Shooting Panoramics with the Bronica SQ 135W on Expired Fuji Sensia 400

The limited dynamic range of slide film really worked well in showing off the brightness of the sun. A bit of extra flare never hurts either. My best shot on the roll and one of my favourite shots from 2023. 1/8s 150mm F4.0 with polariser.

Having shot both colour and black and white in panoramics on my Bronica SQ-A with the 135W film back, it was time to turn my attention to what I love shooting the most – slide film. The results never quite translate as well when scanned and presented digitally but looking at those positives under a loupe on a light table produce something that simply can’t be replicated by megapixels. Even better when the image size is that much bigger.

Bentley Azure up in the Abergavenny Hills. I didn’t notice the sheep in the background until I looked back at the developed film. A representation of the deep lambs wool carpets perhaps? 1/250s 80mm F5.6 with polariser.

Another photoshoot saw me photograph this red MGA Coupe outside of some attractive gates. 1/250s 80mm F4.0 with polariser.

As you would have seen in previous blogs, this is hardly my first-time shooting slide film with my Bronica, but as this was my first time with this format I wanted to start off with a cheap expired roll to keep the outlay low. Thankfully for me as I was shooting this in the Autumn and with a road trip out West for work, I had plenty of interesting subjects to put in front of my lens. I also bought it along to a few other car shoots which is why there’s a healthy number represented in this blog.

The top of Castell Rhaglan in the Welsh borders. You can just make out the people looking out of the tower. 1/125s 80mm F5.6 with polariser.

I did try and take some photos from the window of my accommodation by resting the camera on the open window frame. However they were not successful as this blurry photo shows. 1/4s 80mm F2.8.

The photos taken during the middle of the day were largely handheld. As this was a roll of Fuji Sensia 400 I had a little more wiggle room with using higher shutter speeds and I’ve found in practice it’s best not to up the exposure with expired slide film more than 1/3 stop. Though when working with a format this wide using a tripod is always advised and of course essential in lower light. As this film ‘only’ expired in 2011 it was not ancient which also gave me a fighting chance to get some good results out of it. As with almost all my expired rolls I rarely have much idea of how well they’ve been stored, and this one has clearly spent some time out of the fridge given the colour shifts on show. But as the results are still fairly decent, it looks like it wasn’t stored in an oven either.

This Wood & Pickett Mini Clubman was a real standout car. It’s very rare to see a Mini furnished to such a high level. 1/125s 80mm F5.6 with polariser.

Another MGA, though this time a roadster. The longer aspect ratio suits cars well, especially these older, more sporty types. A big square, modern SUV probably wouldn’t fit as well. 1/250s 80mm F2.8 with polariser.

Given its age and the higher ISO (not to mention that Sensia was a cheaper consumer level film unlike Provia or Velvia) the levels of detail were surprisingly good with the grain well controlled. Something I hadn’t been expecting given the film’s age. After my previous blog shooting Candido 200 in York I was questioning the quality of my Bronica’s glass but here I have no complaints and sometimes you just need to re-examine things with a fresh pair of eyes.

The Abergavenny Hills. Shooting a panoramic cuts out a lot of dead space above and below but it would have really come to life if it had more dynamic lighting. 1/250s 80mm F8.0 with polariser.

Lighting like this! Though in this situation it would have been better to use a greater depth of field. Shooting wide open as a panoramic meant there’s so much out of focus that it distracts from what is in focus. 1/15s 150mm F4.0 with polariser.

I feel I am beginning to get a handle of framing for this format, and I think it does work especially well for cars given that they essentially long but thin objects. Though I’ll definitely need a bit more practice creating more interesting and imaginative compositions for my landscapes. Though there is one image that really stands out to me, at sunset with the bales of (what appears to be) rubber pipes. Slide film is not known for its wide exposure latitude but sometimes that works to your advantage. As the blinding sun blasts through in the top left-hand corner, you have a greater sense of what’d actually see if you were there looking in that direction, not to mention the fact that is also gives really rich colours.

I also experimented taking macro shots, the subject here being an instantly recognisable Fly Agaric. Sadly finding good ones of these can actually be quite challenging as children seem to like them as footballs. 4s 110mm F4.5 with polariser.

The trees burn gold as the sun sets. This is another example of a photo needing more depth of field, I’ve definitely learned my lesson. 1/125s 80mm F5.6 with polariser.

Given how well the images here came out, a part of me is slightly annoyed I didn’t take along one of my fresher rolls of Provia 100, with its finer details and more accurate colours. However expired film always has its own charm and it’s better to have taken more interesting subjects on expired film than boring shots with the fresh stuff. That’ll be for next time.

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