superia 400 school me folks

fuji superia 200 and 400 are still fairly easy to acquire, with most drug store branded film being almost certainly the same stuff.

There actually are (were) a few different flavours of Superia 400.

Currently, there's Superia 400 X-TRA (as its branded in Japan) which is the cheap version and almost certainly the version used for drug store brands, and there's also Superia 400 Premium (available only in Japan?) which if I recall correctly has a better colour palette for Asian skins. Its considerably more expensive than Superia 400 X-TRA so there better be something different about it!

There was also Superia 400 Venus (possibly only available in Japan, now discontinued) which had four colour layers as apposed to three as used in the current Superia 400 X-TRA. This was my favourite C41 film of all time, but unfortunately it was discontinued a few years ago and replaced with Superia 400 X-TRA. Venus and X-TRA have a similar colour palette, but Venus was much less grainy (more like an ISO100 film).

These days I use Fuji C200 (cheap and cheerful!) and Fuji Superia 400 X-TRA a lot and IMO they're both very decent films for the price. I rarely use flash so don't have any flash shots but here's a few non-flash shots.

Fuji Superia 400 Venus (that's the Nikon 101 Building in the background where all flagship Nikon cameras up to the F3 were made)


Fuji Superia 400 X-TRA


Fuji Superia 400 Premium


Fuji C200
 
It seems the default setting is to automatically claim than Portra 400 is better. I shoot both, and have no issues whatsoever with Superia 400. It is excellent:

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If this is an important shoot and you want to use C-41, as suggested please consider Kodak Portra 400/160, or if you're a Fuji fan, Fuji Pro 400H. The "pro" films are really much better than Superia. Send them to a good lab. You can re-scan them as many times as you wish if you're not satisfied, but if the negatives are scratched, there is no recourse.
 
School is a noun, not a verb. Now you are educated.

I am a product of what is affectionately known on the West Coast of Canada as 'East Van'. In the 1970's through to the 1990's there was a certain vernacular to the area wherein 'schooled' as a verb most certainly was common and clearly understood. Most from those days would have been surprised a noun could hurt so much.

In the 1990's I spent a bit of time at a 'government run guest house' in which 'schooled' had a definite role as a verb. It seems the application of the word has stuck with me.

You have, ironically, schooled me though and for that I tip my hoodie to you. another of those east side idioms
 
If this is an important shoot and you want to use C-41, as suggested please consider Kodak Portra 400/160, or if you're a Fuji fan, Fuji Pro 400H. The "pro" films are really much better than Superia. Send them to a good lab. You can re-scan them as many times as you wish if you're not satisfied, but if the negatives are scratched, there is no recourse.

... I agree regarding the lab ... but not the film, I think superia 400 x-tra is much better balanced ... Portra has been way too warm on the odd occasion I've used it

PS ... at my school one would be sticked for using school as a verb.
 
Fuji Pro400 and Superia 400 (4th color layer/X-tra) are the same film.

I repeat, the same, the only difference is packaging, and as somone mentioned, it is cold stored from the factory to Pro dealers. Superia shows up in a box next to diapers and tylenol.

I heard this from the Horses mouth, when i still had a hookup at Fuji's Hawaii distribution center.

I wouldn't stress it at all.
Superia works great in all light, and with flash.

Or pay a premium for Porta, which i never really cared for.
 
I routinely overexpose Superia Xtra 400 by at least one stop, sometimes more. This helps with the overly bright "Fuji green" and grain looks a lot better than at the box speed. Here is one taken right on to the sun and exposed @ EI100.

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thank you Mablo. i have regularly overexposed colour negative film and i suspect i will do the same with the superia
 
Mablo, that is great advice.

Superia has great latitude, you will get a usable photo with 1-2 stops either way.

As far as drugstores go, i know walgreens used to sell Seattle Film works, which i assume is the same as their house branded "Studio 35" 400. Although i doubt you will find any rebranded Fuji for inhouse sale.

They do of course add Walmart to their cartons.
 
Mablo, that is great advice.

Superia has great latitude, you will get a usable photo with 1-2 stops either way.

As far as drugstores go, i know walgreens used to sell Seattle Film works, which i assume is the same as their house branded "Studio 35" 400. Although i doubt you will find any rebranded Fuji for inhouse sale.

They do of course add Walmart to their cartons.

I'd have said 400 at box speed or three to four stops overexposed ... in my experience underexposing will induce grain
 
Fuji 200 and 400 have been widely available here in SoCal and often the only color film on the hooks. I would call their rendering "pleasant" as I typically overexpose up to one stop and avoid underexposing. More recently I've been using only Tri-X though.
 
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