To kick off the analogue forum I will pose the question:

What is your favorite brand of film?

Mine are Fuji Pro160c - for its subtle colours and fine grain I have printed up to 30 x 20 inch and its very sharp (shot with a Contax g2)

Currently shooting some Kodak Ektachrome which I have high hopes for.

Black and white I like Kodak Tmax for its punchy contrast......

Velvia 50 and T-max 400. Can you tell I do landscape? :)

A friend at work had me try some Kodak Portra, so I just shot my first 2 rolls today, one VC and on NC, I will let you know about that.
I mostly shoot b&w film, FP4+ and Trix 400, got some TMAX 400 to try, heard a lot of good things about that. I am six months old in my "born again" film experience. Shot a lot of 35mm film in college ages ago and then stopped all together sometime in the early 90's. I got my first digital camera, a Olympus 4040 about 5 years ago. Then last summer I went down to the river of film and got baptised and born again, thank GOD!! Now shooting some digital, Nikon D90 and some film Nikon F100. Glad they started this forum. I'm sure I will be an avid reader, don't know how much I will be able to contribute, but we'll see...

For all roundedness - the new TMAX 400.

For lovely tones (but lacking in sharpness and 'edge') - FUJI Arcos 100

Jury is still out on the Delta 3200. I have shot some rolls all at night at differing push/pulls and are yet to develop though.

While I did find it hard to get good exposure on my F80 with E100VS - the few frames that did come out had such amazing colour and detail that I had never seen before. I really want to try E100GX - but can't get it in China.

Clyde Kodak Portra NC is another favorite of mine I have shot quite alot with it. I really like film for the different qualities each film can bring to a photo where as with digital it is down to the operator to manufacture a style which I often find frustrating.

A film I would like to try is the following:

Kodak Professional Ektar Film 100 135-36

New Kodak professional Ektar 100 film - New Kodak Professional Ektar 100 Film Provides Photographers with the Worlds Finest-Grain Colour Negative Film.

Sounds interesting combined with a top quality film scanner the results could be interesting.

euhm... 'into the wild' !

no, I don't know if it was my favourite film, but I always used ilford 400 ASA. Couldn't complain

Agfa Scala (b&w slide film)

APX

Fuji Acros

for street i find t-max 400 very nice because its easy to use in different light-situations. i also like fp4 and hp5

Fuji Velvia! Kodak Porta.

I scanned my first roll last night and it is nice, I shot the VC flavor. New lens 50mm f1.8, new film:
http://www.clydebeamer.com/?p=500

Yes - that new film was only released a couple of months ago. It shares many of the new developments that went into the new TMAX 400 - like square grain. TMAX 400 (new) scans sooooooooo well.

http://1x.com/photos/member/7481/19851/

http://1x.com/photos/member/7481/18612/

Looks Great Clyde. The scan is really sharp. I currently have an old Canon film scanner that does the job but I would love one of the newer Nikon scanners.

All 4x5...
Gave up on colour slides (velvia 50 for sunsets and provia 100 for night long exposures, few left so got to finish them) because, even if they look good once processes, they cost more money to process and they cannot print it here (in Oslo, Norway) onto 70x90 cm photographic paper.

So more and more with
-Tmax 100, TPX 320 (for longish exposures)
-Ilford delta 100 and fp4 for short exposures (reciprocity failure dramatic here)
because cheaper to process at home, control of contrast with the zone system (exp/dev adjustements), and printable on the 70x90 paper (analogue way). 2 pictures printed/mounted so far :)

Finally will try Shanghai stuff soon, apparently like delta 100, but much cheaper.

What is the reciprocity of tmax 100 like?

So no favorites, just depends on situations... But I really like delta 100!

I'll tell you when I get home and access my bookmarks, but is easy to find all the reciprocity failure data on the net. So far, what I found is good. I carry them in a small notepad.

http://www.seeinglight.com/reciprocity.shtml

http://home.earthlink.net/~kitathome/LunarLight/moonlight_gallery/technique/reciprocity.htm

i love to shoot with t-max 100 with rollfilm. i use a 70 year old voigtländer bessa 6x6 for that, really love the cristal clear look of that film!

shameless self- propaganda:

beautiful tones indeed!!

Rollei R3
Rollei Retro 100 and 400
Ilford Delta 400

in 35mm and roll film versions.

I like Tmax 400 and also Delta 400, although the former seems to have a greater dynamic range. I like TriX pushed one or two stops with microphen. I also recetly got interested in Ilford XP2 400.
It is excellent for difficult lighting situations it produces beautiful deep blacks and has an excellent dynamic range (probably better than digital). It prints well in the darkroom. It has the drawbacks of being more expensive and requiring C41 processing, which I cannot be bothered to do at home, hence I have it developed by a photography shop, which may be a good thing if you are away and do not have all your equipment.

I picked up some TMAX 100 tonight to shoot on my trip to HK tomorrow. I am going to compare it to ARCOS 100 to see which will be my 100 film of choice...

I think it's not only the matter of film, but also the use of which paper you use... glossy, matte.
My ultimate favourite was barite paper. You have to know what this paper is capable of. It's a cool paper with nasty habbits

That had me howling.... I loved that film. ;-)

I really wanted the movie to go on and on... he, having new and more experiences in his life. This movie caught me for sure, especially in the end. The thing is, when I saw it, At that time, I didn't know it was based on true facts. That felt extra heavy in my mind and heart...

I like DNP Centuria 200.
This is very natural color film.But particle is not fine.

When i need speed in obtain the final results, i use XP2 from Ilford or Neopan 400CN from fuji or BW400CN from kodak. I finish the photo session, i go to lab and in 30 minutes i have te film developed. For more quality, i use Tri-X from Kodak or T-MAX. For Color, if the motif are persons, i use slide Provia from Fuji or Portra 160NC from Kodak. For Landscape, allways Provia or Velvia Fuji "slide" or Portra 160VC from Kodak in negatif. When there are much ligt in landscape, i use Provia 400NX slide, very very fine grain and sharply !

How does provia compare to the porta when dealing with portraits or shots in general with people where I don't want the colours to go crazy? I have some E100VS shots that I just finished scanning and will upload - but colour is all so new and weird to me....

Try Portra 160NC or 400NC (if you need speed), the colors are very very natural (NC = natural colors) . The Porta have the advantage of be C41 developing, so you can develop in any photography shop with minilab machines in 30 minutes and go home for scanning. The E100VS have vivid colors, no good for portrait, unless you want to convert for BW. ;)

I would recommend Portra 160nc too. I like its subtle colours and its fine grain. I have printed at 30 x 20 inch and it looks great.

Kodak T-Max 400 and Fuji Superia 400.

My favourite film of all time - "Dr. Zhivago" with Omar Sharif and Julie Christie in the leading roles.

@Colmar,

Hehe..this thread is about camera films not movies.

This is the right one ;-)

http://1x.com/v2/#discussions/9701/whats-yor-favorite-scene-from-a-movie/

Well, almost the right one....

Kaveh,

I sometimes throw in a little bit of humour into things on purpose. I had thought of adding "but I don't know what film it was shot on", but I left it out because I wanted to keep it as "sublime humour" in keeping with the spirit of OneXposure!

Colmar

ah, okay...then I'm out of humor tonight :))) I didn't get it

It is not for the first time!!LOL

what chemical is good to develope that "dr. zhivago" film? use d-76?

No,Microfen with a touch of Rodinal!!

That was from Kodak, wasn't it.

I haven't seen the inside of a darkroom for many years - although I still have an enlarger downstairs in the cellar - I bought that here in Switzerland on Ebay, thinking I would get back into it.

Then "digital film" came along and now its Lightroom (wife bought it for me for Xmas).

I want to second doro rapp's choice from above. I only discovered Agfa Scala in recent years, but it is a beautiful film. Really wonderful.

Agfa APX is my recent discovery. Such strong contrast - from scan to upload - no messing about! ;-)

All films that has expired, the longer the better for crazy unpredictable results :)

Anna what kind of camera setup do you use? I have not tried any expired film I should try getting some I am sure I could find some on Ebay.

Holga (120 film) and Olympus XA (35 film). Try fuji provia or fuji velvia. Crossprocess for crazy colors.

Cool, I just checked out the Olympus XA and I am sure that what my dad used to have when I was young. I will have to see if he still has it. I think I have an old roll of provia. When you cross process do you have the slide film processed as negative film?

Yes positiv film processed like a negativ film. You can do it the opposite to, never tried it though, but I´ve heard you get this soft, light colors. You can also tell them to push the film for stronger effect. I think it means rise the temperature in the fluids used.
Looking foward to see your results :)

Xpro is a lot of fun. Elitechrome is my fav for that. Get it expired for peanuts...

Favourite film? Hmmm I guess "The Man Who Would Be King" from John Huston or maybe "Bladerunner"? Too bad, both have a rather negative end...

:))

Oh yes, Bladerunner, one of my all time favourites! (The end differs if you look at the normal version or the Director's Cut!)

Yeah, I heard that the producers found the original too underexposured and low-key...

What meant is that the end of the film is different: one dark/negative one and one positive / bright one !!

Yeah, I know I know, and I also think the positive/bright one sucks like a Profoto 100 which I once had the misfortune to use in India.

mine too! :)

still Acros or APX is great...Rollei is going to bring out a new 200ISO - seems it is great - Vernon had the honour of testing it and is raving about it in his blog...

APX is great but out of production now. It has my perfect style right out of the scan for contrast and grain. I love it.... well loved it. :-(

not exactly...

have a look here

http://macodirect.de/index.php?language=en

or look for Rollei Retro :)

oooooooo...... I must have some. Could this be a TMAX replacement. I love the efficiency of APX for my style. I need to spend sweet FA time on the computer after I have scanned.

I love Kodak TRI-X 400 in d-76, the T-MAX 100 and Fujichrome Provia and Velvia in "slide".

Because i have some troubles with Asthma alergic, unfortunely i can´t develop myself film, because the smell of chemistry. So when i need fast development (30 minutes in local shop) , i use Ilford XP2 or Kodak BW400CN (B&W in C-41 process).

In color negatif film i prefer Kodak Portra 160NC for portrait or 160VC for nature or landscape.

Rui, I can sympathize with you on the asthma as I too have it plus COPD. I love Velvia 50 and the lost Polaroid 55 black and white for 4X5. I still have one pack in my frige and need to shoot it before it is lost to age (like me LOL) The detail of the 55 is really good not to mention contrast. I process it for the neg not the print and development is very simple. I just remove it from the holder without processing and then reload and process when I get home. I do wonder if some one will take up this product (expensive) will

Good, Will. I give up of try to develop myself. Everytime i try before, asthma atacks, so with manual develop films i send it to lab and i have it in 6 days, i´m very unhappy with this, but can do nothing :( . In past, at 15 years ago i have no asthma and allways develop myself.

Never tested that Polaroid 55, have you a link for some photo you have in your site with this film ? I like to see :)

Rui, I have not posted any of the 55 negs but may dig some out. It has the grain structure of panatomic X (extremely fine) It is ISO 50 and the same as Velvia 50. Processing is very simple as you only use a clearing solution and rinse. then hang to dry in a dust free area. Some use to use the stuff to check exposure by looking at the print then shoot, but the stuff is very expensive so I just used it for B&W negs. I really do hope that some other company takes this stuff up. Fuji offers some instant film but not equal to the 55 IMO. The beauty is no dark room and no fumes. It was only available in large format if memory still serves me well. will

For those who may be interested there is still a place that has some of the Polaroid Type 55 film. It is $150.00 per box of 20. That is $7.50 per sheet and well beyond my budget :( http://www.polapremium.com/shop/film/4x5inch/fi_4x5_1_0109_55film

This really makes me sad as it let me do 4X4 B&W without the chemicals of the dark room. Even this batch is out of date being January 2009 but should still work. will

I just purchased a stack of Kodak EIR that I found in HK for approx 10 USD per roll. I purchased 30 rolls because it is selling on eBay for about 30 USD a roll.

Will shoot a few and then see if I sell or keep the rest... in the deep freezer now. ;-)

Ilford XP2 and Delta 400.

2 successful exposures of Ilford HP5 Plus 400 4x5 sheet film on Monday...$7 per click of the shutter for film and processing (the charge for pulling the film one stop was greater than the charge for developing in the first place...good negatives, though). I'm looking forward to shooting with the new Kodak Professional T-Max 400 film, but am now looking for some 4x5 sheet film holders and developing tanks in order to do my own developing as I won't be able to continue my hobby otherwise.

King, I too have that problem and I love 4X5. I use to load my own film holders but now my skin flakes so (Prednisone for years) I have opted to the Fuji Velvia ready loads and they with processing are out of the question. I guess I may shoot very little 4X5 now as 20 or the ready loads with shipping are about $80.00 before processing. I no longer have a studio so I guess it is little loss except for the landscapes. will

Kodak stopped a lot of their ready load/quick loads recently as well - so you need to load your own holders.

One thing I have been thinking about - view camera wise is a 6x17 model and a super wide lens. That means I can use normal 120 roll film and actually have a larger negative than 4x5. Plus I am a fan of the wide or HD crop format.....

Shenhao makes a nice one that I eye off everytime I go to the local camera super warehouse...

I asked for some advice here about developing sheet film and ended up getting a daylight tank (HP Combiplan T) that will take 6 sheets of 4X5. I'm quite happy with it. Quite easy to load in the dark and I like the comfort of beeing in a lit room for most of the processing. The only downside is that it takes a bit too long to fill and drain with chemicals so one need to calculate that into the developing time. I've heard that there are Jobo systems that are better but also more expensive.




Fuji still makes "polaroid" film for 4x5. Fuji FP-100C 45 (color ISO100) cost about $3usd a click and Fuji-FB100B 45 (BW ISO100) at about $4 a click) They use a back called PA-145 which is hard to get outside japan, but there are occansinally some at ebay. I think the Polaroid holders will work as well but haven't tried my self as I got a PA-145 from Japan. And of course some people are in love with the Polaroid "touch" and wouldn't consider Fuji instant film as an alternative and they dont have the option to get a usable negative as I belive some Polaroid films had.

I use instant film mainly as proofing and instant gratification when learning the ways of my newly aquired large format system.

Cheers

Johannes

Sorry: The PA-145 is for the slightly smaller (and less costly) instantfilm 3,25 X 4,25 for 4X5 you need PA-45 - sorry for the confusion.

Johannes

Thanks very much, Johannes. I'll look into each of your suggestions.

Thanks Johannes, I liked the Type 55 Polaroid for the B&W neg, also used some of the Polaroid color print film for transfers on fine art paper. I don't think any of the Fuji will work for this application though I may try. I think you are correct on the Polaroid holder working for the Fuji film. Also I use to use the Polaroid for proofing and may try the Fuji if I get back into product or studio work. will

For landscapes Fuji Velvia 50, for people Kodak Portra.

Depends on the lab that will develop my film. Camerahaus handles Fuji Superia 400 quite well but Kmart is relatively better at handling Kodak. Since Kmart is cheaper I use Kodak Ultramax 400 now and Portra 400VC :-)

The lab is the most important,that's why I have preferred the black & white film processed by myself before passing to digital!

Kodak Tri-X-Pan 400 ASA...

Unfortunately not availible anymore. Now it`s Kodak T-MAX 400 ASA for me. Apart from digital photography on my old but reliable Canon T 70.

Kodak Tri-x Pan 320 is available, i use it a lot. Tri-X 400 also available. I buyboth it in Germany all the time (allways in stock and nice prices ) :-)

www.macodirect.de - sorry for publicity but i think this is for a good cause :-)

T-Max for me is to much grainless specialy in medium/large format, and i allways prefer Tri-X tones and light handling capacity.

For less money, Fomapan also do a great job :-)

Thanks for the link, Rui, the prices seem interesting..

It's just 2 weeks I'm using film...I tried Ilford hp5+, Kodak tmax and Kodak tri-x, all 400 ISO. Among the three I like tri-x the most for the tones.

Hi Rui Pires,

I can`t get hold of the Tri-X-PAN 400 at local stores. I`m happy to hear that it`s still available in germany.

Regards

Yes, very good prices and all fresh film, i buy in that store at many time. Fabio, try Tri-x Pan 320 asa ;-)

I shoot with a 35mm rangefinder, is it available also in that format?

yes :)

After a few years of heavy digital usage, I recently, acquired a new 35mm film system with a view to it inspiring me to use more film. My F1-N is certainly doing that but, as I don't have a dark room any more, I've been using high street labs to get the film processed. The problem is that the negs don't look brilliant and I'm not really up-to-speed with getting the most out of my Epson V750 scanner yet.

I tend to shoot 400 ISO mono (usually HP5+) but does anyone have any suggestions on which soup I should request it being developed with? I'm thinking of using Silverprint in London as I work in the City. Anyone have any recommendations for other processing labs in EC3 / EC2? Incidentally, I like varied tones and I'm not bothered by a bit of grain - so long as it's not excessive. Prints usually up to 24 x 16 but more like A4.

You don't need a darkroom or a lab to process B&W negatives. I do mine in the kitchen sink with only about $35 of equipments and the chemicals. All you need is a tank, a couple of reels and few brown bottles. If you go that route you can experiment with the "soup" yourself and do it the way you want. It is my experience that most labs use D76, but you would need to ask what your options are with the lab you are using if want to continue to go that way.

My one is still this:

My favourite film of all time - "Dr. Zhivago" with Omar Sharif and Julie Christie in the leading roles.

Colmar,it is not about that!!

Lucian,

I sometimes throw in a little bit of humour into things on purpose. I had thought of adding "but I don't know what film it was shot on", but I left it out because I wanted to keep it as "sublime humour" in keeping with the spirit of OneXposure!

Colmar

Colmar, never "explain" your humor, if they don't get it, too bad!!

btw:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059113/technical

Colmar- repeating jokes that have already been made doesn't necessarily make them any better!

I'm down to my last couple of rolls of Agfa CT100 Precisa slide film. These must have been factory clear-outs since they are completely devoid of frame numbering etc. Looks like I'll have to change to Fuji now but I'm not sure which,although I suspect that Sensia will probably be the choice.

Velvia 100
Fuji 160c
Tmax2 & CN400 (so so flexible and 1 hour is ready)

I just started with film, so I'm testing some of them right now.
Developed my first roll of T-Max 400 the day before yesterday.

Now I have TRI-X 400 in the Leica III
A roll of 120 Portra 160NC is at the lab.
Neopan 400 is in the Ricoh KR-10
120 Provia 100F is in my 4x4 Agfa Isoly-Mat.

I'm starting to fall in love with film photography.
Bought a scanner yesterday and I'm looking for a good MF cam.

You people made this expensive hobby even more expensive. =D

Congrats, Tim :)

Thanks Rui. :D
Only one small problem...on some negatives there are water spots/drying marks.
No big deal as it was only a test roll. I'll try to find a solution for the next time I develop film.
I didn't use a 'real' wetting agent, instead I added some drops of detergent in the final rinse water.
Probably that's the problem?

Bahh, buy a bottle of photo-flo from Kodak, it´s enough for some years, you mixed it in "destilated" water at 1:600 and solve that problem. Detergent is for kitchen ;)

Ok, went to the shop to buy Amaloco H10, but someone from the lab told me that a few drops of detergent would be the same. :s
Back to a shop then... :)

OK guys to continue a question I asked King yesterday:

What color film would you choose for the rapidly changing light of late afternoon into and thru sunset??
King's answer involved a discussion of did I want accurate gray on a gray card or did I want the beautiful colors of the sky and clouds. Well, I want some of both I guess. I cited this recently rejected image:


To get this far, I had to adjust the color quite a bit in PS, including "blue'ing up the sky a bit and taking a lot of red out of the sand.

On this particular day I decided to only carry a film camera, no digital. I guess I have taken for granted the digital's ability to auto white balance a scene like this. Combined with the flexibility of a raw file, I would have come up with an image that was more "accurate" to what I remember this scene looking like in person. The shot I took even later after the sun came back out below that cloud bank were almost unusable. This was shot on Ektar 100.

I guess I still have a lot to learn/re-learn about film shooting in changing light.

BTW, King, please feel free to continue your answer from yesterday, if you have your nuisance boss taken care of...

Let the record show that I didn't say my boss was a nuisance.

The image you posted is probably not the best example. The red in the sand is probably caused by underexposure relative to photographing sand with the light coming from the side or behind the camera. If you had had a powerful enough fill flash (say 24,000 watt seconds) or a huge, bright reflector just behind the camera (e.g., a glass building), I think the sand wouldn't have that color cast and the shadows would be lit quite nicely, thank you.

If shooting digital, a 7-stop hdr composite might do the trick, too.

Of course, this issue would be moot when shooting B/W, but then we could discuss the zone system! :>)

Excellent! Congratulations!

Yes, Photo Flo in distilled water. Then squeegee the film after you hang it to dry. I prefer a short section of auto windshield wiper as a squeegee. It tends to be softer and more effective than the commercial photo squeegees. I sometimes squeegee the film (gently, now), then jiggle the film to get the water out of the sprocket holes, then squeegee it a second time.

King is quite right on a couple of counts, well maybe 3: the shot was underexposed, probably by about 2 stops, I WAS the one who called his boss a nuisance and yes, this would probably have looked quite good shot on b&w film.

What I am asking mostly is: is there a better film choice for color for this type of setting? I seem to remember that some of the tranny films were better for this type of shot??

Clyde, try kodak portra 400VC. You will have a nice sunset colors, but be carefull with colorcasts in ground, if there is not enough light.

Not detergent.. softner 2-3 drops and you are done.

Thanks for the advice King!
Should I use distilled water to mix the dev/stop/fix as well or only for the final rinse?


Thanks!
Going to try that as well with one of the 'test rolls' I'm shooting. :)

you don't even need distilled water for the rinse once your squeegee technique is perfected. It is certainly not needed for the other chemicals. However, when making a Hollandaise sauce, I find that perfection is only attainable if the yolk sac is removed along with the white.

I know photographers who lives in places where water is terribly hard or instead, terribly acid and need to use distiled water for all chemistry.
But essencialy, i use only in final bath with photo-flo and is perfect.

King, i also use that technique of auto windshield wiper at many time, is much more soft than comercial squeegies that left some marks in dark zones of the negatif. Most of squeegies ruber is very hard.

Tim - watch out for those squeegies. In fact throw them away - they are scary. I know it might sound unscientific, but you can use two fingers as a squeegie, with excellent results. The softner/detergent/photo-flo, and a correct drying space of course remain prerequisites. You wet your fngers in the same fluid. You will soon learn the trick - practice on some throw-away film.

True, but try that with 4"x5" (or larger) sheet film and see what happens. :>)

Many thanks gentlemen.

@Andre: I hanged the negatives to dry in the shower. :))
This man doesn't like the squeegie either: part4 - 8:10

I have a lot to learn, but I'm enjoying it a lot.
All the advice is in my notepad now. :)

I have a negative dry box homemade, i put there until 4 120 films or 8 sheets 4x5" and the box dry it in 10 minutes whitout any dust.

Weel, i kill one lady hair dryer to do that, fortunely the owner never suspect was me, since i never use lady´s hair dryers :))))))

Kodak TMAX 100, Kodak Tri-X 400, Fujichrome Velvia 50, Kodak Portra, Fujicolor Superia Reala.

Tmax 3200 and Tri-x 400, Love the grain and hate flash and tripods!

Tried TMax100, TMax400, Tri-X400 and now I bought some Ilford HP5+ & PANF+
For color I only tried Portra 160NC and Provia100F

I'm curious to see the results of the Ilford films. :)

TMax400, APX400,Ilford XP2400 and HP5

All films are great for me, i can't favorite one over another, but i can pick certain film for certain conditions or situations, let's say as color slide i prefer Velvia 50 as my best film for landscapes, Ilford and Adox films are favorite for B&W, portraits i may go with fuji pro or Kodak Porta any.

Well said!

I like Delta 100 and Delta 400. HP5 is also a favorite film. But I like to stick with those two. Regards Michael

tri-x 400 with D76, panf 50 with rodinal. portra NC and VC, velvia50 and Tmax 3200