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Author Topic: Your favorite film stocks & why?  (Read 8566 times)

amsp

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Your favorite film stocks & why?
« on: January 26, 2012, 11:35:05 am »

As per my trip down nostalgia lane recently I'd like to hear what people's favorite films are (was) and why. Color negative, reversal, b&w, doesn't matter which as long as it's available in 120 rolls. Also, if you have some examples you can post that illustrates the "why" I'd love to see them.

cheers
« Last Edit: January 26, 2012, 11:39:46 am by amsp »
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ondebanks

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2012, 01:34:37 pm »

For me, it's easy: Kodak E200 slide film. Sadly discontinued in 2009. I've about 50 precious rolls in the freezer.

Why? It's the film which best delivered the magic mix of properties that astrophotographers want: very low reciprocity failure, great red (656nm Hydrogen) sensitivity, strong blue sensitivity, pushable, reasonably fine grain. E200's amazing sensitivity to red nebulae was off the scale compared to most other films, certainly all colour films of the past decade. Blue nebulae like around the Pleiades (below) were super too.

Ray
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Bryan Conner

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2012, 01:45:24 pm »

Velvia was amazing (to me) when projected onto a white screen. The colors would jump off of the screen in a dark room.

Black and White, I really liked Kodak Plus-X and Tri-X. It has been so long since I used either, I can not remember exactly what it was that I liked about them though....LOL:

All of my experience is prior to 2000, when I went digital, so my memory is not that keen.
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Ken Bennett

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2012, 02:21:57 pm »

I liked Fuji Astia for general photos of people (it was a lower contrast ISO 100 slide film, though "lower" did not mean "low," just not as contrasty as Velvia.) Loved XP2 and then Kodak T400CN, especially in 120 size, for b&w work.

As with Bryan, I went all digital at the end of 2000, so these memories are long outdated.
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MrSmith

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2012, 03:17:11 pm »

plus-x/ tri-x  rodinal/ HC-110/Pyro
colour stuff is generally horrible but VLC and E100s were o.k.
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stevenf

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2012, 03:30:58 pm »

Velvia 50 - still shooting with it with a Horseman 617 - amazing detail and I have sold prints to corporate clients at 43" x 129".

Steven

http://www.friedmanphoto.com
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PdF

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2012, 03:54:40 pm »

Velvia 50. I loved it.

PdF

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patrickfransdesmet

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2012, 04:06:31 pm »

B/W AGFA APX100, now ADOX has taken over their machines and processes, so I can still buy this film
Development, RODINAL 1/50, by hand under green light or nightvision
and
FUJI NEOPAN 100

Color negative : KODAK PORTRA (scans beautifull too)

Color Slides : KODAK E 100 NC (the closest to reality, without exagerating saturation)
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Lightbox

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2012, 06:24:01 am »

Fuji Astia is my favourite colour film, great dynamic range and natural colours for a slide film, Kodak Portra 160nc is my next on the list though sadly discontinued, I have just placed a bulk order at Freestyle for a bunch of 4x5 Astia and Potrra sheets cant wait to get out shooting again.
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TMARK

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #9 on: January 27, 2012, 09:37:13 am »

B&W:  TMax 100 and 400.  TMax has the GLOW to it.  I can get similar results from digital but with two hours of post, and only with the M8.  Not ethe M9 or Phase P30 or Leaf 22 and 75.  The tonality of this film blows me away.

Color:  Portra 400.  I liked the last incarnation better, seems the blues were a little more cyan, which I liked. 

For 35mm, TMax and TriX.
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amsp

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #10 on: January 27, 2012, 09:53:14 am »

I used to shoot a lot of Provia 400F for slides, Portra 400nc for color negatives, and Hp5/T-max for B&W back in the day.
Now I'm trying out pretty much all there is out there to find my new favorites, so far I've shot Provia 400X, E100G,
Portra 400, Ektar 100, and Hp5/Delta 400. But I definitely need to do further testing and also see how they scan.

I do mostly fashion/people/lifestyle/travel, not really into landscape, so velvia is of no interest to me. My main concern
is usually how the film renders skin-tones. I'm also usually not that interested in realistic renderings, but rather like my
films to have a certain character.

If you have any tips & tricks I'd love to hear them too, like for example overexpose color negatives 1-stop and underexpose
slides 1/3-stop for punchier colors and more contrast.

cheers


Portra 400nc back in the day:
« Last Edit: January 27, 2012, 09:54:58 am by amsp »
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fredjeang

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #11 on: January 27, 2012, 04:02:06 pm »

B&W:  TMax 100 and 400.  TMax has the GLOW to it.  I can get similar results from digital but with two hours of post, and only with the M8.  Not ethe M9 or Phase P30 or Leaf 22 and 75.  The tonality of this film blows me away.

Color:  Portra 400.  I liked the last incarnation better, seems the blues were a little more cyan, which I liked.  

For 35mm, TMax and TriX.

+ 1 for the TMax. I used exclusively the 400. I've never been able to reproduced its look in post, and reading your post if you only get it with the M8 and sweating, I'm feeling a little better.
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NikolaBorissov

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #12 on: January 27, 2012, 04:05:25 pm »

+1 for the tmax 400. love, love, love it.
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amsp

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #13 on: January 27, 2012, 05:14:14 pm »

+1 for the tmax 400. love, love, love it.

Again, I'd love to see some examples. For a photography forum it's surprisingly difficult to get people to post some photos ::)

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cng

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #14 on: January 27, 2012, 05:20:50 pm »

Provia.
Agfa Scala (esp. pushed one stop).
Tri-X (of course).
Kodak 64T.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2012, 05:23:07 pm by cng »
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stevenf

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #15 on: January 27, 2012, 05:30:57 pm »

Here you go

Horseman 617 Camera Velvia 50 Film. All the panoramic images on my website are Velvia 50 film. Most are from the Horseman 617.

Steven

http://www.friedmanphoto.com
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stevenf

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #16 on: January 27, 2012, 05:43:12 pm »

Here are four more

Horseman 617 Camera, Velvia 50 Film

http://www.friedmanphoto.com

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fredjeang

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #17 on: January 27, 2012, 05:46:01 pm »

Again, I'd love to see some examples. For a photography forum it's surprisingly difficult to get people to post some photos ::)

I would have post immediatly a Tmax 400 example here. But I can't. All my B&W films from my youth are actually under 5 meters of water, exactly under a bridge in Paris called "Le pont neuf".

One day I decided that I was done with all that photography stuff and started to paint. At night I took all my negatives and through them on the river Seine in a silly teenager ritual. Not kidding.
At that time, each time I started something new, the old had to disappear. (as they where in heavy ring binders they are still probably somewhere arround there...). So, no Tmax example possible for me, or, a scuba diving. (then when back into photo it was digital and never worked again with film)

I remember that I generaly pushed it as if it was 800isos, so I exposed as a 800isos and pushed it in the dev process. I found the grain more present-plaisant and it crushed highlight details.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2012, 06:01:00 pm by fredjeang »
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fredjeang

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #18 on: January 27, 2012, 06:17:45 pm »

Oh, I forgot.

If you want to experiment with film, there is a very interesting b&w film called Gigabit Film. (a sort of successor of the Technical Pan)

It's worth trying.  resolving power is impressive. It's a 40 isos film.

http://www.gigabitfilm.de/html/english/menu.htm

http://www.gigabitfilm.de/html/international/international.php?Layout=normal

http://www.gigabitfilm.de/html/english/distribution/distribution.php?Layout=normal

« Last Edit: January 27, 2012, 06:28:37 pm by fredjeang »
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allenmacaulay

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #19 on: January 27, 2012, 08:26:42 pm »

For slide film it's Velvia 50 all the way, the colours have a richness and snap that I can't get from anything else. 
Scans don't do it justice, when the slides are projected on a screen it's a "wow" feeling for me.




For colour negative films I like Ektar 100 for its many varied looks.  By changing the exposure, I can go from a fairly neutral look to a bolder saturated look. 
The colour shifts are a bit wonky when I do this but it's a matter of choosing the right subject.




With B&W films I don't have nearly as much experience, having tried only a handful of films.  So far I like HP5+ for action shots or when I need the speed and Fomapan 100 when lighting conditions allow for it.  I can't really explain why I like Fomapan 100, I just like the way it looks, I'm not really sure what it is or why, I just know I like it.  I'll try to get an example scanned & posted in the next week or so.
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