Memories Film?

cooltouch · Aug 6, 2011

Just curious if anyone here has used Memories film. I found it at a local 99 Cent Only store. C-41, 24 exposure, ISO 200, made in Japan. I just ran a roll through one of my cameras and was rather surprised by the results. Overall quality was quite good with fine grain and even colors, except for a reddish-brown cast to the positive image. It was somewhat short dated -- 10/2011 -- but I don't think that was the reason for the color shift. I suspect the film may have been stored somewhere hot for a while. Still in post processing, I was able to get rid of the brownish-red cast.

Honestly, I like this film well enough where I'm gonna go back to the 99 cent store and stock up on more of it. I really like the film's tight grain.

2F/2F · Aug 6, 2011

Perhaps it is Fuji Superia 200. Being made in Japan, I would not be surprised. Are there any Japanese film manufacturers in addition to Fujifilm?

cooltouch · Aug 6, 2011

I don't know of any. I was also thinking it might be Fuji Superia 200. I've used the Superia 400 and really didn't care for it. This stuff is much better than the S-400.

CGW · Aug 6, 2011

Fuji made a huge range of store/private brands, usually based on the Superia line. Once these were the next newest emulsion behind current Fuji branded film, but this ended around a decade ago when sales began to slip and Fuji curtailed extensive R&D on consumer emulsions. Colour cast could be poor storage since I'm still shooting always 'fridged Superia that's up to 5-6 years old with no issues.

Check the neg edge code: should be "S-200" if it's recent Superia. If not, then who knows?

Photo Engineer · Aug 6, 2011

The Mitsubishi and Konishiroku plants may still be operational and they both made color film. Oriental also made film in lower quantity and may still exist.

PE

F/1.4 · Aug 6, 2011

Doesn't really look like superia to me. In my experience superia has been ultra contrasty with nuclear vibrant greens. Personally, I don't like superia, I think it's absolutely terrible film with too much contrast and gawdy color. I hate it to the point where unless I absolutely positively have to, i'd rather not shoot pictures at all than use that crap. That's how bad my experience with it has been.

Alan W · Aug 6, 2011

F/1.4 said:
Doesn't really look like superia to me. In my experience superia has been ultra contrasty with nuclear vibrant greens. Personally, I don't like superia, I think it's absolutely terrible film with too much contrast and gawdy color. I hate it to the point where unless I absolutely positively have to, i'd rather not shoot pictures at all than use that crap. That's how bad my experience with it has been.

So you don't like it?

Gerald C Koch · Aug 7, 2011

F/1.4 said:
Doesn't really look like superia to me. In my experience superia has been ultra contrasty with nuclear vibrant greens. Personally, I don't like superia, I think it's absolutely terrible film with too much contrast and gawdy color. I hate it to the point where unless I absolutely positively have to, i'd rather not shoot pictures at all than use that crap. That's how bad my experience with it has been.

Must all color film have the same color saturation and color balance? Absolutely not, people have different tastes and needs. No one is twisting your arm to use it. A simple post stating that Superia has too much contrast and gawdy colors for your taste would have been sufficient. Saying you hate it and calling it crap is rather childish isn't it?

cooltouch · Aug 7, 2011

CGW said:
Check the neg edge code: should be "S-200" if it's recent Superia. If not, then who knows?

The edge code is 200N. Does that help at all?

Hey I don't really care who's making it. I just hope they continue to do so. It ain't bad stuff.

The only Superia I've knowingly used has been 400, and I really didn't like it because the grain was so course. I can understand the comment about the nuclear vibrant greens, but that can always be toned down in the software nowadays, and in some instances the super saturated greens worked well. Just didn't care for the grain.

F/1.4 · Aug 7, 2011

Gerald C Koch said:
Must all color film have the same color saturation and color balance? Absolutely not, people have different tastes and needs. No one is twisting your arm to use it. A simple post stating that Superia has too much contrast and gawdy colors for your taste would have been sufficient. Saying you hate it and calling it crap is rather childish isn't it?

I guess, but am I not entitled to an opinion?

Gerald C Koch · Aug 7, 2011

F/1.4 said:
I guess, but am I not entitled to an opinion?

You are certainly entitled to have an opinion. It wasn't your opinion that was being criticized but the invective that went along with it.

cooltouch · Aug 7, 2011

Both of you, knock it off. I started this thread to discuss Memories film. If you feel you must continue with your pissing contest, take it to PMs please.

Back to the topic:

So, nobody has any comments about Memories edge code, which reads "200N"?

CGW · Aug 7, 2011

Don't know Kodak edge codes but it's a longshot possibility it's a Gold emulsion. Though Kodak didn't do store/offbrand like Fuji, there's this recent example of a rebadged film that didn't sell in N. America. Dollar store merchandizing siphons up stuff globally, so who knows?

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Possibly Konica or another Japanese brand?

olleorama · Aug 7, 2011

Konica is long gone.

Gerald C Koch · Aug 7, 2011

cooltouch said:
So, nobody has any comments about Memories edge code, which reads "200N"?

I would guess 200 speed color negative. Doesn't give a clue as to the manufacturer.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Aug 7, 2011

Dead Link Removed
Its like Kodak Package. Price was 2.50 , if you find it for cents , dont miss your chance.

T-grain · Aug 7, 2011

my dear fellows, this is the very same film you can get in Muller drugstores across Europe, the code on the developed neg is the same, as well as the look and the color of film cartridge. I already shot some of this film, it is called "basic" the 200 ISO, while the 400 is called "dynamic", which looks nicer to me. But you can get the 200 film in a 5-pack for 3.50 EUR! It actually needs some overexposure, otherwise the negs are a bit too thin, and graininess is bad, too. But, the price/performance ratio is hardly beatable!

CGW · Aug 7, 2011

T-grain said:
my dear fellows, this is the very same film you can get in Muller drugstores across Europe, the code on the developed neg is the same, as well as the look and the color of film cartridge. I already shot some of this film, it is called "basic" the 200 ISO, while the 400 is called "dynamic", which looks nicer to me. But you can get the 200 film in a 5-pack for 3.50 EUR! It actually needs some overexposure, otherwise the negs are a bit too thin, and graininess is bad, too. But, the price/performance ratio is hardly beatable!

OK but who makes it???

Gerald C Koch · Aug 7, 2011

T-grain said:
It actually needs some overexposure, otherwise the negs are a bit too thin, and graininess is bad, too.

I find this true for many color negative films.

cooltouch · Aug 7, 2011

That's it, exactly, Mustafa. I don't know who else besides Fuji is still making film in Japan, but whoever is making it, it's really quite decent stuff I think, and I'm glad to see you folks agree.

I was rather surprised by the grain. Here's a pic of a bug I took with a Nikkor 35/2. Not exactly a macro lens, but it was what I had handy when I spotted the bug.

And a couple of 100% crops of bug. I didn't do any PP other than tight crops.

As you can see the grain is quite minimal. A far cry from the Superia 400 I've used (which is the onlly kind of Superia I've used), and even noticeably finer than Kodak Gold 200.

2F/2F · Aug 7, 2011

It looks good, whatever it is. Superia looks good IMHO. For color, I have shot more Superia 800 and 400 than any other film. I have shot plenty of the 100 as well, but the 200 only a handful of times. Superia has never disappointed me when used for a suitable purpose. If you want the finest grain, the Pro films seem a bit better. But Pro 800Z is gone, is it not? So I don't think we even have the choice any more. I would actually argue, based on my own printing, that the Superia line has more realistic color than the Pro line. But most people don't want realism. They want a departure from it, which is why I think many prefer the Pro films.

cooltouch · Aug 8, 2011

Are you scanning any of your Superia negs? Cuz it's when I get into scanning that I really notice the grain -- or lack thereof.

Hrm . . . I decided that, before I malign Superia 400 any further, that I'd take a closer look at some of the negatives I shot. Welp, as it turns out, those that had a fair amount of overcast or shade in them showed quite a bit more grain than those that were taken in strong sun. I suppose I've been holding this impression in my head because I've only shot a couple of rolls of the Superia 400 and most of the photos were taken in overcast or darker conditions. So, based on revisiting my images I guess I need to revise my opinions toward Superia 400 somewhat. The well-lit photos look good. Still, it has more grain than Memories, especially more chrominance grain.

wblynch · Aug 8, 2011

All the Fuji-made color film I have used has those colored stripes on one edge. If your Memories film has those stripes I would bet good money it's made by Fujifilm.

cooltouch · Aug 9, 2011

Okay, colored stripes -- along the top of the film strip there is a continuous green stripe, and red stripes above and below it periodically. Are these what you're referring to? I noticed something else when I was examining the Memories film -- well the container, actually. The container it comes in is identical to the container that my Fuji Superia 400 came in. Same characteristic Fuji shape. Translucent like all Fuji containers that are commonly seen. It's the same even down to the recycling symbol and alpha-numeric codes that are imprinted into the cap and the container itself. Also, Fuji C-41 film is the only film I know of that lists its own developing process -- C-16 -- on its canisters, and lists it before the C-41 process. Memories is the same. So I'd say the preponderance of evidence allows me to conclude that Memories is indeed Fuji film. Now, what type, that I don't know. Probably Superia 200.

BTW, just thought I'd mention: I went down to the 99 Cent store again today and bought 10 more rolls. Found one that had expired in May but all the others I saw expire in October and had only two different lot numbers. I bought some of each lot just to see if it might make a difference.

2F/2F · Aug 9, 2011

cooltouch said:
Okay, colored stripes -- along the top of the film strip there is a continuous green stripe, and red stripes above and below it periodically.

Yup, Fuji film has those stripes. And the cartridge is also a good clue.

Memories Film?

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