Shanghai GP3 100 (620 film) Review & Photos

Shanghai GP3 100 is a black and white panchromatic film. Produced in China, this is one of the most affordable medium format films on the market. A good starting point for my first foray into this format, especially given my camera of choice (as you will soon see!). The film gives a very old-fashioned feel to the photos, something which again hits the mark for me as a test roll for a rather basic old-timer camera. In terms of performance and aesthetics, this film is often compared to Kodak Plus-X.

120 film spooled onto a 620 spool- Reviving a “dead” format

This is where Shanghai GP3 100 popped up on my radar. After acquiring a camera that requires 620 film, I was looking into options. A ready-spooled and cheap 620 film jumped out at me as being just the thing I needed. So without much hesitation, I ordered some.

Key Features Of Shanghai GP3 100

Pros

• Excellent cheap film for testing a camera (reason I picked some up!)
• Good contrast
• Retains quite a lot of detail for cheap film
• Super clear markings on backing paper
• Vintage low-fi feel paried well with my 1950s box camera

Cons

• Lacks shadow detail compared to other films
• From my research, it needs care during development to get good results
• Very curly film, hard to handle and scan. I can confirm this!
• Some reviewers mention backing paper issues with transferring pattern onto the images (not seen in my tests, might be old stock issue that is now fixed?)
• Emulsion prone to scratching
• Fingerprints on film (I certainly had one)
• Not very sharp (might be my camera, she is an old lady!)

Shooting a test roll on an old Kodak Duaflex II on a weekend trip to Scotland

Several years ago, my stepdad gave me his father’s old camera. It sat on my mantlepiece for a year or so before being packed into a box for a house move. The poor thing sat there for a few years, in the good company of my grandfather’s Zenit E. While the Zenit E has seen a lot of action recently, the poor Kodak Duaflex II sat on a shelf looking cool but not doing much.

This 1950s medium format camera (frustratingly) takes 620 film. After some research online, this film type is essentially the same as 120, but the spool is a few millimeters shorter. I have several options;

• File down a 120 reel so it fits, and hope it doesn’t snag/jam
• Respool 120 film onto a 620 reel (a little fiddly and has to be done in the dark)
• Buy a 620 spool and 120 film from a seller who offer a respooling service
• Buy some expired 620 film
• Buy “fresh” 620 stock (i.e Shanghai GP3)

I decided to go for the cheapest and easiest approach; pick up some cheap GP3. I wasn’t even sure this camera would work. After a quick check of the lens (no fungus), shutter (it fired), and body (seemed light-tight!), I placed my film order and waited patiently for it to arrive.

My Kodak Duaflex II has a very basic lens; a meniscus lens, with no ability to focus. Consequently, I could only shoot things that were over 15ft away, based on the original instruction manual guidelines. The camera also has a set aperture of around f/14 or f/15, and the shutter speed options are limited to “instant” and “bulb”. “Instant” is estimated to be somewhere around 1/30 to 1/45, probably toward the slower end, given the camera has never had a disassemble/clean. There is also no shutter cable attachment, so I am unsure how useful the bulb mode would be, so I shelved that idea for now. Hand shooting it is!

Add in the films 100 ISO, I decided to shoot some large solitary subjects in the great outdoors of Scotland!

My Impressions of Shanghai GP3 100

Personally, I love the vintage feel of this film! The Kodak camera has a very noticeable focus falloff, with only the center being in focus. In focus is perhaps a little generous, as all the photos were quite soft. I am fairly certain that this is a feature of the camera lens, not the film! Either way, I kind of like the dreamy effect this gives the photos.

The best contrast was achieved at the abandoned boat, thanks to bright overhead sun. The car and pyramid were shot on overcast days, giving a little less contrast. I did see some shadow detail loss, specifically in the trees/grass in the pyramid shots, but this was partly influenced by the fact that these are slightly underexposed.

You will notice there are only six photos here. In a hurry to finish the roll, I pushed my luck and shot a shaded car graveyard to use up the film. The sun was setting, and I sort of knew that they would be underexposed, but I tried my luck anyway. Unfortunately, the photos came out very dark. So dark you can’t see anything, actually. Whoops.

Overall, I was very happy with the performance of this film and pleasantly surprised. Going forward, I can see that I will be using this film as my standard test roll fodder. I would also be very happy to use this in more vintage cameras, especially if I venture more into the retro world of box cameras.

Example Photos I Have Taken on Shanghai GP3 100

Made it this far? Hurrah! Here are the shots from my first outings with Shanghai GP3 100 from this test roll. Enjoy!