Kodak Colorplus - Nostalgia on a Budget

Warm, grainy, punchy and reminds me of a time gone by - I love shooting with Colorplus on a point and shoot for that authentic nostalgia of film photography. At $10 at k-mart, (or it used to be) I stocked up on several rolls and I have come back to shoot this one once in a while to be pleasantly surprised at the results every time.

Images shot on an Olympus Mju II

Kodak Colorplus 200 is a consumer film stock that is buy far one of the cheaper colour film you can buy. Characterised by it's older emulsion that gives off a vintage feel to the images, its a great beginner film stock to try for enthusiasts who are just getting into film photography. At ISO 200, it performs very well in daylight with great contrast and surprisingly sharp and punchy images with good colour rendition.

I generally prefer a warmer colour palette for my images, so this film is quite pleasing to the eyes.

However, I find that the images you do get on this film stock really is dependant on what camera/lens you use, as with photography in general. The scans I received back from the lab from my newly acquired Mju II I was initially floored by the images. I couldn't believe how sharp they were. (Definitely worth the $320!)

I have used this on an older, basic Fujifilm point and shoot and the results were ok, and didn't really give room for this film to really shine :

Shot on a basic Fujifulm superzoom point and shoot

However, if you actually do like that old school look with less contrasty images then this would be the perfect film to whack into an older camera you have and just have some fun.

"Fun" would be a great way to describe using this film, I found it was quite enjoyable to not have to think too much and just shoot spontaneously when out with friends for example.

Price would probably have something to with it, as I know with more expensive films I would meticulously plan and compose my shots beforehand.

Here are some more examples shooting with a Canon AE-1, with the images being more refined:

Final thoughts - For the price, it's a great entry level all purpose film that performs very well in daylight. It's a must try film stock if you can get your hands on a roll these days. There has, however been a price increase ever since I've stocked up on a few rolls, and now it's nearly on par with Kodak Gold or Ultramax. (If you live in Australia).

The difference being that is you feel like shooting something with more of a nostalgic or vintage feel then I would definitely grab this instead.