Gear Check: Revolog Tesla I

     For anybody who hasn't heard about Revolog, they are a seemingly tiny Viennese company of two people handmaking 35mm film with various special effects.  I picked up a few rolls a while ago and finally got around to getting one through the camera.  The specific option I am now writing about was called "Tesla I".  The description on the website promises blue or white flashes on the photos, and the film canister let me know that the flashes would show up best on dark images, or on the dark parts of images anyway.
     I had been very excited to try this film out, and it did not disappoint!  As stated on the Revolog website they use some secret process to get the special effects on the film, and it's done by hand, so the surprise makes this a pretty exciting film to use.  You never know where the flashes will show up on the photo, and you don't know how many, how big, what color, etc.  Revolog makes several different types of effects with various ISOs and exposure counts, but this particular film was ISO 200 and 12 exposures.  I took advantage of a sunny trip to the Olympic Peninsula with a group of friends to try it out, using my trusty Pentax ME and my favorite macro lens, which I basically use for everything.  I ended up getting 15 usable photos out of this roll along with 2 megaduds.  Normally I like just to post the highlights, but in this case I'll post all 15 to show off the unpredictability of the effects.  I seem to have had some problems with the film advancing so I got some strange double exposures on the edges of a few, but I'd be more likely to blame the camera operator than the film.
     Check them out!  Feel free to click for a full-screen version.  I just learned how to do that!

     And since I'm a "save the best for last" kind of guy, here is the best photo from the roll.  Whitney reluctantly let me get a portrait of her enjoying the sun, and purely by chance she was anointed by Zeus.  Is this a sign?  Probably, yes.

     For those of you wondering about the photos being taken with the Mamiya 645 by the dapper young man, they can certainly be seen on his blog over here.  This trip was a going-away party for him.  He's  now living in NYC, and he is missed here in the NW.  

     Pros:

• The handmade element of the special effects is very exciting, and the quality seems to be very high.
• The overall look of the film stock itself is very pleasant - cool colors, similar to those expected from expired film.
• It's something your friends aren't using, and probably haven't ever heard of.  That makes you awesome to them.
• It's C-41 so it can be processed anywhere.

     Cons:

• This stuff is EXPENSIVE.  The film is pricey to begin with, and then we here in the states have to pay a little more for that whole import thing.  I buy mine here, and it ends up coming to around $1.00 per image before developing costs.  Get yourself a roll that comes in 36 exposures and you're still looking at $0.33 per image.  I have to say, though, that it's worth it for the surprise factor.  Sure, you could do this stuff in photoshop, but it wouldn't be the same.  Just buy some.

     Thanks for reading!  I'll post photos of the Volvox and Tesla II film from Revolog after I expose and develop.  It may be a little bit before I get to that, but we'll be in touch soon regardless.