Best 120 format colour negative films?

wackyvorlon

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Recently, I bought a few rolls of Fuji Velvia in 120 format. We had prints made of the first roll, and they did not turn out well at all. Colours were muddy, bright spots bled over into darker spots. Looking at the velvia itself, the photographs look much better.

Listening to the Inside Analog Photo podcast where Mr. Mowery discusses pos-pos systems, it's become apparent what happened. Pursuant to that, I was wondering if anyone could recommend good colour negative film in 120 format. Is Fuji Superia the one to go with? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.
 

wiltw

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Color neg films often have Normal Contrast and High/Vivid Contrast. Choice, in part, depends upon individual taste and also upon subject matter. For example, I would not shoot a woman's portrait with HC/VC, nor for anyone with blotchy facial complexion. When I did weddings I liked Fuji emulsions.
 
OP
OP

wackyvorlon

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I've been doing a lot of nature photography lately, and things that combine colour with texture. Rust, peeling paint, etc.
 

Ektagraphic

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Ektar is wonderful as well as the Portra series. Portra 400VC is great.
 

Sirius Glass

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6x6. We all know that square is the best. Just ask Hasselblad before it was sold to that scanner company.
 

perkeleellinen

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Reala.

Sadly, no longer imported into the US, but still available in the UK as it's a big seller. As you spell "colour" correctly, you may be British in which case it's easy to find.
 
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wackyvorlon

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Canadian, actually A part of the commonwealth, though. For some reason I seem to remember seeing reala kicking around the local camera place.
 

Q.G.

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To my eyes, Kodak Portra 160 NC is still the best.

Sirius Glass said:
6x6. We all know that square is the best. Just ask Hasselblad before it was sold to that scanner company.
Click to expand...

Off topic, but i can't help myself:
No scanner company bought Hasselblad. Shriro bought Hasselblad. They also picked up Imacon.
They - Shriro - knew that the future for Hasselblad depended on having a say over what digital 'solutions' the company could offer, instead of being at the whims of other companies and their marketing strategies.
So they bought Imacon, acquired digital back making technology, and turned Imacon into Hasselblad's Denmark based digital division.
The division the investors who had owned Hasselblad before had shut down, because they saw no future in digital photography.
Though that may seem a good sentiment here on APUG, it shows how investors generally know nothing and can't think.
It is debatable whether Shriro did good putting Imacon's former CEO at the helm of the company. But they sure had success.


So Kodak Portra 160 for me!
 

Sirius Glass

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Kodak Ultra Color in 120. When production in that size stopped I bought up as much as I could to keep it from the hoarders!
 

benjiboy

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My favourite is Fuji Reala for a general; purpose 100 ISO film or Fuji PRO 400 H for a faster film.
 

2F/2F

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I agree that Reala is the all-around best general-purpose 120 color negative film.

As for it not being imported to the U.S.A., this is not the case, as Freestyle has explained it to me. It is an emulsion that is rarely exported by Fuji to the U.S.A. (once per year, I believe). It is available every year here until it sells out, then the rumors that it is discontinued start until they send over the next year's batch.

This last year's "reintroduction" also saw a 50% price increase, however. I am scared to death that it will go away entirely, so I have been stocking up on it in 120 format.

FWIW, it is available in 220 in Japan!!!
 

Silverhead

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Ektar...yes, yes, yes. Fantastic color, it just leaps off the paper. A friend of mine just recently got back from Alaska and his Ektar photos are positively sublime. Nothing against Portra or Fuji's Pro line, but Ektar takes that color saturation and small grain to the next level, AFAIC.
 

TimmyMac

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Wow, I wish I could afford to shoot Ektar. I'm still clowning around with the 160C I got for $2.75 per 220.
 

John Shriver

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Pretty soon it will be only Kodak, Fuji has discontinued most of their C-41 professional films, with 400H being the primary survivor. Which isn't bad, since all 6 of Kodak's options are excellent films.
 

2F/2F

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John Shriver said:
Pretty soon it will be only Kodak, Fuji has discontinued most of their C-41 professional films, with 400H being the primary survivor. Which isn't bad, since all 6 of Kodak's options are excellent films.
Click to expand...

They still have Reala, and a 160 film (160NS, simply a renamed 160S) will supposedly be reintroduced. So, what they will have axed is Pro 800Z and Pro 160C. In the meantime, Pro 800Z is still available on shelves practically everywhere.

All of Kodak's and Fuji's films are bloody outstanding IMHO...but Fuji's 800 really holds the edge over Portra 800 IMO.
 

pgomena

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Kodak Portra 160 and 400. My favorite is the 160, the 400 is nice for the extra speed, both give me results I really like. The 160 holds amazing shadow detail.

Peter Gomena
 

benjiboy

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Your first lesson is if you want quality colour prints without the faults you describe shoot colour negative film not slide film, IMO the best two general purpose I.S.O 100 films I have used are Fuji Reala, and Kodak Ektar.
 
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