Just bought my M3 - What film?

[DNG]

I am using Fuji Neopan 400 right now,.. It has a good sharpness, a little grain pattern, but not bad... For People, where you want great skin tone... maybe a slower film... But, the tonality in Rodinal 100:1 Stand, is very good (I use 5ml per 500ml per roll).

Fuji Neopan Acros 100 is a wonderful fine grain film. and may suit the 'Cron quite well for candid.

 

[brachal]

Oh whilst I think about it, and to save starting a new thread, my meter isn't the most reliable so I was going to pick up a Voigt VC II, do they play well w/M3's? Seem a perfect fit to me!

I use this combination, and they work very well together.

 

[tritiated]

If you are outdoors in bright conditions, something slow might be good for (shock! horror!) shooting wide apertures. For this I like Adox CHS 50.

 

[cosmonaut]

Ektar can be tricky to expose. Tmax 400 is good. If you want that old 50's look use Trix, Reala is good and easier to expose the Ektar.

 

[dedmonds]

another vote for Tri-X

 

[Pikapig]

Ektar and portra prices are climbing so high that it is slightly cheaper than buying slides...
so why not consider slides if E6 isnt an issue in your country?

I am still shooting the cheap and good kodak colorplus. Its very under rated but i feel the tone is quite nice...

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Film; I think you should experiment and find what suits you and your ideas of what a print should look like.

Whoever, handles the printing will add something to the mix. I can't say which film I used looking at prints or scans but I can usually say which technician was sitting at the scanner as the film went in. So, unless you are planning to set up a dark room, it's best to try them all.

BTW, meters can be repaired. If you've the Leica MR it would be sensible to get it checked and repaired, f'instance.

Regards, David

 

[StaaleS]

I'll go with suggesting Portra over Ektar for colour neg. True, Ektar is super fine-grained, but it is excessively picky about exposure; it's like shooting slide film. The colours go all funny if you are off. It is perhaps best considered a slide film substitute for settings where true E6 slide film is impractical or inconvenient I think. Portra 400 on the other hand is a delight to shoot. I haven't tried the new Portra 160 yet though, haven't found it in 135 in the shops 🙁

 

[cosmonaut]

Here is a Ektar shot, this was with an M3 Summicron 50mm combo. I use a Luna Pro and sunny 16 as a meter.


Franks by Cosmonaut's, on Flickr

 

[taskoni]

For B&W I keep going back and forth between Ilford Delta 100 and Tri-X. Two really different films but both deliver great results.

Ilford Delta

Tir-X

 

[Spud10]

Ektar


Island View 2 by zÿnski, on Flickr

 

[Fraser]

Tmax 100 or 400, when I got back into film photography I tried trix with xtol but now prefer the less grainy modern kodak films still with xtol. But I'm shooting a lot of plus X at the moment that may be to do with having 1200ft of the stuff🙄
Colour I've always used fuji colour what ever, Ektar looks nice though.

 

[roboflick]

Kodak Film!

Tri x 400 not much more to say about this but beautiful grain
Ektachrome e 100g beautiful color and nearly grainless,
Projected using a good slide projector is an awe inspiring experience


Nik

 

[ThangNguyen]

Here you go, I just purchased 80 rolls myself...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/768216-REG/Ilford_1169959_HP5_Plus_135_36_Black.html

I have just bought 2 weeks ago for $4.99 now it's $5.99. $ is down too bad T_T

 

[shadowfox]

In my experience, the choice of ISO plays more role on the "look" that you get based on the geographical location of your photo subjects or scenes.

Where I live in Texas, USA, I seem to get the look that I like the most using 200 ISO color films. Kodak, Fuji, doesn't matter.

Kodak HD 200

Fuji Superia 200

 

[starless]

Tri-x is one of the most forgiving films you can find and works with most developers.
I'd go with that.

 

[andrew00]

Sweet thanks for the replies again.

I've ordered some (new) Portra and a few rolls of Ektar, as well as a few rolls of Tri-X (already had a few mind), Neopan 400 & HP5+!

I'm taking on board the experimentation!

 

[Turtle]

I'd day keep it simple. For B&W, if your enlargements wont be that big, TriX is a good bet, or FP4+ for a solid slower film. Both are dependable and will serve you well. If you want a more modern look, try Acros/Delta 100 or Tmax 400.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Tmax400!

Leica M3, Summicron 50mm f/2 rigid. Tmax400, scanned negative.

Erik.

 

[andrew00]

Here's the BFFs!