Rollei Redbird

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Film | July 17, 2009 | 6 Comments |

Rollei Redbird is a new “redscale” colour negative film offered in 135 format. In the Rollei Redbird emulsion, the red layer is on top of the others, whereas with other C-41 print films, it is usually the bottom layer. This results in the reds being accentuated much more than usual - hence the name. The Rollei Redbird film has a nominal sensitivity of ISO 400/27° and the manufacturer says it is equally well suited to Lomography and creative use in “serious” cameras. Shutter speed is apparently a major factor in how the film renders colours - with relatively slow speeds such as 1/30 second, essentially the whole scene is rendered in different shades of red, whereas with shutter speeds faster than 1/125 second, white objects take on a strong yellow cast, while greens are accentuated. This opens up great possibilities for those involved in hybrid analogue/digital photography, the manufacturer claims. The Rollei Redbird film is available now from Spürsinn and Ars-imago at €5 per roll.

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#1 Antony Shepherd

Bleah! A sad misuse of a once great brand name.

1:13 pm - Friday, July 17, 2009

#2 Denver Engagement Photographer

I really wonder about all this "lomo" stuff. I just don't always get it. Yes you can create a slightly cross processed poorly colored image, that you had no control over taking and looks like everyone else with a lomo camera, or... you can actually put together a scene, have a vision, and execute your own creative vision. Not what some film manufactuers chemical engineer son in law came up with.

4:43 am - Saturday, July 18, 2009

#3 JJ

All they did was flip the film around. Shooting Large format if you mount your film backwards you get a red image. Same process. (and Rollei has been making this for a while, it just was being sold under another name: Lomo Redscale film).

12:18 pm - Saturday, July 18, 2009

#4 Robert Webster

This surely isn't the future of photography, but a great new way to experiment with film. Although film is a dying art form, as the digital age consumes it like a darwinian fish. I believe that this is a great way to celebrate film. Not too many applications, yes. But, it does represent a new way of thinking with an old way of doing things. I like it. Should be great for sunsets.
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4:04 pm - Sunday, July 19, 2009

#5 rob

I bet, someone at Rollei screwed up production of a batch of regular color film and now they want to recover losses by "inventing" a new kind of film...

That's a joke, of course, but may not be far from truth.