P 400 has a little more saturation than 160. Kodak states it correctly. But the posted chart is out of date, and refers to NC and VC versions no longer made.
Lack of shadow detail means the negative is underexposed, or the shadow detail is lopped off during scanning/printing. Blown out highlights mean that the highlight detail was lost in scanning or printing. Simply put, the problem is in exposure and how the output medium (scanned digital or print) is handled, not in the nature of the negative film. I think you're looking into the wrong direction to solve this problem.
Can you post an example of one of the shots that has given you problems, and provide some details on how you handled the digitization?
Ektar is different; it's not artificially warmed for sake of that, and certainly not in the sense Gold is. And due to its high contrast, Ektar also has to be exposed more carefully or there will be hue reproduction errors. It is also more sensitive to color temp exposure errors, if you expect the most out of it.
Dumb question: What are color temp exposure errors? Are we supposed to expose Ektar differently based on the colors of the scene?
Aerocolor IV == Flic Film Elektra 100 --- $14 / roll --- Accurate colors. Watch out for light piping.
never found muted colors in Portra 160, i think that's more of a youtuber's thing
In what world is aerocolour accurate? Where are you sourcing your information from, Reddit?
Let's do an experiement and see if Drew agrees with AI. LOL
Common Ektar color shifts
Blue color cast from underexposure
Ektar's color fidelity is very sensitive to proper exposure. Underexposing the film, especially in the shadows, can cause a distinct and sometimes severe blue color shift. This is particularly common when shooting in low light, open shade, or during winter.
- The fix: Rate the film at a lower ISO, like 80 or 64, to ensure adequate exposure and protect the shadows. Some photographers even rate it at ISO 50.
Blue or orange casts from artificial light
As a daylight film, Ektar is highly sensitive to the warmer color temperatures of artificial light sources like tungsten bulbs.
- Tungsten (3200K) or Photolamp (3400K) lighting: Shooting with these light sources without a corrective filter will produce a strong orange or yellow cast.
- The fix: The Kodak data sheet recommends using a blue correction filter, like an 80A for 3200K tungsten light, and rating the film at a lower ISO (e.g., ISO 25 or 32) to compensate for the filter.
Reddish or magenta cast from overexposure
Overexposing Ektar can shift the color balance towards warmer, reddish, or magenta tones, especially in the highlights.
- The fix: While Ektar has decent overexposure latitude, proper metering is key. For best results, use a handheld light meter and be precise with your settings. Some color shifts can be corrected in scanning or printing.
Cyan or magenta shifts in deep shadows
In extremely underexposed areas, Ektar's highly saturated dye layers can cause color crossovers, producing distinct cyan or magenta shifts. This is different from the overall blue cast of general underexposure.
- The fix: The only real solution is to get the exposure correct in the first place, ensuring the shadows receive enough light to avoid crushing and color shifts.
Scanning and processing variables
Even with perfect exposure, the final results can be influenced by the development and scanning process.
- Development issues: Errors in C-41 home development, especially with incorrect chemical temperatures, can easily introduce color shifts. Using old or depleted chemicals is a common culprit.
- Scanning challenges: Many photographers report that Ektar is more challenging to scan than other negative films. The software used for negative inversion and the scanner's color correction settings can impact the final color balance, sometimes creating an unwanted blue cast in the shadows. Careful color correction in post-processing is often necessary.
One thing I've learned over the years. You need to use daylight (or flash, or both) to get vibrant accurate color from daylight film.
Do people remember red-eye??? This disappeared with digital minilabs 30 years ago
I have noticed that my indoor shots consistently look awful (underexposed and grainy) compared to daylight ones. Either my camera's light meter or the film ISO must be wavelength-dependent.
I was thinking of maybe adding a +1 stop exposure when I'm indoors.
tychos - Portra 160 is quite muted. It's a low contrast portrait film for heaven's sake! Sure, people punch up the saturation in PS. But to make it work well in the darkroom for me, I'd have a serious issue even if I added supplementary contrast-increase masks. That's why, prior to the current Ektar option, they offered a VC (vivid color) version of Porta 160, as well as lower-contrast NC version.
It is well-balanced, however. I use Portra 160 sheet film for precision internegatives of chrome film originals, for sake of RA4 printing.
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Indoor lighting tends to be much less even, so meter readings are often misleading - the reading being fooled because it is based on areas of the subject that are not illuminated as well as areas that are brightly illuminated.
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If the lighting inside is nice and even, you shouldn't have the problem.
But when it isn't, I tend to prefer incident metering, when possible.
Thanks for including the illustration; it does indeed demonstrate what I hoped you'd take from this - that there's plenty of room to play with the film(s) you've been using so far.I dug for the negative (included below), and it clearly shows plenty of detail in the clouds.
Of course; I can only encourage this. I've had a lot of fun doing the same; I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from doing so. At the risk of waving the normative finger some more - as long as you keep a clear eye on what kind of characteristics you're really looking for, and what the effect of handling/processing the film is. The latter is such an overpoweringly strong set of factors that it's easy to draw a wrong conclusion about the former.I do very much want to try other films and see what they look like for me.
Metering can be tricky; in indoor environments, meters are often thrown off by bright light sources in or near the frame - think of windows, bare light bulbs etc. The grain in the resulting underexposed shots generally originates from three factors, all of which ultimately track down to the issue of underexposure:I have noticed that my indoor shots consistently look awful (underexposed and grainy) compared to daylight ones. Either my camera's light meter or the film ISO must be wavelength-dependent.
These are more like scanning issues with people using digital workflow. I find Portra 160 a good all-around film with natural colors ehrn printed optically. Same goes with Ektar, and the red skinned people. It is a scanner issue, not a problem with the film.never found muted colors in Portra 160, i think that's more of a youtuber's thing
These are more like scanning issues with people using digital workflow. I find Portra 160 a good all-around film with natural colors ehrn printed optically. Same goes with Ektar, and the red skinned people. It is a scanner issue, not a problem with the film.
Ektar is a funny beast because it does have the saturation dialed up. But it's a great film once you learn how to use it. Color Plus and Ultramax are really the "everyday" films that can be adapted to just about every situation. I've never been a fan of Gold and it's whole mission to make dull days look bright. But many do love it and again it does it's thing in virtually all conditions.
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In your position of using the half frame camera, I'd probably stick to Color Plus and Pro image 100 most of the time for colour film and learn to nail the exposure.
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