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Shooting Film with an ISCO 105mm f2 Lens
The Lens
After a few years of shooting film I learned that cinema lenses (the likes of Cinelux and ISCO) could be modified for medium format film cameras. They render a dreamy, swirly bokeh that every photographer dreams of! I ended up purchasing an ISCO Ultra MC 105mm f2 lens from a fellow photographer who modifies them for various camera systems. The lens would be a huge learning curve for me since it has no aperture blades (always wide open at f2); I knew it would be finicky and that I wouldn’t be able to use it in every shooting environment. I do embrace a soft focus in my work, though, so I had no issue with jumping right in and trying it out! Here are some comparisons between film images shot with this lens and digital images shot on various systems.
Image Comparisons
Right is film (Pentax 645n + ISCO Ultra MC 105mm f2) shot with Fuji Pro 400H rated at box speed.
These two images were really easy to colour match. I love them both, but the dreaminess of the film image captures my attention just a bit more.
Left is digital (GFX 50R + Contax Zeiss 80mm f2).
Right is film (Pentax 645n + ISCO Ultra MC 105mm f2).
I used Fuji Pro 400H rated at ISO 200 for the film image, and I much prefer the film shot in this case!
Right is film (Pentax 645n + ISCO Ultra MC 105mm f2).
Right is film (Pentax 645n + ISCO Ultra MC 105mm f2).
There’s a huge contrast here between this sharp, corporate headshot that I took for my Dad vs. the film image. I used Portra 400 for the film image, rated at box speed.
