Konica VX 400 film ?

[david b]

Has anyone shot this stuff? Any comments or comparisons?

 

[Jordan]

Is that the C-41 process monochrome material? If so, yes. It's pretty good. You'd have a hard time printing it conventionally (B&W process) because of the orange base, though.

 

[pentaxuser]

Has anyone shot this stuff? Any comments or comparisons?

I have just looked at an old package from a Konica colour neg film which was VX200. I am assuming VX400 is same stuff but twice as fast. In the UK very few suppliers seem to have this as it has been replaced by Konica Centuria.

So we are talking colour neg not B&W. I have tried both VX and Centuria which has replaced it and didn't like either compared to Fuji Superia. Konica colours are more muted with less bite. The greens are certainly different to Fuji, having a slight blue/green. The prints do not jump out at you like prints from Fuji especially those taken in bright sunshine.

If you like warmth, bite and saturation like the old technicolor movies then Konica may disappoint. I took Konica in Malta and Fuji in Cyprus in similar conditions and the Fuji prints were much as I had remembered the scene but the Konica ones weren't. I then took Konica Centuria in the U.K. in less intense sunshine and it was similar to Konica VX. So my conclusion was that the characteristics of Konica remained much the same between the old and new.

However beauty is in the eye of the beholder so try the same scenes with a roll of Konica and another make and then compare. If you do this I'd be interested in your findings on Konica.


Hope this helps

Pentaxuser

 

[psvensson]

I used VX400 quite a bit, because it was cheap. I had no complaints about grain or sharpness, but as pentaxuser said, the colors are not as vivid as Fuji's. That's not necessarily a bad thing - depends on your subject.

 

[Brac]

Konica VX 400 was the colour negative predecessor of Konica Centuria 400 (the latter now replaced by Centuria 400 Super). In the UK and probably elsewhere VX 400 has been kept on as an economy line though recently it has been packaged as VX 400 Super. Whether this is a slightly different emulsion I don't know, but the basic VX 400 is a perfectly acceptable film.

Just to confuse things further there is/was a MONOCHROME film called Konica VX400 Monochrome! This was a C41 process black & white film with a very heavy orange base. It was designed for use with colour process printing papers not traditional black & white ones. Whether it is still available I'm not sure - it certainly was a few months ago.

 

[craigclu]

A few years ago, Konica lost a Hexar in its system that I had sent in and when they got it straightened out, it arrived with an apology letter and a big bunch of Konica sample film. I had been unimpressed when I had tried their films, all the way back to the Sakura days, but I really found that it worked quite well. I burned a couple of rolls of the 200, walking around an outdoor car show, had them done on a Frontier system when they first started making them. They were some of the most vivid 35mm prints I've ever had and was surprised at the "pop" that the colors had of these colorful subjects. I guess I wasn't impressed enough to search more out, though and use Fuji for that sort of duty.

 

[collect888]

David may refer to Konica's B&W C-41 processed film. I tried this film because I received a few cases of Konica VX400 Monochrome outdated. I was just to test the quality of the film to see if it is usable before putting it into sale.

The result suprised me. It was great and better than a few rolls I shoot with Ilford XP2 Super a while ago.

May be the quality of the hardware is also important. I was using a Contax AX with Zeiss its 85mm f1.4 and 50mm f1.4 lens for that film test.

Worth a try of this film.

 

[Russ - SVP]

I did not care for it. Flat and lifeless negs. Ilford XP-2 and Fuji Neopan 400 are much better.

 

[pentaxpete]

I have used KONICA VX 400 and the 'Super' for years. I bought a load of 120 cheaply and did some Press Photography on it before the newspapers went all 'Digital' and still have rolls left in my film fridge and also got lots of the 35mm which is dated 2005 but I rate it 200 ASA now and and it comes out perfectly and it was much CHEAPER than other makes before Konica went broke.
Very Poor Light on New York 2017 on Pentax ME Super
Budweiser in NYC by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
Local fast Food Shops here in my Town, Brentwood, England ME Super
Local Nosh Shops by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

 

[foc]

As far as I can remember the Konica Monochrome VX400 was very similar to the Kodak BW400CN.

I remember hearing a long time ago (and I stand to be corrected) that Kodak sold/supplied bulk emulsions to Konica.