Ahh...it's slowly dawning on my why choosing film was so important.

[rpavich]

I've been shooting film for a few years and started out scanning my negs and then moved to printing black and white and only recently moved to printing color.

I recently took a trip to San Diego for my mom's 86th birthday and took mostly Kodak GC400 film (my normal film) but threw in a roll of Portra 400 just for the heck of it.

I made my contact sheets for each roll and then it hit me...why choosing what film to shoot in what circumstance was important when darkroom printing (as opposed to scanning) because that's the "pallet" you are given and that's it. Unlike scanning and Photoshop where anything can be anything, each film has it's "look" when printed. I was very surprised to see just how different Porta acted in the same situations as GC400.

I knew "intellectually" that this was the case but the point really wasn't driven home until now.

Interesting and It will inform my buying and shooting decisions in the future.

 

[markbarendt]

Yep.

 

[Peter Schrager]

double yep!! find your palette and use it!!

 

[MattKing]

Try adjusting your exposure by increasing it one, two and three stops, and then adjusting your printing times to compensate.
You may like the extra bits of control that gives you.

 

[pentaxuser]

. I was very surprised to see just how different Porta acted in the same situations as GC400.

I have often thought it would be useful to see the differences in each print from different film taken in the same situations but of course most users have probably not had this chance to do this.Could you show us the prints? Thanks?

pentaxuser

 

[faberryman]

Nothing like actual experience.

 

[rpavich]

Try adjusting your exposure by increasing it one, two and three stops, and then adjusting your printing times to compensate.
You may like the extra bits of control that gives you.

I hadn't thought of that. I'll try that, thanks!

 

[rpavich]

I have often thought it would be useful to see the differences in each print from different film taken in the same situations but of course most users have probably not had this chance to do this.Could you show us the prints? Thanks?

pentaxuser

All I have are contact prints and I haven't developed everything so these aren't exactly the same situation but here is a sample; both in San Diego mid day light. (and they both have the same filtration so take that into account.)

If I can print two similar prints side by side in the next few weeks I will.

 

[pentaxuser]

Thanks for that rpavich. I look forward to seeing two similar prints side by side when you can manage it.

pentaxuser

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to the revelation. Leverage this new learned experience and enjoy. Kodak Portra 400 is my mainstay color print film.

 

[rpavich]

Welcome to the revelation. Leverage this new learned experience and enjoy. Kodak Portra 400 is my mainstay color print film.

Thank you. I think now I realize why choosing film on the basis of cost alone isn't the best idea.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thank you. I think now I realize why choosing film on the basis of cost alone isn't the best idea.

It also depends on what your photographs are worth.

 

[GarageBoy]

Are those contact sheets optical or scanned?

 

[rpavich]

Are those contact sheets optical or scanned?

darkroom printed and scanned. I just print them through the plastic sleeve so the quality isn't amazing but good enough for what I need which is a general evaluation of the frames.