Minolta Weathermatic Dual 35 with Kentmere Pan 400
Over one of our snowy winter weekends we were looking for a camera to borrow from the shop for testing. We were hoping for something a bit different than usual, as well as something that would be well suited for the cold and icy wintry conditions we expected to have it out in. As luck would have it, a Minolta Weathermatic Dual 35 was in the queue for testing and it seemed like a great fit for our needs. While originally billed as mildly waterproof, these days due to the aging of the rubber seals in the camera that capability should be accepted with extreme skepticism. While we never encourage photographers to actually dunk these cameras in water anymore, they do still make great all-weather cameras due to their robust sealing. So what better choice for lingering at the base of frigid and icy waterfalls?
Our film of the moment at that time was Kentmere Pan 400. We have a library of sample images made with almost every film in our inventory. But there are some gaps, and we are always looking to expand and update that library. Kentmere Pan 400 was one of the aforementioned gaps. While not our first choice for a black and white, somebody had to shoot it and get some firsthand intel on it. With its coarser grain, slightly flat contrast and less rich tonality, the film was more or less what we expected it to be. But it is nonetheless always good to "put a face to the name" so to speak. Meanwhile it is still on our to do list to try this film in 120. Perhaps if we get another snowy weekend before winter wraps up.
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