I have now shot two full cartridges of the PZ 600 film and have enough examples to do a decent review of the film. I have shot this film in various lighting and temp situations and will posting examples in this blog post.
Over all, I love this film. I love the unpredictability and the results I sometimes get make the cost worth while. Shipping to California is 11 dollars U.S.. So, at 22 dollars U.S. per pack and 11 dollars U.S. for shipping, each exposure runs me 4.13. I will leave it up to you to decide if the cost is worth it for you or not.
This is the first image I took with the PZ 600 film and its one of my favorites. I love how the highlights and shadows on the vase look like a painting. This image was taken at my home in the Mojave desert in early August. The temperature that morning outside was about 90 degrees f, and dry. I took the shot, covered the film with my hand and ran inside to develop the image in front of the fan, so it developed in a temp of about 76 degrees f.
This next shot was taken a few days later in my bathroom. The temp in there that day was probably close to 90 degrees f and a bit humid for the desert. Im guessing about 30%, but that is a guess. I used window light only and had the camera on a tripod. I took the shot, covered the image with my hand and developed it in front of a fan for about a minute and a half at a temp of about 76 degrees f.
The next two images were taken at the same abandoned house about 15 mins apart so the temp range was very slight. The first shot was taken inside and I suspect it looks the way it does because its underexposed. The temp was about 84 degrees f. I covered the shot with my hand and let it develop upside for a few minutes. I played with this image in PS to get the details to show up better and part of the yellow hue comes from the contrast boost in PS. However, this shot is very, very orange in reality. I cannot desaturate the orange or yellow because the details get lost again.
The second shot was taken outside in all shade so the light was perfect.
The next shot was taken out in the desert, midday, no shade in about 95 degree f. dry heat. I had no way to shield the image from the sun except to turn it upside down and cover it with my hand. I kept turning it over again and again and shaking it just to see what would happen. I like the results. Its cracked and bubbly and solarized and really orange and the details are pretty much lost, but I can think of a few different applications for this look. I just wish I’d composed the shot better. In case you cant tell, the shot is of a fallen Joshua tree. I played with this shot in PS a bit to bring out the details and to clean up the white spots. I boosted the blacks and contrast, which is another reason why it looks so yellow. In reality, this shot is more orange and the details are pretty much lost.
This next shot was taken at dusk at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, CA, on August 15th. I used a flash and I believe that is what gave this shot its very silvery look. The temp was most likely in the high seventies, low eighties, and the humidity was high, probably around 50%. I covered the shot with my hand and developed it upside down while I moved my hand around. I did very little to this exposure in PS. I added a little bit of black and cleaned up some of the spots.
The next two shots were taken at Descanso gardens, LA, CA, August 15th in about 100 degree f. humid heat. I carried a cooler with me and when I took the shots, I covered the image as it came out of the camera and then put the image in the cooler and let them develop for a few minutes. Both image weren’t edited much in PS except to add some black and clean up the white spots.
The next two shots were taken inside the house in a bedroom in my house. On the first shot the flash fired, which was a mistake. This shot hasn’t been edited in PS at all. The second shot was taken without the flash and the only editing in PS is to clean up the white spots. The temp in the room that day was about 84 degrees f. I developed the image in front of the fan for about a minute then let it finish develop upside down on the table, which means it developed in a temp of about 80 degrees f. The second shot has only been cleaned up in PS, but is otherwise untouched. The developing on this shot is pretty much the same as the first only I kept this one in front of the fan for about a minute longer.
This final image has got to be my all time favorite of any picture I’ve taken with this film. It was taken outside at the AV fair in a temp range of 85 to 95 degree f. dry heat. The sun had just set behind the buildings and was opposite of where I was standing when I took the picture. I covered the image with my hand then let it develop upside down in the shade for about 2 mins. The image has only been cleaned up in PS but is otherwise untouched.
In conclusion, I am beginning to believe that this particular film is far more sensitive to light than it is heat or humidity. The PX films might be quite different even though they are all Silver Shade. In spite of the cost of this film, I plan to use it as often as I can because I love the results I’m getting.