Starting to like Fuji 160C (1024 pix samples)

*CSoars* · 02-17-2009, 01:52 PM

I suppose this should be in a 'post your photos' section, but it seems more relevant to the posters in this forum.

160C isn't cheap, but with some post-scan tweaking (WB, bump contrast, low sharpening), I'm liking the results. Reproducing reds accurately is the biggest challenge, whether using a sensor or scanner. Scanned 1200 DPI, Digital ICE max quality, no grain reduction, shot with an LX and the SMC-M 50mm 1.7, probably all around f/ 2 to 2.8.

I love the absence of purple fringing or CA's.

filmamigo · 02-17-2009, 02:47 PM

Those shots look great.

Have you compared the 160C back to back with Fuji Superia? Your shots have a "Fuji family resemblance" to Superia, and I wondered how much of a difference you might have found -- especially considering that Superia is cheap.

*CSoars* · 02-17-2009, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by filmamigo

Those shots look great.

Have you compared the 160C back to back with Fuji Superia? Your shots have a "Fuji family resemblance" to Superia, and I wondered how much of a difference you might have found -- especially considering that Superia is cheap.

I've not shot too much Superia 200 in my SLR (mostly for my XA rangefinder). From the roll or two I put through, superia has a more pronounced grain structure, and renders colours in a more muted manner. I'd say the 160 gives more vibrant blues and greens off the bat, and has more inherent contrast. But as mentioned on some discussions, the reds are very strong and can come out 'purply'; I have to drop the magenta saturation to even them out. The finer grain may be because I scanned without the default 'unsharp mask medium' in the epson scanner software.

I'm just fine-tuning my scanning process, so results may vary.

*k100d* · 02-17-2009, 07:43 PM

Superia 200 is great stuff, gives a very nice pop. Loblaws film works great.

you're right, the high contrast scenes don't have the usual purple and cyan that most pentax digital users are probably used to. from what i can see from these samples, colors look good without totally overexaggerating. but it'd be interesting to see 160C/S vs 160VC/NC too.

lithos · 02-19-2009, 10:51 PM

Those are nice. I love the prefix-suffix naming of the Ketchup in Canada: "TOMATO KETCHUP AUX TOMATES".

I can't say I really love Fuji's colour stuff; believe mean, I want to love it. But I've found that the extra Green layer they put in there sort've tints the whole frame; daylight shots look a bit like they were taken in the presence of some fluorescent light.

Sure, without the extra layer, C-41 shots tend to look more yellow - Kodak's do - but I find yellow a bit more pleasant to view.

Maybe it's just the monitor I'm on at the moment. That red bike sign looks a bit magenta-y, as does the Ketchup (AUX TOMATES).

*CSoars* · 02-20-2009, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by lithos

Those are nice. I love the prefix-suffix naming of the Ketchup in Canada: "TOMATO KETCHUP AUX TOMATES".

I can't say I really love Fuji's colour stuff; believe mean, I want to love it. But I've found that the extra Green layer they put in there sort've tints the whole frame; daylight shots look a bit like they were taken in the presence of some fluorescent light.

Sure, without the extra layer, C-41 shots tend to look more yellow - Kodak's do - but I find yellow a bit more pleasant to view.

Maybe it's just the monitor I'm on at the moment. That red bike sign looks a bit magenta-y, as does the Ketchup (AUX TOMATES).

I had trouble trying to match the reds; before scanning I had the local minilab print up matte 4x6's, and the reds look fantastic on Fuji Crystal Archive paper, not sure what their minilab machine is.

I tried dropping magenta saturation and playing with the red channel, but I agree it's still a little off. Maybe a limitation of the scanner CCD.

Nesster · 02-20-2009, 02:44 PM

My theory re. minilab scans: they optimize the scan for their paper and chemistry. For example, most noritsu's come out a bit desaturated and pale, while the one place that uses Agfa machinery comes out over saturated.

lithos · 02-23-2009, 10:15 PM

Having said what I did in my last post...I find the skintones in the portrait fantastic. Bang on the money.

*CSoars* · 02-23-2009, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by lithos

Having said what I did in my last post...I find the skintones in the portrait fantastic. Bang on the money.

What brought you back to this thread? Yeah, for a 'C' film, the skin came out nice, my father is a bit ruddy complexion-wise, and I think this nailed it quite well.

jgredline · 02-24-2009, 12:51 AM

Very nice, very nice indeed.

drewdlephone · 02-24-2009, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by CSoars

I had trouble trying to match the reds; before scanning I had the local minilab print up matte 4x6's, and the reds look fantastic on Fuji Crystal Archive paper, not sure what their minilab machine is.

I tried dropping magenta saturation and playing with the red channel, but I agree it's still a little off. Maybe a limitation of the scanner CCD.

Where did you go? If it's Fuji Crystal Archive, perhaps Black's? They use a FujFilm Digital Frontier system. If it's Fuji Crystal Archive Supreme, the only lab I know of to use that is ours, i.e. London Drugs. We use Noritsu digital systems and film processors (Black's uses some other film processor I could not procure the origin of).

Something else to keep in mind is that your colors can vary based on processing tolerances. Something I noted when I worked briefly for Black's was that our film processor's tolerances for chemistry were out pretty much constantly because the machine was built to do much more traffic than we received, but we processed the film anyways. This caused me to stop taking my own film there because, potentially, I could have been getting my pictures ruined. You want to make sure the lab you take your film to does chemistry checks every day and will refuse your film if there is a problem in the lab, especially if you're paying for the good stuff.

Did you drop the magenta levels on the pictures you posted? They still look a little on the cool-magenta side of normal, i.e, if I saw these in the lab at work, I'd add some yellow.

*CSoars* · 02-24-2009, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by drewdlephone

Where did you go? If it's Fuji Crystal Archive, perhaps Black's? They use a FujFilm Digital Frontier system. If it's Fuji Crystal Archive Supreme, the only lab I know of to use that is ours, i.e. London Drugs. We use Noritsu digital systems and film processors (Black's uses some other film processor I could not procure the origin of).

Something else to keep in mind is that your colors can vary based on processing tolerances. Something I noted when I worked briefly for Black's was that our film processor's tolerances for chemistry were out pretty much constantly because the machine was built to do much more traffic than we received, but we processed the film anyways. This caused me to stop taking my own film there because, potentially, I could have been getting my pictures ruined. You want to make sure the lab you take your film to does chemistry checks every day and will refuse your film if there is a problem in the lab, especially if you're paying for the good stuff.

Did you drop the magenta levels on the pictures you posted? They still look a little on the cool-magenta side of normal, i.e, if I saw these in the lab at work, I'd add some yellow.

I did it at the London Drugs down the street, I've not seen a Blacks bigger than a mall outlet full of photo frames and some digital P&S cameras under glass. The prints came out lovely, I did the scans at home. Some Superia 200 I had processed there seemed to scan better for reds, if I recall. Don't have much choice for film processing, all the pharmacies got rid of their 1 hour photo, and all B&W, slide, and 120/220 film is shipped out of province. So I can choose McBain's (takes a while), maybe Don's photo, and the London Drugs 1 hr.

drewdlephone · 02-25-2009, 01:40 AM

Originally Posted by CSoars

I did it at the London Drugs down the street, I've not seen a Blacks bigger than a mall outlet full of photo frames and some digital P&S cameras under glass. The prints came out lovely, I did the scans at home. Some Superia 200 I had processed there seemed to scan better for reds, if I recall. Don't have much choice for film processing, all the pharmacies got rid of their 1 hour photo, and all B&W, slide, and 120/220 film is shipped out of province. So I can choose McBain's (takes a while), maybe Don's photo, and the London Drugs 1 hr.

Glad you got good service. Just so you know, we actually send all our 120/220 to CustomColor in Vancouver, so if you live there, you could easily take it to them directly. I believe you can take B&W to them too, although it's probably easier to get the materials and do it oneself (Lens & Shutter for this). E6 is still processed at one of our stores in Vancouver, and any of the other stores will send it there, takes about a week unless you know which store it is (I just know it's internal number, 71, but not where it is). Hopefully that helps if you do slides or medium format often.

I'd like to try some of that Fuji 160. I'll have to wait until I go to Victoria to get some; Nanaimo has jack when it comes to true photography shops.