Silver “Holy Light” in the Dark – Night Shooting with the Artizlab Classic 35mm
Last night, one of my followers asked whether the new silver version of the domestic “Holy Light” #Artizlab Classic would focus accurately on a film camera. To find out, I loaded a roll into my vintage Leica M3 and headed out for a real test.
I chose Kodak T-Max P3200, pulled to ISO 1600, and shot the entire roll wide open at f/1.4 to see how it would perform. By the time I started, it was already around 6:30 p.m. The last traces of sunset had slipped below the horizon, leaving a deep blue sky and an almost completely dim environment. My shutter speed stayed around 1/25 s for most shots.
Overall, I found no major focusing issues. Of course, the grain at ISO 1600 is much rougher than in daylight, but details were still discernible through the silver halide texture. The atmosphere turned out beautifully moody.
I realized that night scenes can be stunning in their own right—though I must admit, with such low light, the Leica’s rangefinder patch made focusing a real challenge.
