Differences in film quality?

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I always figured we get what we pay for. I use so little color film that I don't really know the difference between them all. But Kodak's Portra 400 line of films have always served me well. They are a bit more expensive, but the results are amazing. Sharp, beautiful colors, and surprisingly fine grain for ISO 400 film.

In black and white I always use just three films: Fuji Acros, Kodak Tmax 400, and Ilford Delta 3200. TMax 400 gets 80% of the attention, Acros is a current 'fling' of mine that I use for 35mm landscape and pinhole work, and Delta 3200 is for a specific project.

I'm prepared to pay a bit more for my film, shoot more carefully, and always have great results.

But there is absolutely nothing wrong with using Fuji Superia, or Kodak Gold for serious work too. If you know where to get it guaranteed fresh. Past expiration date, I notice color films sometimes get coarser grain, and the colors can get strange tints.

- Thomas

[Petej]

Hmmm..... I'll have to keep that in mind. All I can seem to find over here is Fuji, which has worked well in the past. When I was taking my high school photography class (almost 20 years ago) we used Kodak, which became my preference.....

Freshness seems to be the key more than brand at this point.

Makes me wonder about the yet undeveloped four rolls that I have in storage....they're all a few years old.... I discovered them in a box that I had stored. If they develop, they develop..... I'm hoping because they were stored in a cool, dark place that they come out fine...

[2F/2F]

Fuji Superia is good stuff. I would not feel leery of it in any way. What I would feel leery of is "no name" or "house brand" film. You might get some good stuff one time and some not so good stuff another time. Consistency goes a long way, especially for project- or series-oriented pix. You want the same product every time, and you want it to be of similar age. I've probably shot more Superia than any other color negative film (almost all 800 speed), but I got it in emulsion-matching press packages from pro photography shops, which took care of it and kept it together with film of similar age.

[Petej]

What I find here is 200 speed for the most part. That seems to be universal for most projects....

I want to find a place where can buy rolls in bulk, besides Costco (no card)....

I wonder if the box of four rolls I picked up are emulsion matched? How would I know?

[2F/2F]

What I find here is 200 speed for the most part. That seems to be universal for most projects....

I want to find a place where can buy rolls in bulk, besides Costco (no card)....

I wonder if the box of four rolls I picked up are emulsion matched? How would I know?

Hi,

The film should have an emulsion number on it. Similar storage conditions are also important. Film with matching emulsion numbers from two difference places may be slightly different.

The best way to make sure everything is consistent is to buy in batches from a pro photo store. Try Freestyle, B&H, or Ultrafine. Many of the Superia products appear to be gone, so Ultrafine, which buys and cold stores trucks of film to be sold later, may be your best bet for getting Superia Press packs.

[Petej]

Hi,

The film should have an emulsion number on it. Similar storage conditions are also important. Film with matching emulsion numbers from two difference places may be slightly different.

The best way to make sure everything is consistent is to buy in batches from a pro photo store. Try Freestyle, B&H, or Ultrafine. Many of the Superia products appear to be gone, so Ultrafine, which buys and cold stores trucks of film to be sold later, may be your best bet for getting Superia Press packs.

Awesome. thank you! I'm gonna do some research on Film shops in Bellingham. It's a college town, so artists of all sorts abound.

My local store (now, sadly, gone) used to keep film in a refrigerator. Which at the time I thought was odd. Now I am beginning to understand why. (Quality control)

I usually only bought a roll or two at the time, so I never thought about asking for pro quality and bought off the counter stock... Now I'm thinking differently.....