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Author Topic: Your favorite film stocks & why?  (Read 8568 times)

stpf8

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #20 on: January 27, 2012, 09:49:16 pm »

Velvia 100 pro in the spring, summer, and fall (for its vivid colors and contrast) and Astia in the winter (for its palette more suited to the season: greater dynamic range, more neutral colors).  I gave up film last year, and I miss the tonal gradations of photos with the sun in the frame; in most cases digital is terribly poor in this regard.
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hasselbladfan

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #22 on: January 30, 2012, 12:09:31 pm »

Tri-X

We are going to miss you.
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amsp

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #23 on: January 30, 2012, 03:24:01 pm »

Tri-X

We are going to miss you.

Huh? Tri-X isn't being discontinued.

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DeeJay

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #24 on: January 30, 2012, 04:17:27 pm »

Fuji Velvia
Fuji Provia
Kodachrome
Kodak Portra 160 NC
Kodak Portra 400 NC
Techpan
Agfapan 25
Agfa Ultra 25
Kodak T-Max 400
Kodak T-Max 3200
Kodak Infra Red
Ilford Delta 100
Polaroid Type 59
Polaroid Type 79
Polaroid Type 55
Polaroid Time Zero
Expired cheap stock from drug stores.

Sigh.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2012, 04:24:55 pm by DeeJay »
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amsp

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #25 on: January 30, 2012, 09:02:28 pm »

I think some of you didn't quite understand the reason for this thread, maybe I was a bit unclear. A list of names without the "why you like them" is kinda pointless, backed up with a photo illustrating the "why" would be even better. Also I was mostly hoping for input on films that are still available for purchase, and maybe some tips & tricks on getting the best out of them. Still, I appreciate everyone taking the time to answer.

cheers
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RobertJ

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #26 on: January 30, 2012, 10:24:07 pm »

Films still available that I like and their uses:

Transparency:
Kodak E100G and Fuji Provia 100F.
Both have "natural" but still punchy colors... not neutral, not crazy like Velvia, but natural. 
Choose E100G for warmer tones (and nice skin tones), and Provia for cooler tones (skins tones are good on Provia too!). 
The Provia is very sharp.  Both are very fine grained.  Choose Astia 100F for less contrast, which could result in easier scans, more DR, etc.

Negative:
Kodak Portra 160 (new version).
Very neutral.  Possibly the best skin tones.  A lot of latitude, which makes for easy scanning.

Kodak Ektar 100.
Very sharp, and I can't really descibe the colors.  It's more like a slide film, but with the DR of neg film.
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mediumcool

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #27 on: January 31, 2012, 07:45:20 am »

Was KII ever made in 120?  ;)  I know K64 was.

Simply, Kodachrome II was the best film I have ever used for colour photography.  ;D

But you can get “looks” nowadays; Daguerreotypes!
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fredjeang

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« Last Edit: January 31, 2012, 09:45:14 am by fredjeang »
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ondebanks

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #29 on: January 31, 2012, 09:56:32 am »

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.

Good god, Fred! Such petulant behaviour, in the name of art. Honestly, you sound like you're French or something.  ;)

At that time, each time I started something new, the old had to disappear.

So...I'm afraid to ask...what did you do with your ex-girlfriends??  :o

Ray
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mmurph

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #30 on: January 31, 2012, 11:19:00 pm »

Fuji Astia and mostly Portra 160NC.

I did a lot of scan tests and realized that you could always amp up color or contrast in photoshop with ease. But you couldn't go the the other way!

So a good, neutral film with a lot of dynamic range was like a RAW file.  You could then apply any "look" you wanted in post.

I haven't shot medium format film since 2003 or so. Still some in the freezer, along with a bunch of 4x5 Portra 160NC. Great scanning film.

I had a bike/car accident when I was in graduate school for photography. Was injured for a couple of years, walking with a cane, etc.  Like Fred I destroyed all of my images, trying to start over. Except I put them all in a bucket of bleach - not quite as romantic!

Cheers. Michael
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fredjeang

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #31 on: February 01, 2012, 06:23:20 am »

Good god, Fred! Such petulant behaviour, in the name of art. Honestly, you sound like you're French or something.  ;)

So...I'm afraid to ask...what did you do with your ex-girlfriends??  :o

Ray

 ;D

My ex-girlfriends have generally become my very best friends.

It's funy, when I think about all that, I never missed works I've thrown away. At that time I was absolutly unable to follow a single route for more than 2 years. I involved myself deeply in an expression lenguage and techniques but very fast I started to feel fed-up and the need to explore new fresh different ways. With the photography of that time, I wasn't satisfy with my production. It was ok but I couldn't find the images I had in mind, and I wasn't convinced. I thought that this was crap and it was useless to persist in something I'm not proud of, so I through away the negatives to be sure I wasn't going to loose any more time on that.

Best regards.

  
« Last Edit: February 02, 2012, 03:05:34 am by fredjeang »
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Rob C

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #32 on: February 01, 2012, 12:23:30 pm »

Wow, Fred, that's a heavy personal philosophy!

I tend to find much comfort in my past; sometimes it can seem to be an anchor against further progress but at other times it's the saving of my life, the reminder that the grimness of today isn't how all days are going to be, that things can be both good as well as bloody bad. N'est ce pas?

I too destroyed all my fashion negs and transparencies, those that I couldn't sell back to clients, when we were getting ready to leave the UK to live here in Spain. I bitterly regret that; I'm not claiming they were wonderful, I'm just saying that in that act of thoughtlessness I threw away proof of my past, which considering the volume of fashion that I had produced, makes my surviving calendar work feel pretty thin as a proof to myself of having walked that walk with some success.

My excuse to myself, and that's all it can be, an excuse, is that I had no idea the Internet was going to happen, that I never for a second imagined that fashion photography would become art, as in collectable!

Websites? Best thing ever! It's the only easily visible way of getting a handle around how people think their photography!

Have you thought of renting a wetsuit and going back under that bridge to see what remains?

Ex-girlfriends, fortunately, are very few: met and fell in love with my late wife in school. But then that is just another example of the wonderful luck that has been mine over the years, and proves to me, at least, that quality is always going to beat quantity! (That might sound like a plug for MF!)

;-)

Ciao -

Rob C

fredjeang

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #33 on: February 01, 2012, 02:26:35 pm »

Wow, Fred, that's a heavy personal philosophy!

I tend to find much comfort in my past; sometimes it can seem to be an anchor against further progress but at other times it's the saving of my life, the reminder that the grimness of today isn't how all days are going to be, that things can be both good as well as bloody bad. N'est ce pas?

I too destroyed all my fashion negs and transparencies, those that I couldn't sell back to clients, when we were getting ready to leave the UK to live here in Spain. I bitterly regret that; I'm not claiming they were wonderful, I'm just saying that in that act of thoughtlessness I threw away proof of my past, which considering the volume of fashion that I had produced, makes my surviving calendar work feel pretty thin as a proof to myself of having walked that walk with some success.

My excuse to myself, and that's all it can be, an excuse, is that I had no idea the Internet was going to happen, that I never for a second imagined that fashion photography would become art, as in collectable!

Websites? Best thing ever! It's the only easily visible way of getting a handle around how people think their photography!

Have you thought of renting a wetsuit and going back under that bridge to see what remains?

Ex-girlfriends, fortunately, are very few: met and fell in love with my late wife in school. But then that is just another example of the wonderful luck that has been mine over the years, and proves to me, at least, that quality is always going to beat quantity! (That might sound like a plug for MF!)

;-)

Ciao -

Rob C


Hi Rob, nice to see you here.

IMO, If you where going to use, do something with those negs, then it was an act of thoughlessness. But if the only thing they'd do was being there, as a reminder of a past, a proof of some past volume work in a box, or even worse, a medium to deep nostalgy, then you did an act of wisdom.

It's very easy to indentify ourselves with our stuff, our productions, our career, but we're not that. Until we don't sweep the floor and "lighten our bags" it's almost impossible to conect with our real nature because we are identified with our possessions. Even people sometimes things that their partners, or their childrens are their possessions...big mistake ! But all paths lead to Rome and all my respect for every individual experience.

Paradox is that I enjoy very strong and stable relations with some people, in private and work. I'm very commited in the projects and specially the professional projects, when there is a real adventure involved. Where I don't connect is when it becomes an offices work. That's why I like reduced teams when everybody is pushing on the same direction and animated by a unique goal. Not animated by "being" this or that.

But that's very much away the thread's topic and apologies to amsp.



 
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Fine_Art

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #34 on: February 02, 2012, 12:37:31 am »

Provia -scan output
Velvia 100 -Color, fine grain
Portra 160 - color
Astia -cheap!

My fridge still has about 2L volume of films. Maybe 200 135 rolls and several boxes 120.

Film will not die until sensors can match the 4 color layers nuance. IMO.
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KevinA

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #35 on: February 02, 2012, 10:12:58 am »

Portra 160, best colour film I've ever used, the more digital progresses the better it gets.
I don't shoot transparency film any more I think digital does that job better, but colour neg printed or scanned I think is beautiful. I even shoot some now out on jobs.

http://treewithoutabird.com/pictures-from-the-tlr-camer/

Kevin.
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ChristopherBarrett

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Re: Your favorite film stocks & why?
« Reply #36 on: February 02, 2012, 06:49:24 pm »

another + for Tech Pan, but only in the Technidol liquid developer.  That was one finicky film to develop!  Very prone to edge overdevelopment if you didn't have the agitation down.  Really beautiful when done right.

Also love me some Tri-X... the grain is gorgeous and feels so much more organic than T-Max.  FP4 was nice too.  I was really into Agfa APX 100 for a while and then Efke 25.

And as long as we're reminiscing, Agfa Portriga Paper... really beautiful color to it and split toned nicely in selenium.



CB
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