It’s been nearly five years since we saw a new colour negative photographic film hit the shelves and over six since the one before that. What they have in common with today’s announcement of new LomoChrome Metropolis is that they’re all made by Austria’s Lomography.
Yep, for over half a decade, Lomography has been the only film company bringing new colour negative film stocks to market and I don’t know about you, but that makes me happy.
Announced today and available to support on Kickstarter, new LomoChrome Metropolis will be available in 16mm, 110 and 120 format, as well as two 35mm formats – 36 exposure cartridges and 100ft bulk load reels.
Here’s what Lomography have to say about it:
“LomoChrome Metropolis pays homage to the mother of all colors: black! Search for rays of color in a sea of lightless skyscrapers, frame your subject as they trudge the streets of ghost towns, and disappear down sparsely lit subway entrances – embrace urban annihilation and take portraits unlike anything else.
Inspired by stark images of expressionism and modern urbanism, LomoChrome Metropolis is the newest flavor in film photography – bringing the fresh taste of adventure to analogue artists around the globe – standing proud where megapixels and software matter no more.”
The new film follows LomoChrome Purple and LomoChrome Turquoise, Metropolis is labelled as “XR 100-400”. This means it has an extended range (ISO 100-400) and will demonstrate different intensities of its signature look when shot at IOS 100, 200, 400 and other speeds between – all on the same roll.
Here are the technical details:
| Name | LomoChrome Metropolis XR 100-400 |
| Manufacturer | Lomography |
| Type | Color negative (daylight balanced) |
| Characteristics | Fine grain Deep blacks Cool tone High contrast Yellow tint |
| Formats | 110, 120, 35mm, 16mm |
| Speed (ISO) | 100-400 (variable) |
| Exposure latitude | Unknown |
| Push processing | Unknown |
| Cross processing (E6 chemistry) | green tint |
To my eye, LomoChrome Metropolis gets very close to the look of certain cross-processed Kodak slide films: pronounced greys and blacks, brilliant whites, a slight shift into the yellow, gold and green spectrum and clean, bright neon lights.
Think high contrast, desaturated. Or in fact don’t think, here are a few sample images courtesy of the folks at Lomography:
The film is available to buy on Kickstarter right now, at what I understand to be a 25% discount off retail. Lomography are aiming for an early 2020 release and as if that wasn’t enough, I’ve managed to sneak an early listen to a special episode of Studio C-41’s 1-Hour Podcast with Lomography’s Birgit Buchart about LomoChrome Metropolis and have embedded it below for you to have a listen yourselves.
At 25 minutes long, it packs quite a punch. Check it out:
So, will you be jumping on the LomoChrome Metropolis Kickstarter? Do you already shoot any of the LomoChrome emulsions? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below.
~ EM
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I like how this looks – I prefer the desaturation of parts of the colour palette to something like cross-processing that actually changes one colour for another.
We don’t have enough light in Ireland to fully enjoy many of the Lomography stocks, but I’ve backed this one and look forward to giving it a go…
@lomography Is this the cool stuff rn
That looks rather funky stuff.
Love this new color palette. In my eye, it’s not the same as cross-processed tone, but rather a bleach-bypass tone.
Isn’t it available in Super 8mm too? https://www.kodak.com/no/nb/motion/Products/Production/ektachrome/default.htm
I wonder how it looks cross-processed in E6 :o)
That I can help with: GREEN!
It’s a native C-41 film, so no problem there. Like their other LomoChrome films, this is no doubt going to polarise opinion. I for one, love the look!
I’m glad new film is coming to market, but this one’s probably not for me. I was never a fan of the cross-processed look. If it really is a slide film, then will people need to warn their labs before sending it in for C-41 development?…
It’s a colour negative film, Lomography likes to put “Chrome” in their film names.