Usage of color film / B&W film

Usage of color film / B&W film

  • 100% B&W

    Votes: 77 15.1%

  • Over 80% B&W

    Votes: 174 34.1%

  • 60-80% B&W

    Votes: 93 18.2%

  • About half-and-half

    Votes: 68 13.3%

  • 60-80% color

    Votes: 40 7.8%

  • Over 80% color

    Votes: 41 8.0%

  • 100% color

    Votes: 18 3.5%
  • Total voters
    511
I'm a 50/50, but we don't have a digital camera. From what I've seen it seems that digital color is pretty faithful, but many color films still have that little bit of something extra. Better saturation of Velvia, more satisfying facial tones of Portra, etc. It's a personal thing and honestly that's why I like color film, you can change the whole characteristic of your 'sensor' with a new roll. I'd guess that's possible in digital with Photoshop and all that, though.
 
I'm truly surprised by the number of people here shooting colour print as opposed to chromes.
I shoot virtually 100% colour, and of that easily 99% is 100 ISO E-6 with the odd bit of 400 ISO E-6 film pushed one stop for speed.
For me, nothing beats the vibrance and life of slides, and again, to me, colour slide beats any and all projected colour digital that I've ever seen.
 
rbsinto said:
I'm truly surprised by the number of people here shooting colour print as opposed to chromes.
I shoot virtually 100% colour, and of that easily 99% is 100 ISO E-6 with the odd bit of 400 ISO E-6 film pushed one stop for speed.
For me, nothing beats the vibrance and life of slides, and again, to me, colour slide beats any and all projected colour digital that I've ever seen.
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Totally agree, but I can't find a reliable slide projector anywhere.
 
I said 50/50. I think I intend to shoot more BW than colour but that logistics often defeat me. I'd like to shoot real BW but don't develop my own (I know, I should change that) and am usually too impatient to have it sent out. So, I mostly shoot BW400CN, which is acceptable even if it isn't Delta 400. But I've only found one minilab which reliably processes that without nasty colour-casts, so I tend to use them - which builds in delays as I can't often get to them. With others I find it easier to get a good result doing my own BW conversion from lab scans of colour negs. (I'm trying to avoid the time taken doing my own scans, but often find I need to scan my own negs from colour-cast C-41 BW.)

Also, Fuji makes decent ISO 800 and 1600 colour film. And, finally, its often handy to have colour loaded if I only have one camera with me. For those shots that need colour, its there. And for those better in BW, well, I just convert the scans. Again, probably not quite as good as even C-41 BW but more convenient.

...Mike
 
I think that my shifting to shooting mostly b/w helped me appreciate what shooting color can do if one is paying attention. Most of the color I shoot now is C41 (mostly Kodak Portra, with a bit of Fuji Pro 400/800 thrown in when desired), and Kodak E200 for slides (and, yes, I keep an Ektagraphic E-2 on deck for when I need it...wonderfully bulletproof machine, ever since I bought it new over 20 years ago). Having a film scanner that can handle all the above, of course, surely helps matters here.

As for the b/w I shoot, I have a serious love jones for Ilford XP2, which can do damn near anything I want, and scans and prints so easy. Besides that, it's a draw between HP5 and Fuji Neopan 400/1600.

- Barrett
 
I started shooting b&w film again a couple years ago - as a break from digital - when the G2 system proved itself so excellent, i started using it for color too and then for work as well as leisure shooting. Having sussed C41 processing in a Jobo tank, I could then try XP2 as well - and that has proved itself a favourite for me...

So Ilford Delta 100, 400, XP2, HP5+ for b&w
Fuji Reala and Pro800Z for color
 
If I am taking photos of somthing particulaly colour full then I use colour. I think I am more B&W these days about 65% B&W to 35% colour, then I still mostly use SLRs, still not using my Canonet much.
 
I shoot mostly with b&w film now, as that's what I have in all of the cameras that I actively use. Today was an exception; I went for a four hour walk and shot three rolls of Kodak Gold 200. It was actually pretty fun! I felt a bit free, not worrying so much about colour, or the lack thereof, in the pictures... It'll probably pass. 😉
 
Most of my c-41 film I'm developing in d76 chemistry. Minilabs are now very careless with their color development, fingerprints and plain dirt being the hallmark of their activity.
 
Almost 100% color, with an occasional roll of 1600/3200 ISO B&W thrown in..

B&W lab processing and printing is much more expensive than color around here. Besides, films like Superia-200 and Superia-Reala when scanned give very nice starting points for conversion to B&W if required.
 
Mostly B&W, but I do C41, too, and develop all of that at home. Slides go to the pro lab. I have to disagree with the Nostradamus above who thinks color print film will die soon. That sort of comment was posited ten years ago. Film of all kinds constitute a shrinking, niche market, but there will be a demand for a long time to come. Ektar 100 is a good "development".
 
No, there is an alternative

No, there is an alternative

ClaremontPhoto said:
I use 99% C41 color and 1% C41 B&W and agree with the comment made before that we won't see minilabs in a few years. My minilab guy says that next time his one needs an expensive repair he won't bother.

That leaves us with mail order C41 dev and scan; which I think would soon go up in price.
Click to expand...


What about home development C41? I never developed b&W and two days ago I developed a roll of reala on Tetenal- dead easy!
 
Like others, the only film I shoot is B&W. When I shoot color, I use a DSLR, an R-D1S or a digi P&S.
 
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