What film do you use?

wuzoo · Jul 13, 2011

Hey guys with Kodachrome and Ektrachrome gone what film do you use or recommend? I'm interested in color film.

Aristophanes · Jul 13, 2011

Colour 135 and 120:

Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Ektar 100
Fuji 800Z

B&W 135 and 120:

T-Max 400
Ilford HP5 Plus
Ilford FP4 Plus
Ilford Delta 3200 Pro

Of the above I shoot Portra 400 and T-Max by far the most in 135 SLR's and the Portra 400 and FP4+ in 120 in the Mamiya 645. Ektar is outdoors and into the sun, at the beach, etc., usually SLR or the Mamiya depending on my mood. Portra for people (natch)—it's the new wunderfilm. Fuji 800 in my Fuji Natura Classic for indoor, lower-light snaps. T-Max in SLR's and the Ilfords in my rangefinders for 135.

hpulley · Jul 13, 2011

You can still get Ektachrome. E100VS and E100G are available. Fuji still makes some positive films too.

I used to shoot a ton of chromes, mostly E200 but now I just shoot negative film to make prints. I'm enjoying Ektar and Portra 400 especially, also shooting some Portra 160 and Fuji Reala. Ektar is quite saturated if you're looking for a highly saturated film which is often what people want when shooting color reversal film.

Roger Cole · Jul 14, 2011

Yeah, Ektachrome is very much alive, in several versions for 35mm. I really like E100G for times when 100 is fast enough and I want a transparency film.

In color neg, I pretty much stick to Portra 400 these days. Ektar is a very good saturated film but for the subjects Ektar is best for I'm usually shooting medium or large format (bearing in mind this was asked in the 35mm forum.)

You specified color so I won't get into a long description of B&W film choices.

lxdude · Jul 14, 2011

Roger Cole said:
Yeah, Ektachrome is very much alive, in several versions for 35mm.

Some of which are called Elitechrome. Ektachrome is not dead!

benjiboy · Jul 14, 2011

Fujichrome.

mbsmith · Jul 14, 2011

I love the Portra line, using mostly the 400 (am going to miss VC when it's all gone) and 800. As mentioned, it is a fantastic film for portraits. I also really like Ektar 100 and Reala, and use them when I want the super saturated or "natural" looking colors that those films give. So, it really depends on the shoot and what I'm trying to get.

Astia is sweet too.

Neanderman · Jul 14, 2011

Ektar 100

wuzoo · Jul 14, 2011

Is it safe to order online? the trip wont mess up the film?

hpulley · Jul 14, 2011

Safe online, all my film is ordered online, no problems.

Roger Cole · Jul 14, 2011

Good grief. If I didn't order online I couldn't shoot film, certainly not anything except 35mm consumer C41. I even ordered it all online back in the 90s, because I shot 4x5 and the nearest place to buy that was 100 miles away. Never any problem at all.

wuzoo · Jul 14, 2011

Thanks alot guys just one last question where do i get my slides turned into prints? I got a couple slides and although I could send them to walmart and have them printed, is there any better place you guys recommend? Or anywhere I can get them into bigger sized prints than the standard size?

hpulley · Jul 15, 2011

Printing slides yourself is more challenging. Negative film is much easier to print yourself with RA-4 chemicals and you can print them as large as you have trays, drums or troughs! Optical wet prints in your own darkroom are much better IMO than scan and inkjets you'll get at Walmart.

Roger Cole · Jul 15, 2011

hpulley said:
Printing slides yourself is more challenging. Negative film is much easier to print yourself with RA-4 chemicals and you can print them as large as you have trays, drums or troughs! Optical wet prints in your own darkroom are much better IMO than scan and inkjets you'll get at Walmart.

I don't completely agree with that. It depends on the slide. If the contrast range is fairly limited nice Ilfochrome prints can be made without masking and, in that case, I find it considerably easier than printing from negatives. The process seems to have more latitude for color changes (that is, small changes in filter pack don't produce as wide a deviation in the print) and, most important of all, starting with a positive reference makes determining when you have the color right much easier. I printed a fair amount of both Ilfochrome and RA4 in the 90s, and found Ilfochrome easier as long as the subject was fairly flat.

But that's not too relevant nowadays when RA4 is cheaper than B&W and Ilfochrome is special order and outrageously expensive.

Today, the easiest thing to do to make prints from slides yourself is anathema to discuss here. (Figure it out...) I'm planning to experiment with making internegatives but haven't yet.

There are lots of labs that will work by mail order and scan your positives and send you ink jet prints of good quality, much better than you'll likely get from WalMart, Costco etc. and I think there may be one or two still doing Ilfochrome too (hold on to your wallet for that option, though.) I haven't sought these out so I don't know where to point you, but someone will.

hpulley · Jul 15, 2011

Sorry, it was mostly the modern cost and scarcity of Ilfochrome nowadays that I meant. I used to love Cibachromes, still have some beautiful ones and Fuji R prints. Now I just shoot negatives, color and B&W since no one wants to see my slide shows anymore but prints are still popular.

I have a slide duplicator and bellows and macro lens so I can make my own internegatives without much trouble aside from getting the internegative film these days. Regular color negative film ends up very contrasty when used.

Newt_on_Swings · Jul 15, 2011

35mm:
Double X
Afga pan 250
Tmax 100, 400
Tri-X 400
Plus-X 125

120:
Tri-X

stavrosk · Jul 15, 2011

Kodak:
Ektar 100
Portra 400

Fuji:
Pro 400h

2F/2F · Jul 15, 2011

Ektachrome is still around. I can't imagine it will be for too much longer, though. Enjoy it while it lasts. It is great film.

2F/2F · Jul 15, 2011

wuzoo said:
Thanks alot guys just one last question where do i get my slides turned into prints? I got a couple slides and although I could send them to walmart and have them printed, is there any better place you guys recommend? Or anywhere I can get them into bigger sized prints than the standard size?

Good question. But it begs the response, why do you want to shoot transparency film? If you want convenient, cheap, easy, and local printing, I would shoot a color negative film. Printing from transparencies is a more involved and expensive process that most labs are not equipped to do any more. The process is called Ilfochrome, and nothing looks quite like it. But it is expensive, and often requires an involved printing technique called masking, which takes time (and adds a little expense to an already-expensive process).

Jeff Kubach · Jul 15, 2011

When I use color film I use Fujichrome or Ektar 100.

Jeff

thegman · Jul 15, 2011

For colour, Portra 400 is great, it looks like a ISO 100 film, but you can shoot it at 800, or even 1600 without push processing. I also really like Velvia, great for sunsets and other nature style shots. For B&W I've taken a liking to the Rollei Retro 400 stuff, it's kind of old fashioned looking. Also Fujfilm Acros 100 is fine grained, tolerant of ropey exposure and generally looks very nice.

stavrosk · Jul 15, 2011

thegman said:
Portra 400 is great, it looks like a ISO 100 film, but you can shoot it at 800, or even 1600 without push processing.

Is that so for 135 Portra 400?

bblhed · Jul 15, 2011

Lets see, right now in the film bin for slides I have.

100+ rolls of Elitechrome 400 (my go to film for most of the year and indoors)

40+ rolls of Elitechrome 100 EB (Summer and stereo slide film)
just under 30 Rolls of E100VS (for when I want that look)
8 Rolls E100G (for when I want that look)

I shoot slides mostly to project them, not always for the really great colors they offer, there is something special about sitting in a dark room and looking at slides projected on a screen.

If I want the really great colors and blacks I will use the E100VS, I find that E100G makes a nice clean image for me, but the color doesn't really pop for me, people that have seen my slides say the E100G has great color, I just don't see it. If I want all the color and the blacks it's EKTAR 100, then Portra 160 for more color but less black, and finally Portra 400 if I need the color and the speed.

If I'm shooting a day at the beach, SCUBA diving, stuff around town, camping or day trips I use Elitechrome 400 or 100, the colors are good and the grain is bearable on a 40 inch [101cm] screen.

Special events outdoors go on E100VS or E100G depending on the event and how much color I expect or see.

I will also use Fuji 1600 for things like indoor poorly lit things like my kids school plays and events, it does deliver acceptable colors and speed with minimal tungsten shift, all be it at the price of some grain, okay a lot of grain.

I would rather shoot slides any day of the week, I only shoot color negative film if I have to, the main reason I will use color negative is speed of processing, but I have to admit EKTAR delivers some great color.

Aristophanes · Jul 15, 2011

stavrosk said:
Is that so for 135 Portra 400?

For 135 and 120. It's highly versatile.

removed-user-1 · Jul 15, 2011

I usually shoot black and white. When I use color print film, I like Ektar 100 for landscapes and other things that need saturation, and good old Fujicolor Superia 200 for general-purpose color. I also like Fujichrome Velvia 50 and Provia 400x for chromes.

What film do you use?

removed-user-1

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