What Color print 400 film do you use?

What Color print 400 film do you use?

  • Fuji Superia

    Votes: 49 38.6%

  • Fuji Pro

    Votes: 24 18.9%

  • Agfa

    Votes: 4 3.1%

  • Kodak Max Gold

    Votes: 10 7.9%

  • Kodak Hi Def

    Votes: 5 3.9%

  • Kodak Portra NC

    Votes: 21 16.5%

  • Kodak Portra VC

    Votes: 18 14.2%

  • Other

    Votes: 24 18.9%
  • Total voters
    127
Saved the best until the last

Saved the best until the last

When I use print film I use Superia 400 for 35mm SLR "machine gun" shooting - very reliable and quite neutral; 400VC nd 400 NC fo Leica rangefinder and XPan shooting as well as 6x6 Hassy stuff.

Having been a Fuji fan for many years I've found great Joys with some of Kodak's offerings over the past year.

What amazes me is that many of the film manufacturers best products reached their peak as the digital revolution began to slaughter their businesses.

Long live film - print and slide!
 
SimonPG said:
What amazes me is that many of the film manufacturers best products reached their peak as the digital revolution began to slaughter their businesses.

Long live film - print and slide!
Click to expand...

Whats it all mean? Film will live on for the pure art of it......I hope.
 
uhligfd said:
Why not put Kodak 400 UC into the line up?

It is by far the best (from my experience); the NC is too dull, the VC too poppy. 400UC is just super all around. Also very cheap at all Walmarts at three 36 exp rolls for 12$ ...
Click to expand...

I agree about 400UC, but I won't set foot in a Walmart/Sam's.

ScottGee1
 
I use Koday UC400 if I can't use UC100. In this catagory, Kodak truly outshines Fuji. The Fuji 160S is a dissapointment for the first roll and I will try a couple more before giving up.

Fitz
 
I've used Superia 400 for years as my standard fast print film. It's easy to find and inexpensive. I reckon I could do with it if I had no other choice -- but I do prefer to use Kodak Gold 100 if conditions permit.
 
This one is a toughie. I have yet to settle on a true "go-to" ISO 400 color neg film. So far, it's been horses for courses: for dim/mixed lighting conditions, I've come to favor Fuji Press 400 (and 800, although that's beyond the scope of this particular thread). For daylight work it's been Kodak Portra 160NC when it's bright enough, and (more recently), Kodak UC 400 when I need somewhat more speed. I haven't been entirely happy with Fuji in bright daylight conditions (not blaming the film entirely...there are lots of factors that come into play here).

Now that Kodak has reformulated the entire Portra line, promising, among other things, finer grain (frankly, I'd prefer it that granularity be the only thing they messed with, since I feel this was the only shortcoming of Portra 160NC, and not a huge shortcoming at that, compared to its faster stablemates), I'm giving their faster offerings another shot, so to speak. You might want to wait a bit until the new Portra is truly in the pipeline, though: this past Tuesday (right after Rosh Hashanah...not a good idea if you're in a big hurry), I popped into Adorama to ask about the new Portra. "What new Portra?", said the regular guy at the film counter. 'Nuff said.

Tech notes, attached photo: Hexar RF, 28mm M-Hex, Fuji Pro 800


- Barrett
 

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amateriat said:
This one is a toughie. I have yet to settle on a true "go-to" ISO 400 color neg film. So far, it's been horses for courses: for dim/mixed lighting conditions, I've come to favor Fuji Press 400 (and 800, although that's beyond the scope of this particular thread). For daylight work it's been Kodak Portra 160NC when it's bright enough, and (more recently), Kodak UC 400 when I need somewhat more speed. I haven't been entirely happy with Fuji in bright daylight conditions (not blaming the film entirely...there are lots of factors that come into play here).

Now that Kodak has reformulated the entire Portra line, promising, among other things, finer grain (frankly, I'd prefer it that granularity be the only thing they messed with, since I feel this was the only shortcoming of Portra 160NC, and not a huge shortcoming at that, compared to its faster stablemates), I'm giving their faster offerings another shot, so to speak. You might want to wait a bit until the new Portra is truly in the pipeline, though: this past Tuesday (right after Rosh Hashanah...not a good idea if you're in a big hurry), I popped into Adorama to ask about the new Portra. "What new Portra?", said the regular guy at the film counter. 'Nuff said.

Tech notes, attached photo: Hexar RF, 28mm M-Hex, Fuji Pro 800


- Barrett
Click to expand...
Yea but which film did you use on the thumbnail?
 
amateriat said:
You might want to wait a bit until the new Portra is truly in the pipeline, though: this past Tuesday (right after Rosh Hashanah...not a good idea if you're in a big hurry), I popped into Adorama to ask about the new Portra. "What new Portra?", said the regular guy at the film counter. 'Nuff said.
Click to expand...

I was in Samy's Santa Ana the other day, and asked about it. The gal said, hold on, reached into the drawer, and handed me a free sample of 120 160NC, new formula 🙂 It's in the fridge now, I'm not sure how to use it. Maybe on my trip to HI in a few weeks.
 
jano said:
I was in Samy's Santa Ana the other day, and asked about it. The gal said, hold on, reached into the drawer, and handed me a free sample of 120 160NC, new formula 🙂 It's in the fridge now, I'm not sure how to use it. Maybe on my trip to HI in a few weeks.
Click to expand...

Jano, you might want to shoot it now so that you know what to expect from it. Then you'd be sure if you want to use it on vacation -- or not.

IMO, vacation is NOT a good time to experiment with film or any other photo gear. But then, you may be into Adventure Travel. 😉

my two lux worth/ScottGee1
 
I've gone through over a hundred 36exp rolls of Fuji Press 800. I buy the 20 roll propacks from B&H, comes to about $2.49/roll approx.

I set the meters on my two Bessa-l's, and two Bessa-R's, to EI400. Get very nice shadow detail this way, and the prolab optical prints look as good as they can be.
 
Daniel Unkefer said:
I've gone through over a hundred 36exp rolls of Fuji Press 800. I buy the 20 roll propacks from B&H, comes to about $2.49/roll approx.

I set the meters on my two Bessa-l's, and two Bessa-R's, to EI400. Get very nice shadow detail this way, and the prolab optical prints look as good as they can be.
Click to expand...
When you get them developed do you give the lab any instructions and just let them go with it?
 
They just roll with it. 400EI is just slight overexposure with this film. It can easily handle alot more exposure than I give it.

Just use a good prolab, you'll like what you see, I think.
 
scottgee1 said:
Jano, you might want to shoot it now so that you know what to expect from it. Then you'd be sure if you want to use it on vacation -- or not.

IMO, vacation is NOT a good time to experiment with film or any other photo gear. But then, you may be into Adventure Travel. 😉
Click to expand...

Good advice 🙂 In my situation, I don't think the lab will get the film in for sale for another several months. Besides, the vacation and conference in HI are my priorities, followed by everything else... I'll use the digital P&S for memories and the rest for artsy-fartsy stuff. Artsy-fartsy stuff I don't really care if it turns out or not, and I'm comfy with the digital getting memories (thank heavens for immediate feedback).

And yes, I'm all about adventure travel 😀
 
E_Aiken said:
typically Portra NC or NPH, but NPH is more for medium format. I don't shoot a lot of color neg in 35mm, but lean towards porta.
Click to expand...
Hi -- Interesting; why do you prefer NPH for medium format and Portra NC for 35mm... why the split due to format? 🙂
 
NPH just looks a little grainier to me in 35mm, but it's not objectionable - more so I just like the look of NC on Portra paper. In practice, I prefer NC for both 120 and 35mm, but the studio typically supplies me with NPH (120 only.) Really though, it's splitting hairs. Both are excellent, and I'll happily use either.
 
Kodak 400UC. It's pretty much the only color 400 film I've used since it came out. Max 400 is absolute gabage, Agfa Vista 400 not much better....
 
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