Olympus / Photography

trying out pen f “recipes” — kodak portra 400

whbeebe3 Comments

I came across a modest YouTube channel where a photographer was taking old digital cameras, such as the Olympus E-P3, and changing the camera’s configuration (white balance, etc) in order to produce a close approximation of film. In this example it’s supposed to resemble Kodak Portra 400. Whether it does or not isn’t all that important to me, it’s an opportunity to kind of shake things up a bit with regards to my photography.

In this example, using the Olympus Super Control Panel, I changed the following:

  • White balance set to sunny
  • A +5
  • G -4
  • Portrait mode
  • Sharpness -2
  • Contrast 0
  • Gradation normal
  • Saturation +1

Everything else remained the same. The photo is JPEG straight out of the camera. The scene was near the University of Central Florida, the time after 3 in the afternoon. It was hazy to overcast, with just a bit of directional sunlight from the upper left. The tree is one of the many pink trumpet flowers currently blooming all around Orlando. The camera was of course my Pen F with the M.Zuiko 75mm/1.8, set at f/4.

So far I like what little I’ve taken with it, and I will probably continue using this configuration for a while, regardless of light type or levels, just to see how it will work.

3 thoughts on “trying out pen f “recipes” — kodak portra 400”

  1. ‘Film recipes’ for digital cameras is almost a cult. The Fujifilm fans are about the worst. In the end the results are always subjective, considering the variation in results any two people or any two rolls of actual film may have. Personally I like old CCD sensors because they give the most ‘film like’ results even without fiddling the controls. It’s a rabbit hole anyone can get lost down.

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    • >> In the end the results are always subjective…

      I can’t disagree with that, and it is purely subjective, especially in the eyes of the individual photographer who is doing it. But I have to admit I still like the final results under certain circumstances.

      >> Personally I like old CCD sensors…

      I certainly agree with that observation. That’s why I still have a working Olympus E-1 with it’s 5MP Kodak CCD sensor. But it’s approaching nearly 20 years in age, and I’m afraid that one day it won’t power on at all anymore.

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      • Yep; the end result being what you like is all that matters. I’ve already had to toss a couple of CCD cameras because they refused to work anymore, and there’s one I’ve kept which is pretty erratic in operation. We’ll never see their like again.

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