Film Stock 101?

SCADjacket · 09-04-2012, 09:32 AM

I recently jumped back into shooting with film after a very long break. I haven't taken a real shot with film until the last few days and I just grabbed whatever our local store still had in stock just so I could start shooting.

So, I need some guidance, a Film Stock 101 of what is best to use based on what is still being produced.

I took both back and white and color slide photography classes in college. The professor required us to use Kodak T-MAX 100 for B&W negatives and Fuji Velvia 100 for color slides.

I still plan on buying some Velvia 100 and 50 for slides and will scan them.

Any other recommendations for 35mm?

Ilford? Kodak? Fuji?

Good places to buy? Amazon? Ebay?

**gofour3** · 09-04-2012, 09:59 AM

Originally posted by SCADjacket

I recently jumped back into shooting with film after a very long break. I haven't taken a real shot with film until the last few days and I just grabbed whatever our local store still had in stock just so I could start shooting.

So, I need some guidance, a Film Stock 101 of what is best to use based on what is still being produced.

I took both back and white and color slide photography classes in college. The professor required us to use Kodak T-MAX 100 for B&W negatives and Fuji Velvia 100 for color slides.

I still plan on buying some Velvia 100 and 50 for slides and will scan them.

Any other recommendations for 35mm?

Ilford? Kodak? Fuji?

Good places to buy? Amazon? Ebay?

Welcome to the Pentax Forum! Kodak has taken a hit recently and discontinued various films, however there are still lots to choose from.

These are two good options for buying film in the USA:

Freestyle Photographic Supplies

Roll Film | B&H Photo Video

Phil.

tuco · 09-04-2012, 12:26 PM

Look through the film threads and see what others are shooting to see the variety and to get back into the game.

LesDMess · 09-04-2012, 02:29 PM

Kodak Gold 100 is a very good film in terms of grain, color and latitude. At $2.15 for a 35mm 36exp roll, I think it is an exceptional value -> Kodak Kodacolor Gold 100GA Negative Film 35mm 36 Exp 1141613

adelorenzo · 09-04-2012, 04:26 PM

I recommend doing a group search on Flickr, just about every film has a group where people post photos. Great for checking out how different films look. For example:

Flickr: Ilford Delta 400 b&w film
Flickr: Provia (400X/RXP/RDPIII/RHPIII)
Flickr: Pan F
etc...

twitch · 09-04-2012, 05:01 PM

I would make sure you shoot Portra 400 & Ektar 100 in case the worst might happen and we lose a couple of the best C41 films going around now.

**PPPPPP42** · 09-05-2012, 09:09 AM

I picked Ilford for my B&W supplies that I am getting into over Kodak and now that everything is further up in the air with them I'm glad I did as I like to stick with one good product line rather than experiment for the fun of it. I did exclusively Ilford delta 400 as rarely need faster and the grain structure on all the new high end 400's is such that there's no reason for 200 anymore in my opinion.
I did however love the B&W C-41 developed Kodak BW400CN I was using before I started shooting for the darkroom, absolutely amazing film, stopped using it when Walgreens stopped carrying it.

Keep in mind cheap film is cheap, the basic fuji or Kodak color stuff you find in local stores has a nice vintage look to it (read: grainy with crappy colors).

Guess it depends on whether you want to experience some excellent stuff before its gone, or settle into one set of films for the long haul. If its for the long haul I'd recommend Ilford Delta for B&W and the Fuji Pro stuff for color.

I don't do much color stuff simply because its so much more expensive and I can't process it myself. When the local Target dumps the minilab later this year I will stop completely as the photo places and Walgreens want more than the damn film costs just to process it.

As for the where, check B&H, a board supporter and they seem to be the best prices on many things.

SCADjacket · 09-06-2012, 08:12 AM

Thanks everyone. It think I'm going to stick with Fuji Velvia for color slide and try some Kodak stuff for prints. I'd give Ektachrome a go, but since Kodak discontinued it I'll stick with Velvia which I really like.

I want to keep Kodak film around, so if I can support them by purchasing their product I think I buy Kodak when I can. Helps that it's still a very good product IMO.

I bought 6 rolls of Kodak BW400CN at Wallgreens last night. They had two packs, three rolls (24exp) per pack discounted from $15 to $7, so I grabbed what they had left. CVS also had several rolls but it wasn't discounted and the lady behind the counter said they we're still carrying it even though it didn't sell very often.

This is my first venture into the C-41 B&W films, any opinions/thoughts? Are the results that different from traditional B&W?

**PPPPPP42** · 09-06-2012, 08:21 AM

Occasionally you get some faint peculiar color casts to it (purple or blueish hues) but they don't carry through into prints and if the scanner has half a brain they set the scanner to grey scale to scan black and white. I think its more when the exposure is way off and I don't see any of them in the ones in my album. Otherwise it seems like normal B&W film, though any film has its own slightly distinct character.
Everything in my album that is B&W is from BW400CN developed and scanned by Target.
I didn't think any of the Walgreens had BW400CN left, at that price I REALLY need to do some double checking.

tuco · 09-06-2012, 08:24 AM

Originally posted by SCADjacket

Thanks everyone. It think I'm going to stick with Fuji Velvia for color slide and try some Kodak stuff for prints. I'd give Ektachrome a go, but since Kodak discontinued it I'll stick with Velvia which I really like.

I want to keep Kodak film around, so if I can support them by purchasing their product I think I buy Kodak when I can. Helps that it's still a very good product IMO.

I bought 6 rolls of Kodak BW400CN at Wallgreens last night. They had two packs, three rolls (24exp) per pack discounted from $15 to $7, so I grabbed what they had left. CVS also had several rolls but it wasn't discounted and the lady behind the counter said they we're still carrying it even though it didn't sell very often.

This is my first venture into the C-41 B&W films, any opinions/thoughts? Are the results that different from traditional B&W?

We all have our opinions and here is mine. With a figital work flow ( film converted to digital), the characteristic curve of many films is a moot point. You can really adjust the contrast curve in the image editor to the point you cannot tell the difference between many BW films unless they have some extreme properties.

In a group of posted BW film shots, you usually can spot a chromogenic film right away. They do have a different look. Again, visit the film threads here and you'll see some.

Just start shooting and have fun.

**tlong423** · 09-11-2012, 12:54 PM

As far as B&W films, be sure to have a look at Fuji Neopan Acros 100. It is really a beautiful film (excellent tonal range, very fine grain), though it can be hard to get sometimes.

If you are going to go with a C-41 solution for your B&W needs, I personally prefer Kodak BW400CN over Ilford XP2; both are quite different looking from conventional B&W films, but Kodak's offering seems closer to conventional than Ilford's.

Jonathan Mac · 09-11-2012, 01:44 PM

I'm just starting in film and am experimenting with just about everything apart from slide films. The apparent difficulty in scanning slide films scares me off, though I'd like to try Velvia 50.

I've yet to try Acros, because it's hard to get hold of (I might order some on ebay) but if you're looking for 100-ish ISO B&W, FP4+ and TMAX 100 are both superb.

Portra seems to be almost the universal choice for colour. Due to this, I'm trying the Fuji pro films first as they're at a greater risk of disappearing. However, I'm not happy with 400H so far.

Overall, I'd recommend experimentation.

stevebrot · 09-11-2012, 01:54 PM

Originally posted by Jonathan Mac

I've yet to try Acros, because it's hard to get hold of

In Europe, try:

Macodirect.de

In the USA:

Freestyle Photographic Supplies - Traditional Black & White Film, Paper, Chemicals, Holgas and ULF

Steve

SCADjacket · 09-11-2012, 02:43 PM

Thanks for the great feedback.

I'll try some other options going forward, just incase the worst case scenario happens with Kodak.

I'm not set up right now to process my own stuff, so I may stick with the C-41 or E6 stuff I can get developed locally.

Everytime I see a Wallgreens I stop in to see what they have, sometimes I get lucky.

wombat2go · 09-11-2012, 06:27 PM

Good Luck, Scad,

I am going on 4 week trip thru about 4 countries, and I count about 14 bag scanners.
I decided to leave the dslr home this time and take slr 35 mm, a zoom and a 1:1.4 50 mm .
Last night i got some FujiFilm iso 400 X-tra color negative process cn-16 c-41. ( no other 400 options in that store) I want to avoid flash.
Any one used this?
Is this film OK for general use outdoors/evening and inside indoor light in evening? I plan to get some processed in India, not many shops still do it there, but I found one near my destination with some help on other forum.
I know there will be a color balance problem, I might take a small flash too.
How many scans can a iso 400 take before deterioration by fogging?
I used to take 400 thru up to 4 scans in old days, seemed to be OK.

09-04-2012, 09:32 AM	#1
SCADjacket Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Atlanta Posts: 43	Film Stock 101? I recently jumped back into shooting with film after a very long break. I haven't taken a real shot with film until the last few days and I just grabbed whatever our local store still had in stock just so I could start shooting. So, I need some guidance, a Film Stock 101 of what is best to use based on what is still being produced. I took both back and white and color slide photography classes in college. The professor required us to use Kodak T-MAX 100 for B&W negatives and Fuji Velvia 100 for color slides. I still plan on buying some Velvia 100 and 50 for slides and will scan them. Any other recommendations for 35mm? Ilford? Kodak? Fuji? Good places to buy? Amazon? Ebay?

09-06-2012, 08:24 AM	#10
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,019	Originally posted by SCADjacket Thanks everyone. It think I'm going to stick with Fuji Velvia for color slide and try some Kodak stuff for prints. I'd give Ektachrome a go, but since Kodak discontinued it I'll stick with Velvia which I really like. I want to keep Kodak film around, so if I can support them by purchasing their product I think I buy Kodak when I can. Helps that it's still a very good product IMO. I bought 6 rolls of Kodak BW400CN at Wallgreens last night. They had two packs, three rolls (24exp) per pack discounted from $15 to $7, so I grabbed what they had left. CVS also had several rolls but it wasn't discounted and the lady behind the counter said they we're still carrying it even though it didn't sell very often. This is my first venture into the C-41 B&W films, any opinions/thoughts? Are the results that different from traditional B&W? We all have our opinions and here is mine. With a figital work flow ( film converted to digital), the characteristic curve of many films is a moot point. You can really adjust the contrast curve in the image editor to the point you cannot tell the difference between many BW films unless they have some extreme properties. In a group of posted BW film shots, you usually can spot a chromogenic film right away. They do have a different look. Again, visit the film threads here and you'll see some. Just start shooting and have fun. Last edited by tuco; 09-06-2012 at 09:09 AM.

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09-04-2012, 09:59 AM	#2
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,088	Originally posted by SCADjacket I recently jumped back into shooting with film after a very long break. I haven't taken a real shot with film until the last few days and I just grabbed whatever our local store still had in stock just so I could start shooting. So, I need some guidance, a Film Stock 101 of what is best to use based on what is still being produced. I took both back and white and color slide photography classes in college. The professor required us to use Kodak T-MAX 100 for B&W negatives and Fuji Velvia 100 for color slides. I still plan on buying some Velvia 100 and 50 for slides and will scan them. Any other recommendations for 35mm? Ilford? Kodak? Fuji? Good places to buy? Amazon? Ebay? Welcome to the Pentax Forum! Kodak has taken a hit recently and discontinued various films, however there are still lots to choose from. These are two good options for buying film in the USA: Freestyle Photographic Supplies Roll Film \| B&H Photo Video Phil.

09-04-2012, 12:26 PM	#3
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,019	Look through the film threads and see what others are shooting to see the variety and to get back into the game.

09-04-2012, 02:29 PM	#4
LesDMess Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,235	Kodak Gold 100 is a very good film in terms of grain, color and latitude. At $2.15 for a 35mm 36exp roll, I think it is an exceptional value -> Kodak Kodacolor Gold 100GA Negative Film 35mm 36 Exp 1141613

09-04-2012, 04:26 PM	#5
adelorenzo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Whitehorse, Yukon Posts: 171	I recommend doing a group search on Flickr, just about every film has a group where people post photos. Great for checking out how different films look. For example: Flickr: Ilford Delta 400 b&w film Flickr: Provia (400X/RXP/RDPIII/RHPIII) Flickr: Pan F etc...

09-04-2012, 05:01 PM	#6
twitch Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,571	I would make sure you shoot Portra 400 & Ektar 100 in case the worst might happen and we lose a couple of the best C41 films going around now.

09-05-2012, 09:09 AM	#7
PPPPPP42 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Wisconsin Photos: Albums Posts: 947	I picked Ilford for my B&W supplies that I am getting into over Kodak and now that everything is further up in the air with them I'm glad I did as I like to stick with one good product line rather than experiment for the fun of it. I did exclusively Ilford delta 400 as rarely need faster and the grain structure on all the new high end 400's is such that there's no reason for 200 anymore in my opinion. I did however love the B&W C-41 developed Kodak BW400CN I was using before I started shooting for the darkroom, absolutely amazing film, stopped using it when Walgreens stopped carrying it. Keep in mind cheap film is cheap, the basic fuji or Kodak color stuff you find in local stores has a nice vintage look to it (read: grainy with crappy colors). Guess it depends on whether you want to experience some excellent stuff before its gone, or settle into one set of films for the long haul. If its for the long haul I'd recommend Ilford Delta for B&W and the Fuji Pro stuff for color. I don't do much color stuff simply because its so much more expensive and I can't process it myself. When the local Target dumps the minilab later this year I will stop completely as the photo places and Walgreens want more than the damn film costs just to process it. As for the where, check B&H, a board supporter and they seem to be the best prices on many things.

09-06-2012, 08:12 AM	#8
SCADjacket Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Atlanta Posts: 43 Original Poster	Thanks everyone. It think I'm going to stick with Fuji Velvia for color slide and try some Kodak stuff for prints. I'd give Ektachrome a go, but since Kodak discontinued it I'll stick with Velvia which I really like. I want to keep Kodak film around, so if I can support them by purchasing their product I think I buy Kodak when I can. Helps that it's still a very good product IMO. I bought 6 rolls of Kodak BW400CN at Wallgreens last night. They had two packs, three rolls (24exp) per pack discounted from $15 to $7, so I grabbed what they had left. CVS also had several rolls but it wasn't discounted and the lady behind the counter said they we're still carrying it even though it didn't sell very often. This is my first venture into the C-41 B&W films, any opinions/thoughts? Are the results that different from traditional B&W?

09-06-2012, 08:21 AM	#9
PPPPPP42 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Wisconsin Photos: Albums Posts: 947	Occasionally you get some faint peculiar color casts to it (purple or blueish hues) but they don't carry through into prints and if the scanner has half a brain they set the scanner to grey scale to scan black and white. I think its more when the exposure is way off and I don't see any of them in the ones in my album. Otherwise it seems like normal B&W film, though any film has its own slightly distinct character. Everything in my album that is B&W is from BW400CN developed and scanned by Target. I didn't think any of the Walgreens had BW400CN left, at that price I REALLY need to do some double checking.

09-11-2012, 12:54 PM	#11
tlong423 Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Kansas City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 194	As far as B&W films, be sure to have a look at Fuji Neopan Acros 100. It is really a beautiful film (excellent tonal range, very fine grain), though it can be hard to get sometimes. If you are going to go with a C-41 solution for your B&W needs, I personally prefer Kodak BW400CN over Ilford XP2; both are quite different looking from conventional B&W films, but Kodak's offering seems closer to conventional than Ilford's.

09-11-2012, 01:44 PM	#12
Jonathan Mac Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,887	I'm just starting in film and am experimenting with just about everything apart from slide films. The apparent difficulty in scanning slide films scares me off, though I'd like to try Velvia 50. I've yet to try Acros, because it's hard to get hold of (I might order some on ebay) but if you're looking for 100-ish ISO B&W, FP4+ and TMAX 100 are both superb. Portra seems to be almost the universal choice for colour. Due to this, I'm trying the Fuji pro films first as they're at a greater risk of disappearing. However, I'm not happy with 400H so far. Overall, I'd recommend experimentation.

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09-11-2012, 01:54 PM	#13
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by Jonathan Mac I've yet to try Acros, because it's hard to get hold of In Europe, try: Macodirect.de In the USA: Freestyle Photographic Supplies - Traditional Black & White Film, Paper, Chemicals, Holgas and ULF Steve

09-11-2012, 02:43 PM	#14
SCADjacket Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Atlanta Posts: 43 Original Poster	Thanks for the great feedback. I'll try some other options going forward, just incase the worst case scenario happens with Kodak. I'm not set up right now to process my own stuff, so I may stick with the C-41 or E6 stuff I can get developed locally. Everytime I see a Wallgreens I stop in to see what they have, sometimes I get lucky.

09-11-2012, 06:27 PM	#15
wombat2go Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Michigan Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	Good Luck, Scad, I am going on 4 week trip thru about 4 countries, and I count about 14 bag scanners. I decided to leave the dslr home this time and take slr 35 mm, a zoom and a 1:1.4 50 mm . Last night i got some FujiFilm iso 400 X-tra color negative process cn-16 c-41. ( no other 400 options in that store) I want to avoid flash. Any one used this? Is this film OK for general use outdoors/evening and inside indoor light in evening? I plan to get some processed in India, not many shops still do it there, but I found one near my destination with some help on other forum. I know there will be a color balance problem, I might take a small flash too. How many scans can a iso 400 take before deterioration by fogging? I used to take 400 thru up to 4 scans in old days, seemed to be OK.