EP266: Millennium Park — Minolta AF-C 35mm f2.8 with Kodak Vision3 200T/5213 (Remjet Removed)

Roll 266

Film: Kodak Vision3 200T/5213 (remjet removed, Reflx Lab bulk-loaded version, airport X-ray scanned inside a lead bag)
Developed & scanned: Li-lai Photo 2025/8/7
Camera: Minolta AF-C 35mm f2.8

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Before leaving for Chicago, to be honest, I was not in a good state. I was very close to stopping this blog entirely. At that time, when things felt particularly heavy, I had already scheduled a series of posts in advance, posts that only contained photos with no text, almost like a quiet way of saying goodbye to readers.

Things shifted slightly afterward. I still brought a film camera with me to Chicago, but I kept everything minimal. Not many cameras, not much film. I figured if I needed more, I could just buy it there.

In terms of cameras, I only brought two point-and-shoots. One was the Konica Big mini HG BM-300 35mm f3.5, and the other was the Minolta AF-C 35mm f2.8 featured in this post.

For me, the main difference between these two is that the Big mini BM-300 has automatic film advance, while the Minolta AF-C uses manual advance. In my experience, only manual-advance cameras are suitable for shooting cinema film, because cinema film tends to put more strain on motor-driven mechanisms over time.

Throughout this entire Chicago trip, although I shot quite a lot of film, most of the photos were of family. Many of those are purely personal records, so I will not be sharing them here. As a result, from this point on, each roll will likely include only a dozen or so selected images.

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#1
This was our first stop after arriving in Chicago, located in Millennium Park, the famous "Bean." Seeing it in person was quite overwhelming. It is hard to imagine how something like this was even constructed. Later, when I looked it up, I was even more surprised to learn that it was completed around twenty years ago, finished in 2005 and officially opened in 2006.

 

#2
In Millennium Park, I noticed trees with carved text on them. Most likely the work of local teenagers.

 

#3
The facilities in Millennium Park are quite impressive. Coming from Taiwan, it was honestly surprising. Most parks in Taiwan tend to look very similar, as if everything came from the same factory.

 

#4
Compared to traveling in Japan, I tend to pay more attention to signage in the US. Most of the wording is simple and direct. If you translate these short phrases into Chinese, they often feel strange. On the other hand, many Taiwanese signs, if translated directly into English, become overly long and unnatural.

 

#5
Pedestrian signs in Taiwan still reflect older gender stereotypes. The figure is typically a man wearing a hat, walking across the street, as if from a time when women were expected to stay at home. In contrast, pedestrian symbols in the US are more neutral and do not imply any specific gender, which feels more appropriate today.

 

#6
I have always liked typography. Seeing those finely carved serif letters in Millennium Park in person was almost shocking. They are incredibly precise and sharp. Typography itself really is a form of art.

 

#7
There are three separate signs in this scene reminding drivers to yield to pedestrians. In the US, not yielding to pedestrians is taken very seriously.

 

#8
There are quite a few pedicabs around Millennium Park, but we did not try them, mainly because of the cost.

 

#9
One of the reasons I like Chicago is that art is everywhere. Many pieces are integrated into everyday surroundings rather than placed in isolated spaces for distant viewing.

 

#10
In downtown Chicago, you often see narrow alleys between buildings. They feel very much like scenes from movies, where someone suddenly runs into an alley while escaping.

 

#11
A clean and well-designed advertisement. Both the visuals and the wording are simple. In the background, you can also see a Chicago fire truck. It is massive.

 

#12
A "No Standing" sign. It means even temporary stopping is not allowed. Somehow, signs like this feel more impactful than road markings. You really do not want to park there.

 

#13
Chicago is actually very suitable for telephoto lenses. That said, I would still recommend avoiding directly pointing a camera at people in public. It is better not to make others feel uncomfortable.

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This is the full set from this roll, shot with the Minolta AF-C 35mm f2.8 and Kodak Vision3 200T/5213 (remjet removed). Thank you for viewing, and thanks to Li-lai Photo for development and scanning.