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Hi,I'm a casual photographer but i'm curious to what
other kinds of films are out there, and if they
are really much much better. right now
i normally use:- regular Fuji 400 film,
- Fuji Reala (which i like a lot)
- Kodak royal Gold.
- sometimes with the
Kodak Black/White c-41 film
(T400CN I think it was?)I'm curious to the other film brands that you
people post that i dont normally find in
stores (are they "professional" film?). Any suggestions
on which ones are good, and where to get them?
I would like to try them.I'm also open to suggestions on real B/W films--never
tried any yet (only tried the kodak c-41 types).looking for print film only, tried slide once but is
difficult to scan.My equipment is : canon ae-1 program , canon
FS2100 film scanner.
Follow Ups:
go find some Kodak Portra 400NC or 800NC. You can easily push the 800 to 1200 and still get great looking photos with little grain. I use it a lot in low light, hand held situations. 400NC kills everything else in the 400 ISO range for lower contrast.
I like the look of Fuji's velvia, i haven't used it myself but i like the results people have gotten with it, kind of smooth, and saturate.I used this cheap 200 once and even though 200 is too slow for how jittery i am i liked the colours.
Casual color negative film - try Kodak 800.
You can push it to 1600 with acceptable results.B&W - I'd go with the Ilford films, like 400. You can push it to 1600 even. Their 50 film is sweet.
Kodak t-max 3200 is pretty good for the dark shots. Grain looks good on b&w, as we've seen from RB's oevre.
You don't mention camera type or preferred subjects. A couple you didn't mention were Kodak MAX 400 & 800. I like these for travel as the shots are very postcard looking with the Kodak. Also, since I have an aversion to being a pack animal, I prefer to travel as light as possible. In many cases I'll use one of several selected P&S cameras for some activities, for others I'll lug my N-80/SB-16. The 400 or 800 really makes the on camera flash more useful with both the P&S and the N-80, helps in low light for available light shots, and helps with vibration on moving vehicles. Ever since (early 90's) I won a photo competition with Kodak Gold 400, I stopped worrying about using fast films. And they are a lot better since then. The Kodak is my preferred film for travel because of the higher color saturation and contrast over the Fuji Superia. It also seems to have more latitude, and better aging characteristics although I have not run controlled tests. I do find that having Kodak film processed and printed from a Kodak lab and Fuji from a Fuji lab, seems to work best. I know C-41 is supposed to be standardized, but I really think the manufacturer's chemistry and paper favors their film.
Yes I use these also sometimes. I dont go as high as 800 though.
I'm quite used to 400 as most of my shots are on 50mm/1.8.
I guess all of them are good, though i cannot really see
the distinction--perhaps i need more experience. the only
thing i notice is that the fuji realia seems better than
the rest, although I dont use them a lot any more for the
low 100 speed.I also stopped worrying about film speeds (but only to
400)..it may be true that low speed has better grain, but
from experience the increased grain is nullified by the
added jitter (I dont use tripods 99% of the time).regarding subjects, I only shoot people, usually in casual
mood. For some reason I dont like shooting inanimate objects or
landscapes.my camera is an Canon AE-1 Program.
Just bought a Kodak "High Definition" film at 400 speed, first
time i saw that film in a store...this should be interesting.
The films you are using are all good. Pro films are goot too but not always better. My advice is to use a few films a lot and really learn them. Try different speeds ie iso200 with the KodakB&W. Experiment with a few films find out what they are good at and bad at then change if you want too.I have been using some films for a very long time. I get really pissed off when makers either change a film eg TriX or just stop making them.
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