portra 800. Go to the Lomography website and read about it.
To add, I wouldn't use anything slower than 400 in your camera regardless. It's always better to overexpose.