I’d a roll of Rollei RPX25 in the Nikon F100, so when (at last) a sunny day unfolded over Northern Ireland, I decided the light might be just bright enough for some ISO25 photography. It was Thursday, 1st August 2024, and nothing much was happening that was photo-worthy, so Janette and myself, and Lottie the wiry dachshund made our way to Murlough Bay, a Nature Reserve sandy dunes area on the east cost, owned and managed by The National Trust, situated between Newcastle (the Co.Down one – ‘Where the Mountains of Mourn Sweep Down to the Sea’) and Dundrum.

I’d never used this film stock before, so I was interested to see how it would compare with my current favourite, Fuji’s Neon Acros. Temperature was around 22 degrees celsius, and the sun was bright when we arrived there, mid afternoon, – so it probably qualified as a perfect example of the ‘sunny sixteen’ rule. I made a number of exposures on the day. Here are some examples –

The beach at Murlough is extensive, with miles of lovely soft sand, – great for kids, and with warm seas, and a shallow seabed, perfect for paddling and swimming, and of course, the RNLI man a lifeguard station during the day in the summer months. When we were there the beach was full of happy kids, families and dogs, including ours!

The beach area is reached by a pleasant walk through the sand dunes, – don’t worry, there’s a board walk, (which apparently is wheelchair accessible, although it’s quite hilly in parts). Cattle roam freely inside the reserve, but they are well used to the visitors and seem to stay at a distance. Park in the National Trust car-park (there’s a fee) which has toilet and coffee facilities, or do what the locals do, and park on the broad area at the side of the main Dundrum – Newcastle Road. It’s a slightly longer walk, but you can cross the road (with care) to get a photograph of the famous ’12 Arches’ across the Carrigs River.

Near the road is this private dwelling, a lovely picturesque cottage, nestling among the trees and waiting to be photographed…

I processed my Rollei film in Fotospeed FD10 developer for 5 minutes. That’s the recommended time, but on examination of the negatives, I felt it may have needed another minute or so, for the contrast wasn’t what I’d expected.

As for Rollei Vs Fuji? I think I’m still on team Acros!