NC400 Wolfen
NC400 Wolfen is a new color film being produced by ORWO, a manufacturer of technical and motion picture film based in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany… hence the name. No, it’s not a throwback to the early-80’s werewolf movie (a badass movie, by the way). The company stresses that this is gonna be weird, weird but exciting! That’s their way of deflecting any criticisms about their film results. It’s what Lomography does with their films. Call it “a unique experience” or “exciting and experimental” to make sure you’re not expecting it to look like what you think it’s going to look like. It’s going to look like expired motion picture film, re-branded as still film with a 35% price markup. Is that what this is? The company assures me it isn’t, and I don’t need to call them liars. I don’t even know them, it’s not my place to cast judgement. I’ll let the photos do the speaking for me.
After a 17-dollar roll of 36 exposures is shot up, the photos have spoken, and they say “It looks like expired motion picture film rebranded as still film and sold at 17 bucks a roll.” So, sure, a little judgey. That’s not me talking, that’s the pictures. The pictures are haters. I apologize on their behalf.
…but yeah. The pics are a bit under-exposed, the tones seem a little yellowish and, well I can’t place the other tone. Not blue, not green, but definitely in the “cool” family of tones. It’s not a non-starter, though. I do like the pictures. There’s this classic look to them, like pics that your mom took on a family vacation 40 years ago kinda classic. I don’t hate it, though I will admit it brought my least favorite results of the five films I had developed at the lab that day.
My recommendation, try it but only if it’s 9.99 (the current price on B&H’s website as I write this). Don’t buy it for 17 bucks. My other recommendation is to shoot it as 200 iso, not at box speed. We call that “over-expose it one full stop” but you may not have a camera with an exposure compensation dial, so just set the camera iso (pronounced “Eye Ess Oh” not “Ice-Oh.” Don’t be that guy. And “Gif” is not pronounced “Jiff” while we’re at it… the G stands for “Graphic” and no one pronounces that “Jraffic”) to 200.
