Bill Smith's Photography

 My friend Art Liem, known him for years, first through the Analog Photography Users Group and more recently with the Toronto Film Shooters Facebook Group, long floated an idea of a photo walk in Scarborough starting at Kennedy Station and wandering west and exploring The Golden Mile District. It's a part of city I have not explored.  Now I packed my Canon New F-1 AE and leaned heavy on my L Series FDn 20-35 F3.5 Zoom and 50 F1.4 lens. Film wise, I reached into my fridge for some first generation Harmon Phoenix 200 packaged in the red box. The colours are far from accurate but that was the point. I wanted all over the place look for this walk.  Canon New F-1 AE, FDn 50 F1.4 lens, FDn 20-35 F3.5 Zoom lens.  Film: Harmon Phoenix 200 @100 ISO First version in the red box. 

Harmon Technologies dropped Harmon Phoenix 200 a few years ago, and it was a new C-41 on the market, not something rebadged, or an emulsion brought back from the dead. This was a brand new colour film. Ok, I've shot this in 35mm and 120, Kodak Portra 400 it's not. Heck not even Kodak Ultramax or Fuji Superia 400. Phoenix 200 is grainy leands really warm and has latitude shallower than slide film, and there's halation. I see this for what it is, Harmon Phoenix 200 is an experimental film that will be evolving.  Now if you notice in the title, Mk1, yup Harmon Phoenix in the red box package is being discontinued, because, a Phoenix 200 Mk2 has been introduced last month, and it's light years better. I shot a roll and you will be seeing the results in the next post. I used the same camera and lens, heck even the lens has the same brand UV filter to remove any variables. Stay tuned.  Camera: Nikon FE, Nikkor Ai 50 F2 lens.  Film: Harmon Phoenix 200 @100 ISO.  ...