Ektar 100

[Marcus S]

I am about to do studio photography of several industrial products on a white background. The main use for these images is the website.
For most of of my work I use Reala, but I am curious about Ektar 100. Has anybody had experience using this film for product photography?

Marcus

[Marcus S]

Is there nobody out there who has used Ektar in the studio?
I forgot to mention location photography for the larger products.

Thank you,

Marcus

[tiberiustibz]

It will emphasize reds and give you a high saturation image when printed analog. If scanned, you can do anything you want with it. It wouldn't be my first recommendation when color accuracy is key but it's not going to destroy a shoot. Film is cheap just try some.

[Ektagraphic]

Kodak's website lists thing that Ektar are optimal for and one of them is product photography. Won't hurt to give it a try.

[Chazzy]

Wouldn't it be better to use a film with more accurate and natural color rendition? If the final product will be jpgs for websites, you can always change the color rendition in Photoshop.

[Marcus S]

I have found that Reala provides very good colour accuracy and is usually my number one choice.
Since I scan most of my commercial work, I am curious just how much stronger the colour rendition of Ektar is.
Of course the type of lighting is a contributing factor in the final outcome of the image.

Thank you for your input,

Marcus

[Pupfish]

Huh-they still make Reala?

Ektar 100 is a really nice, not garish, slightly saturated film type. It's got a distinctive Kodak "look" to it that is very reminiscent to me of Kodachrome. But it also has a very strong magenta cast to the base that might drive you a little nuts unless you find a profile for it for your scanner. There may now be one for Silverfast, so I've heard.

For accuracy, I'd go with Fuji Pro 160s myself, particularly if clean whites are needed. Available in all format sizes, too, which Ektar is not, quite yet.

[2F/2F]

I tried several rolls of it in 120 for product shots when it first came out.

Reala is what is claims to be: realistic (and more so than any of the Fujicolor Pro films). Think very similar to what you actually see with your eyes.

Ektar is what it claims to be: unrealistic (and purposefully so). Think a student election sign painted with primary tempera paints.

Choose the one that will give you what you want.

[pentaxuser]

I wonder about whether the film colour is correct and it is our perception that is wrong. Our brain adjusts from what the eye actually sees. The brain removes the warmth from incandescent light in a room until it is faced with a view of such light from outside where some daylight remains. Then the yellowness of incandescent light becomes clear. We have a daylight low energy bulb in our dining room and from the living room which has some incandescent light it looks positively unreal and unnatural. My brain has seen incandescent light for most of its life and does not take to what is probably a more authentic light.

There is a very good picture of a dog( retriever I think) by Wolfeye where all the colours look absolutely natural except the underneath of the tongue which seems to be too red. However if the rest of the colours look right then is this retriever's tongue really that red and I simply think it is over saturated because my brain wrongly believes that retriever's tongues should be more pink?

So if another film records the tongue as paler is this more authentic or is it just agreeing with my perception of colour?

I suspect that in colour there are few if any absolutes and the film demonstrating colour authenticity is simply conforming to my perception which may be the same as yours for most scenes so we agree but differs in other kinds of scenes and we disagree as to its colour authenticity.

pentaxuser

[Chazzy]

Huh-they still make Reala?

Ektar 100 is a really nice, not garish, slightly saturated film type. .

We'll have to disagree on this. I found the reds and the blues to be quite saturated, although the yellows were better. I wouldn't hesitate to call it garish. But then, I used to think that Kodak 400 NC was the perfect color film. Now I'm thinking of trying Fuji 400H.