[Bonner04]

I now believe that I will shoot only with Kodak Ektar 100 for really important shooting. My local camera store processes C-41 for only $5.00!

After I scan them I then have the option of both color and black and white with Photoshop CS6. I developed my own film for 30 years and still do black and white for fun but the quality is not 100% dependable due to a dry climate and warm tap water. And BTW, Kodak Portra is great for color skin tones.(I just returned from South America and shot 20 rolls of Ektar on my ME Super SE!)

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Last edited by Bonner04; 06-30-2016 at 09:25 PM.

[Eyewanders]

My favorite b&w is (as a couple have also mentioned) Ilford HP5+
Affordable and can source 100ft easily...
400 speed but pushes really really well at least a couple stops...
Nice classic grain...
Huge latitude...
Me likey.

[Xmas]

...
but the quality is not 100% dependable due to a dry climate and warm tap water.
...

Fridge and jugs of water
Ilfords archival wash
Humidifier in drying room or cubical

I have to tolerate the hardest water imaginable, cold and high humidity.

Mono has a level of abstraction, you are forced to take different shots.

If you are in a hurry try XP2 in your mini lab.

[TomB_tx]

Fridge and jugs of water
Ilfords archival wash
Humidifier in drying room or cubical

I have to tolerate the hardest water imaginable, cold and high humidity.

I agree with the Ilford archival wash and bottled water. Our well water is also very hard, so we have a softener, but for photo use I bottle water from our under-sink reverse osmosis filter (for drinking water). I keep a couple gallon bottles stored with my film chemicals, so all are at the same temperature.

[Xmas]

I agree with the Ilford archival wash and bottled water. Our well water is also very hard, so we have a softener, but for photo use I bottle water from our under-sink reverse osmosis filter (for drinking water). I keep a couple gallon bottles stored with my film chemicals, so all are at the same temperature.

Sorry Tom

I forgot Kodak hypo clear or scratch mix to enhance the archival level.

[tuco]

There are some really useful YouTube videos about processing and scanning. Here's one from David Hancock that is very very detailed and well done.
David

His method of loading film on the SS real can be improved. He says to "listen" for kinks. But you can slide the film back and forth after each wrap on the reel to check for binding. A much better method. Also, wash your hands before handling the film with your fingers.

He is using D-76. His agitation profile is not per Kodak's directions. Then again he is not using Kodak's film. But that can matter if you are using Kodak's development times because your agitation profile ( vigorous vs easy ) affects your film speed and their development times are a function of their agitation profile. Too slow and easy of an agitation profile can cause streaks and uneven development due to laminar flow across the boundary layer of the film ( you get exhausted developer that never gets replenished enough). And if you are going to stop with water, flush that tank out with 5 or 6 fill/drains cycles.

First time developing, follow the agitation profile recommended by the manufacture for both your developer and fixer as a starting point. People seem to just make this stuff up as they go.

[AquaDome]

When film mis-loads on a steel reel, you can feel it sticking out the top or bottom of the reel. If you can feel the edge of the film protruding from between the rails, it has hopped a rail somewhere and is overlapped.

[PGillin]

At ISO 400 I'd recommend the Kentmere 400, it has a nice grain and to me looks enough like tri-x to be pleasing, but different enough that your photos don't look like 1970s journalism. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's a distinct look. It doesn't push terribly well though, for that delta 400 is much better.
For using flash in brighter conditions something like FP4+ (ISO 125) or PanF (ISO 50) might be good as well.
Ilford is really the main player in B&W film these days.
Foma, which has already been mentioned and likely will be again, is quite nice in the 100 & 200 speed varieties, but the 400 ISO never produced good results for me. As others have said its true speed seems to be more like 250 or 320, meaning it pushes and handles shadows comparatively poorly. For portraits you might have very good results with the 200.

For color, I really like Fuji's (rapidly dwindling) lineup. Superia 1600, shot with a 50mm 1.2 (though it's not a Pentax lens....) and wet-printed is something special.

Regarding bulk loading, it can be a good way to save, but until you settle on one or two main stocks I wouldn't recommend it. 100ft of film is a big commitment just to get a taste.

[tuco]

With a pyro staining developer, you can carry Kodak's 400TMY and shoot it as if it were ISO 50, 100, 200, 400 and ISO 800 film. You will, however, need to learn how to develop for those exposure indexes. And you will get grain as fine as ISO 50, 100, etc too. Plus, the lower the ISO you shoot the more dynamic range you capture. But you have to devote the whole role to that exposure index. What's not to like about that when you don't want to take a bunch of different brands or ISO films along with you.

I found this out because I need a thicker film base in 120 roll film ( I don't shoot small format film) to scan because I no longer have a working carrier to handle thin, curly film.

[Pentaxis]

Hello all!

I have just ordered a 100' roll of FP4+ and wanted to buy bulk colour film, too. However, the only bulk colour negative film I found online was Konica Professional 160. Konica Color Print Film - Color Films

The price is good but online reviews were not encouraging. Consequently, I have just ordered some 36 exp. cassettes of Fujicolor Superia. (I have used until now similar Fujicolor film, and it was excellent.).

Has anyone experience of using the Konica Professional 160?

Does anyone know where I can buy 100' rolls of Fujicolor? So far I have found none online.

[AquaDome]

Hello all!

I have just ordered a 100' roll of FP4+ and wanted to buy bulk colour film, too. However, the only bulk colour negative film I found online was Konica Professional 160. Konica Color Print Film - Color Films

The price is good but online reviews were not encouraging. Consequently, I have just ordered some 36 exp. cassettes of Fujicolor Superia. (I have used until now similar Fujicolor film, and it was excellent.).

Has anyone experience of using the Konica Professional 160?

Does anyone know where I can buy 100' rolls of Fujicolor? So far I have found none online.

Film Photography Project carries a number of color films in 100' bulk rolls
Film Photography Project | An Internet Radio Show & On-Line Resource for Film Shooters Worldwide

[ChrisPlatt]

The expired bulk Konica 160 C41 film was mentioned in this thread:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/8-pentax-film-slr-discussion/327367-bulk-loading.html

For additional discussions of films be sure to check out the subforum Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom.

Chris

[GateCityRadio]

For portraiture with strobes, I'd shoot TMax 100 for B&W and Portra 160 for color. Both are sharp and have virtually no grain. Never did like Ektar for anything other than landscapes...for people the colors can be funky. I shot Ilford HP5+ in school, it was the only B&W the local camera store carried, but now that the store is gone and the internet is king I just order the Kodak films I'm more comfortable with...I like Tri-X for moody portraits outdoors (or for indoor low light situations pushed with no flash)...I like grainy pictures sometimes, what can I say? Tri-X or Plus-X (discontinued so hard to find) developed in D76 1:1 is sharp and has just enough grain to it for that old film look.
As others have said, developing B&W at home is super easy as it can be developed at room temps. Just need developer, water, and fixer as far as chems go, and a dark room (like an interior bathroom) or changing bag. Color isn't too hard but you have to keep the chems at a constant temp and the chems don't last very long once mixed.