Rainbow V and Redscale…
A while ago Nic from 4CD took pity on me and my situation and decided to send me a little care package to keep me shooting while I am stuck in the States. Part of that package was an assortment of plastic cameras, one of which was the Rainbow V Ultra Wide and Slim. I already fell in love with the original Wide and Slim and this camera is no different. The only thing that has changed, like all the Viv clones, is the colored and rubberized plastic body. Being rubberized it makes the camera feel a bit more robust, though I suspect it is just a feeling.
I decided to test out this camera with some Kodak 400 VR Plus redscaled, homemade of course. This is my first foray into the world of redscale. It came about because I was bored one night and had a bunch of empty spools. I got some tape and got under a big duvet and wound the film backwards into an empty spool. Easier than I thought actually though I was a bit worried about the duvet being light tight, which it wasn’t. It turns out that it was light tight enough, there were a few foggy bits along the sprockets but every shot turned out great. Check this tutorial out if you want to do this yourself.
The photos that I got from this combination really made me happy. It was like instant vintage. They have this aged and timeless look to them that really makes me want to keep redscaling. The Rainbow V has the same great 22mm lens as any Ultra Wide and Slim and paired with the warm tones of the redscaled film this combination has a good chance of becoming my new favorite. People often say the Ultra wide and Slims are the poor mans LCAs. Since I have been lusting after an LCA for a long time I think that this camera and film partnership has a good chance of filling the gap until I can muster up the money. I will definitely be doing more redscale and trying it in different cameras. This may be a way for my lo-fi heart to fall in love with my various not-so-lo-fi cameras.
Hope you enjoy them as much as I do and there is more to come.
I’m intrigued by redcale, and maybe I’ll have to stuff a roll myself. I have so much film from FCD, I might just give it a go, and not buy the expensive Lomo or Rollei redscale film.
Looks lovely.
I’m really curious now as well, especially since it seems pretty easy to do. Might be worth while to buy some bulk film and hand roll out a bunch. Great shots.
Loving this!