Rollei VarioChrome Limited Edition

I bought 5 packs of the Rollei VarioChrome Limited Edition because the box was all nice and sexy and thinking the film would also be that.  Little did I know that it’s just like all the other Rollei films I’ve tried, washed out colours with a yuk orange/brown tint to them. It’s also grainy as hell and doesn’t appear to scan well.

I don’t know if there’s a problem with processing and/or scanning but none of the Rollei films I’ve tried seem to come out that great.  Even when viewed large projected on my wall with a Leica Pradovit P600 projector, the images are awful. That’s partly because I’m a crap photographer and partly because, well, of the film itself.  I’ve got some beautiful slide film images from Fuji’s Provia 400X, Agfa CT Precisa 100 and Fuji’s Velvia and Provia slide films, so it can’t all be me (at least that’s what I tell myself).

Here’s what @macodirect (Instagram) has to say about the film:

“Rollei Vario Chrome 135-36 is a medium to high-speed color reversal film that is intended for photography under low-level daylight illumination or under other light sources using proper filtration. Rollei Vario Chrome has a medium degree of sharpness, its image results are characterized by a slightly visible grain and a warmish image tone.”

Now to be fair, I go on and on about how there’s no such thing as the best film or worst film. It’s really up to each person’s individual taste and preferences in what they’re looking for.  So I’m not saying this is a bad film, I’m saying I don’t like it.  I took this to Rome (along with 5 rolls of Fuji Provia 400X and a shitload of other film), and the photos from Rollei VarioChrome were the worst, or rather the ones I liked the least, by a long, long way.  See for yourself below:

 

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