[Votesh]

After a 6 year hiatus from shooting film, I have caught the bug and am using film more than digital at the moment. So far though, I've shot mostly cheap, expired, drugstore stuff. Over the past week or so, though, I've been buying various films online to try out. However, I've been quite haphazard in going about it. Just buying a wide variety to try out, and hopefully find out which ones I like best.

I figure it might be good to try and direct my buying by looking at what others prefer, and why they like it. So, what are your favorite films? How about favorite color negative, favorite slide, and favorite B&W negative films? Only 1 for each, to make it interesting, and tell what you use it for and why you like it.

[lbenac]

135mm

Favorite B&W
Agfa APX100
Agfa APX400
TriX400
but most of the Ilford are pretty good also.

Favorite Colour
Kodak Portra 400NC
Kodak Portra 160VC

Favorite Slide
None yet but I like Provia.

Cheers,

Luc

[Nesster]

I don't think there's a bad film out there - though perhaps some are the wrong film for the situation. I wouldn't bypass the 'cheap' 'drugstore' films either (and I have to laugh when we all tend to excuse our photos by saying we used 'cheap' film, as though the 'expensive' stuff would make us and our photos that much better).

Cheap Drugstore Film: Kodak Ultramax 400, Gold 200, CVS or Krogers, what's on sale?

Expensive Fancy Film: I agree w/Luc's, though I like using Fuji 160S. Doesn't hurt that I bought a stash mildly expired of this stuff. Great all around. Fuji 400H is the most delicate, least saturated portrait film I've found - don't use this if you want big color outdoors.


"Real" b&w - here again, there's no real bad film out there. Adding to Luc's list -

Foma - 100 is excellent and cheap, I used it at 400 and it was better than the Foma 400 at 400. Foma 400 is old fashioned, gives that 60s look, doesn't like to be pushed. Foma 200 I never tried, seems to be unavailable at the moment, is t-grain, the other two are trad.

Ilford and Kodak both have their trad line and their t-grain lines, Fuji's Neopan is t-grain. I don't have a preference. I know I ought to, for cred, but I don't. There it is. My preference has to do with how much the film curls after drying - Kodak I find the worst, Ilford's a bit better, and Fuji/Foma so far are the least curly, in 135 size anyway. I like the 100 speed T grain films, as I get a nice long greyscale from these. In 400, the trad look is a good way to go, the T grains are a bit tidier.

[Vendee]

I only shoot B&W but my favourites are:-

Agfa APX100
Kodak TMax 400
Kodak Tri-X 400

All in 35mm

I'm currently trying to figure out if I prefer Tmax over Tri-x. They both have a different look and I'm not sure what I prefer.

[ToffieBoi]

Kodak Gold 200
3roll =~1.6$

[titrisol]

BW
Fuji Acros is wonderful
The Ilfords are not bad at all either; nor are the Adox/Efke and Foma

Color
Fuji Xperia is a very good film for the money
All the fuji slide films are great

[Votesh]

Thanks for all the responses.
Once I make it through the 40 something rolls that I have/have on the way I will start trying some of the suggestions out

@Nesster- My problem with the cheap film is that all the stuff I've been using is either left over from 6 years ago when I stopped using my ZX-10, or it's come with some camera and lens combo I got on ebay. So, it's not been taken care of to say the least. Plus, I've gotten bored with using the same old 100 and 400 speed negative films.

I'm glad to hear that most films are good, and that's kind of what I figured was the case. I don't think I saw a film with less than a 4 star rating on B&H, which was half of my problem

Luckily I've already got some of the suggestions waiting to be used. I've got some TMAX 400 waiting in the fridge, and some 160S, Provia, and Ilford B&W waiting at B&H and Adorama for the holidays to be over so they can be shipped.
Anyway, keep the suggestions coming.

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Last edited by Votesh; 04-01-2010 at 07:50 AM.

[stevebrot]

This is what I have been shooting:

• Rollei Retro 100 (Agfa APX 100)
• Kodak Ektar 100
• Kodak Kodachrome 64 (on the last two rolls...)

This is what I will be trying out in the near future:

• Rollei Retro 80s (Agfa Aviphot Pan 80)
• Fuji Acros 100
• Ilford Delta 100

I really like the RR 100 except for film curl and the fact that the U.S. supply has dried up. Of the films I will be trying, the RR 80s is a the top of the list as far as expectations. Too bad it is not available in 100' rolls here in the U.S. I have recently purchased a 4x5 view camera and will probably be shooting cheap Arista EDU 100 sheet film at $0.50/sheet until I learn how to use the camera.

Steve

[Votesh]

I got my first roll of Ektar(in 120) back from processing last week. It was the first film I tried in medium format, and I like it so far. I'll probably have to buy some more in the future.

As I said in the Kodachrome lives thread, I just got 12 expired rolls of it, on top of 1 new roll I already had. I finished up a roll of Neopan 1600 that was in my LX yesterday, so it now has some Kodachrome in it.

Where do you get the Rollei films?

[gofour3]

I got my first roll of Ektar(in 120) back from processing last week. It was the first film I tried in medium format, and I like it so far. I'll probably have to buy some more in the future.

As I said in the Kodachrome lives thread, I just got 12 expired rolls of it, on top of 1 new roll I already had. I finished up a roll of Neopan 1600 that was in my LX yesterday, so it now has some Kodachrome in it.

Where do you get the Rollei films?

You can get the Rollei films at "Freestyle".


I have different favorite films in various speeds:

Colour Slide:
Under 100ASA – Fuji Velvia 50
100 – 200 ASA – Fuji Velvia 100
Over 200 ASA – Fuji Provia 400X

Colour Negative: (I don’t shoot colour negative film very much)
Kodak Extar 100


B&W Slide:
Foma Fomapan R100

B&W Negative:
Under 100ASA – Efke/Adox 50
100 – 200 ASA – Efke/Adox 100
Over 200 ASA – Ilford HP5+ 400

Phil.

[Votesh]

Hey, I've got a roll of HP5+ in the fridge too. I'm not doing too bad on the choices so far.

Has anyone used Ilford Delta 3200 or TMAX 3200? If so, what do you think of it?

[Vendee]

This is what I will be trying out in the near future:

• Rollei Retro 80s (Agfa Aviphot Pan 80)

Please post some shots. I'm really interested in how this looks and how it compares to the apx100/retro100

[Sluggo]

Favorite color film: Fuji 160C (sample). I mostly use it for landscapes. It seems no grainier than Reala, although it's a bit faster; and the colors occasionally just reach out and shake you by the collar. Unfortunately this is one of the lines Fuji is scheduled to merge with another and rename. I'll be interested to see how that falls out, whether something that remains will be essentially 160C or not.

Favorite b/w film, lately, at least: Foma 200 (sample). It is supposed to be unique in formulation, a mixture of traditional and t-grain. Smooth texture, lots of exposure latitude. I've read it was on a production hiatus, but at the moment it's supposedly still available from Freestyle.

I don't do slide film in general, though a couple months ago somebody gave me a bunch of long-expired ektachrome that I've been messing with occasionally.

[ChrisPlatt]

Favorite b/w film, lately, at least: Foma 200 (sample).
It is supposed to be unique in formulation, a mixture of traditional and t-grain.
Smooth texture, lots of exposure latitude.

Some of the EU films I've tried have a very thin base and didn't dry flat.
The negatives were difficult to work with. How is this film in that regard?

Chris

[unixrevolution]

I really like the realistic color and sharpness of Kodak Ektar.

I also like their BW400CN C-41 Black-and-white. If you don't develop your own film and want to shoot B&W on the cheap, this is a good film.

The Kodak Vivid Color Portra 160 and 400 are great.

And the Kodak Portra 800 is essential for low-light.

I've not shot any slides yet, and I haven't ventured much onto the Fuji side. I don't like the color balance of regular Fuji Superia, so I never thought to try some of their premo stuff, though I'm about to shoot my first roll of Reala through my *ist tomorrow.