There was a heat wave in 2022 that we worked through slogging away in tents, reorganizing bins on a sidewalk because we couldn't have our work trucks nearby. It was sweaty, it was scorching, it was Christmas! Through all the griping and complaining, melted plastic cups, hand held fans that ran out of battery too quickly, I was having a blast.
Rachel had brought her Canon AE-1 loaded with Fuji C200, and I brought my Pentax K1000 (sweet tanky memories) loaded with Kodak Gold 200. It's no contest which one had better ammo, but as far as handling, I liked the simplicity of the K1000 much more.
I got the C200 developed right away, but sat on the Gold until it appeared in my recent batch of scans. So here they are, two year later in all of their Christmas glory: Two rolls, two cameras, one hot hot set.
 |
| Pentax K1000 | 50mm f2 | Kodak Gold 200 |
That was the first and last time I handled an AE-1. I found the design baffling as the film advance lever was so close to the shutter speed dial that I inadvertently kept changing the speed without realizing. I remember being terrified that I might have oopsie'd an entire roll of Rachel's elusive Asian exclusive film, but it turned out to be just fine. The quality of shots were insanely whimsical. Whereas the Pentax/Kodak looked like a documentation, the Canon/Fuji looked like a dream.
 |
| Canon AE-1 | 50mm f? | Fuji C200 |
I don't know how long I spent salivating over how the greens were rendered with the C200, and then was immediately bummed out when I realized it was not going to be easy finding more of this film. Rachel had brought it from China, and it was her last roll. I finally managed to get my hands on one, and it's slumbering in the fridge until I find another festive reason to pull it out.
As for the Pentax K1000, it's been sold to a new home.
I will sign off with my favorite photo from the Canon/Fuji combo: A cat.
- Cazimi