# Which film do you use?



## Vautrin (Apr 7, 2010)

So over the past few months I've gotten into film.  I bought a holga, then a mamiya, and in total I've shot maybe 20 rolls of 120...

I've been using Rollei Retro and Kodak Ektar / Ektachrome because that's what they sold in the local shop.

But looking online there's all sorts of different films -- fujifilm, Ado, rollei, agfa, kodak

What films do you shoot and why?

WIll the Kodak B+W look much different to Rollei and will that look different to the Fuji B+W?

Or should I just buy film based on ISO I need?

Also, I've noticed some "special films" -- sensitized, or panchromatic, or digibase.  

Are they worth it?  Will I really get that much better of a shot with digibase?

I ask because I'm about to place another order, and I could spend hundreds just to try each different film...


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## Goontz (Apr 7, 2010)

In my Holga, I have recently used with no complaints:
15341033 Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros Black & White Film ISO 100, 120 Size
1629017 Ilford HP-5 Plus 400 Fast Black and White Professional Film, ISO 400, 120 Size

Right now, I have a roll of: P400H120U Fujifilm Fujicolor Pro 400H Color Negative Film, ISO 400, 120 Size USA in it, but obviously don't know the results yet. 

In all honesty, I don't think the film you use in a Holga matters _that_ much, seeing as how it's not going to be the greatest quality shot anyways, solely based on the quality of the camera itself (afterall, that's part of what makes the Holga so fun, right?). Your Mamiya might be a different story and more worthwhile to try better films, but for my Holga, I pretty much stick to something cheap and simple.


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## Christie Photo (Apr 7, 2010)

I haven't shot film for more than 5 years, but I always used Kodak.  If you'll be shooting any black and white, Ilford is another fine choice.

Panchromatic simply means the film is sensitive to all visible light.  (Pan = all)

-Pete


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## Mike_E (Apr 7, 2010)

Adox CHS 100 Art 120 size | Freestyle Photographic Supplies

Is nice for B&W.  25, 50 or 100.

Try some Fujicolor Pro 160C as well..  Fujicolor Pro 160C 160 iso 120 size - 5 roll Pro Pack | Freestyle Photographic Supplies


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## 1986 (Apr 8, 2010)

I shoot with kodak TMAX...because well I like the way it looks and feels  

I have also used some ilford that I enjoyed but I liked the tmax better (just my opinion) 

I was film shopping too a while ago and you can spend hundreds but I just stick with Kodak because of the price and quality. I do, every once in a while, pick up a roll or two of something new to try but I haven't found anything better yet.  I would suggest trying Kodak TMAX, Ilford HP-5, and Fuji Neopan. They are all great quality films.


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## SoonerBJJ (Apr 8, 2010)

I shoot mainly Kodak Tri-X 400 in 135 and 120.  Occasionally I shoot Ilford Delta 3200 and I've got some Rollei Retro that I haven't used yet.

Most any Kodak or Ilford film is going to have a different character than your Rollei Retro.

Pick 1 or 2 films and shoot a bunch of it.  Get to know your film in and out.


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## JamesD (Apr 9, 2010)

I've historically used a lot of TMax 100, TriX, and PlusX, but primarily the first two.  There are subtle grain differences between them, especially the TMax films, and I personally find that the TMax films are easy, comfortable, and consistent, but I like the TriX and PlusX better in the final print.

For color, I've usually used 400UC because of availability, and nice saturation, although I started using Portra 160VC when the 400UC became unavailable to me.  I'd like to try this newfangled Ektar everyone's talking about (I've been out of the photography loop for a year or three); and, of course, slide films are always beautiful, if somewhat inconvenient.

I use a tripod almost all the time when I'm not shooting in daylight, and often even when I am, so I tend to select a film speed to shoot based on how visible I want the grain to be in the final image.  If you're going to be shooting with zooms and/or telephotos at other than full daylight, you may want to select a faster ISO film to keep shutter speeds down.

The more common BW films are all panchromatic; basically, unless it says orthochromatic or something else, it's going to be a panchromatic film.  Panchromatic films are sensitive to the entire spectrum of visible light, from red to violet, while ortho film, for instance, is not sensitive to the lower (redder) end of the spectrum.  I'm not familiar with "digibase," so I can't comment.

But yeah, if I were going to buy two boxes of film right now, it'd be TriX and Portra 160VC.  I'd specifically avoid Forte films because I've found them to be flimsy, squirrely and difficult to manage in the dark, although I know a few people who swear by them.  Ultimately, though, you should try a roll or two of several films, pick the one you find the most pleasing, and stick with it for the most part.  Familiarity can lead to consistency, and that's a good thing


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## mighe79 (Apr 9, 2010)

Mike_E said:


> Adox CHS 100 Art 120 size | Freestyle Photographic Supplies
> 
> Is nice for B&W.  25, 50 or 100.
> 
> ...


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## JamesD (Apr 9, 2010)

Do you mean the frame numbers on the edge?  It's possible that the emulsion was smeared due to friction against the reel during winding.


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## Mike_E (Apr 9, 2010)

"CHS stands for Cubiccrystal Heterodispers Single-Layer, which means the emulsion is made up of classic cubic crystals which are mixed in different sizes and coated in one layer."

JamesD has it I think.


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## Professional (Apr 9, 2010)

I am new to film, and when i was in USA last October for vacation i  bought plenty of film from there, Kodak B&W/color, Ilford, Fuji  color, Rollei Retro, and then i ordered online last weeks ago few film  rolls as well and i will order more.
I have shoot with color film only for now [7 colors] and only one  B&W but i didn't develop that B&W because i want to develop it  by myself as my first B&W ever, i just send the color one to the lab  because developing color film is a bit pain and not friendly process as  B&W, and all of them are in 120 format except one pack [5 rolls] of  Fuji Pro 160 [i have to check if it is C or S].


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## Josh66 (Jun 13, 2010)

I've always preferred Fuji...

Color or B&W...  I still love Fuji, lol.  And slide - Fuji is pretty much all that's left.

Fuji always seemed to have more accurate color and more WB forgiveness than Kodak...


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## MartinCrabtree (Jun 13, 2010)

B&W I use Ilford. Right now I'm in a 1 film,1 developer,1 camera and nifty 50 for a year shooting Ilford Delta 100. Wonderful film. 

Color? I dunno anymore I was a Kodachrome 25 guy. Used Signature MP film a bit too. Neat stuff. Alas it's gone too. I'll get to color next year-maybe.


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## alexrock23 (Jun 13, 2010)

I use HC-110 Developer for my T grain films. The T-Max developer came out around the same time as the origional T-Max films and I think Kodak just put the name on it.. If you look Kodak uses D-76 to get the base lines for T-Max films.


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## Sbuxo (Jun 13, 2010)

Kodak ftw.

Tmax100, why? -At first, because my Professor made it a requirement, but it evolved into because I like the fine grain for outdoor portraits and it gives adequate contrast.

Tri-X 400, but i usually pull it @200, why? -I love this little film known for it's contrasty-ness. It also has grain but doesn't overbear the photo but just enough to add some personality saying, 'this was shot on film'. I usually pull it @200 for a less severe contrast on my negatives to make it easier to print and to have a nicer tonality range.  With the agitation during development and the natural contrast properties of the film, the contrast for me, has always been beautiful (granted that the shot's light wasn't fxcked up) and it's my most preferred indoor film. [: :love:


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## j-dogg (Jun 13, 2010)

I've been learning on Kodak BW400CN and i scored a free roll of Kodak 800 color. I suppose we will see how my first developed roll comes out and from there I will decide what roll I shoot with next.


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## PJL (Jun 14, 2010)

It all depends. For B&W, I like grain, so I tend to shoot Ilford HP-5 and Delta 3200 (usually at 1600 or 3200). With color, I usually shoot Fujifilm Superia 100 or Pro 160 for landscape/outside shots and 400 or 800 for indoor. 

Eventually I want to give Kodak Portra 160 a try; I'm especially interested in using their vivid color version for flowers, sunsets, etc.


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## Petraio Prime (Jun 14, 2010)

Vautrin said:


> So over the past few months I've gotten into film.  I bought a holga, then a mamiya, and in total I've shot maybe 20 rolls of 120...
> 
> I've been using Rollei Retro and Kodak Ektar / Ektachrome because that's what they sold in the local shop.
> 
> ...



I have used just about every film made over the last 40 years, including Agfachrome, Anscochrome, Kodachrome, DuPont Superior motion picture film, DuPont missile tracking film, Adox KB14, 17, 100, Tri-X Pan, FP4, HP5, etc. My current B&W favorites are the Fuji Neopan 400,1600, and Acros films. For color neg, I like Fuji Pro 400H and Reala. I used to be a Kodak fan, but no more. Kodak is run by dolts. I tried the T-Max films for a while but ended up not liking the 400 speed stuff (first version). The fact that they revised it means it wasn't right to begin with. I need to try the revised TMY.

When Kodak decided to kill Kodachrome (this began many years ago in the early 1990s when they started closing labs) they abandoned me as a customer. Well I don't need them.


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## Vautrin (Jun 14, 2010)

Petraio Prime said:


> Vautrin said:
> 
> 
> > So over the past few months I've gotten into film.  I bought a holga, then a mamiya, and in total I've shot maybe 20 rolls of 120...
> ...




Wait, what?  You have to share more about your experiences and / or pictures please!


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## Petraio Prime (Jun 14, 2010)

Vautrin said:


> Petraio Prime said:
> 
> 
> > Vautrin said:
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It was just a film made for missile tracking. I got a 100 ft. roll of it. It was kind of contrasty. Made 'spooky' images. Came on a polyester (Cronar) base. Gave an effect much like a 'pushed' film without the excessive grain. It was rather contrasty.


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## wrbacon (Jun 14, 2010)

I am a novice.... Sorry!

I have a special project (and one opportunity one) to accurately capture old historic engineering drawings (detailed) that are 40" by 24".  I cannot scan because of their importance and age, but can photograph them with them afixed to a flat surface.  I cannot use a flash, since it will bounce back.  But I can use side lighting, and can mount on a tripod.  My challenge appears to be two-fold: 

     - getting sufficient resolution - To prevent degradation in resolution of fine drawing print and lines, I am assuming I will need at least 600 dpi.  Given the size and area of my drawing, how can I convert that to an appropriate film and exposure setting for a particular lighting situation? 

     - Image Distortion - because of my photographing a flat drawing from a center point, I am assuming that this will cause distorsion of the resultant photo image.  I have googled and seen several different softwares that claim to correct distorsions like this.  But it is unclear to me what I should do to to ensure I can accurately correct those distorsions or what type of software might be best.

Any ideas out there????

Bill


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## wrbacon (Jun 14, 2010)

Note:  I have an old Nikon 2020, but am willing to acquire or rent an acceptable camera for the above task...


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## Josh66 (Jun 14, 2010)

^^^  That should really be in it's own thread instead of this one...

...But - whatever.  As long as the film plane is parallel to the work, there shouldn't be any distortion at all.

Obviously, a tripod would be preferred...

Something like this:
Rollei | 135-36 Exposure ATP1.1 Advanced Technical | 42220111
Should be perfect, assuming you don't mind B&W.

Your exposure settings will all depend on the light there...


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## compur (Jun 14, 2010)

wrbacon said:


> I am a novice.... Sorry!
> 
> I have a special project (and one opportunity one) to accurately capture old historic engineering drawings (detailed) that are 40" by 24".  I cannot scan because of their importance and age, but can photograph them with them afixed to a flat surface.  I cannot use a flash, since it will bounce back.  But I can use side lighting, and can mount on a tripod.  My challenge appears to be two-fold:
> 
> ...



Since you already have a Nikon body, any of the Nikon Micro-Nikkor lenses 
should produce a sufficiently flat field for your purposes. Just use the 
finest grain film you can find.


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## Vautrin (Jun 15, 2010)

the larger the film you use the more "resolution" you'll be able to get [1]

not sure of the nikon but i'm assuming it shoots 35mm?  Well 120mm film has 4x the area and 4x the details, and you can get sheet film up to 8x10 inches

the trade off is going to be in terms of cost (1 roll of 35 mm is cheap to develop but 36 8x10 negatives would be expensive develop) and also required detail (if the drawings aren't that detail 35mm may be fine

Once you take these shots are you going to blow them up at all?

[1] not really the correct term but best way to describe it without diving into the details...


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## Vautrin (Jun 15, 2010)

Petraio Prime said:


> Vautrin said:
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> 
> > Petraio Prime said:
> ...



would be nice to find for the holga


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## mila_olivera (Aug 8, 2012)

Since I bought my first film camera (well, actually my first film camera was a Barbie camera I was given when I was 7 lol) I've only shoot Kodak Ultramax 400. I'm thinking about trying some Fujifilm Superia 400...


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## 3bayjunkie (Aug 8, 2012)

Here are the films i have currently and use:

Fujicolor Pro 400h
Fujicolor superia 1600

Fuji neopan 400
Fuji neopan 1600
Ilford delta 3200 profeasional
Kodak tmax 3200

Here are the ones i want to also try:

Fujicolor pro 160 s
Fujicolor pro 800 z
Kodak portra 800

Fuji neopan 800
Ilfors pan f plus 50


Thats all i can think of right now. I use fuji pro for the colors and the b&w for the different film grains and the way each film handles bright or dim light.


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## gsgary (Aug 8, 2012)

Shot 2 rolls of 120 FP4 tonight i will any B+W film except C41 B+W and most color


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## unpopular (Aug 8, 2012)

Astia/ and Sensia were my favorites. I am not sure that you can still get Sensia, but it was my favorite film. I also used the old stand by Ilford Delta and FP4, and occasionally Tmax. Was never crazy about  Kodak's color films, especially Portra I didn't care for, too yellow.


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## SCraig (Aug 8, 2012)

wrbacon said:


> - Image Distortion - because of my photographing a flat drawing from a center point, I am assuming that this will cause distorsion of the resultant photo image.  I have googled and seen several different softwares that claim to correct distorsions like this.  But it is unclear to me what I should do to to ensure I can accurately correct those distorsions or what type of software might be best.


Engineering drawings virtually ALWAYS have a border around the drawing area.  That border is perfect for aligning distortion correction software.  If for some reason there isn't one there just put some blue painter's tape on the cover over the drawings and use the lines for correction.

Most good image editing software (and even some of the not so good) have tools to correct for barrel distortion, pincushion distortion, and keystone distortion.  Some of the better software can compensate for some really serious distortion.  When you take your shots leave some area around the drawing.  Most distortion corrections will use some of the image area and you'll need to have room to crop.  After doing it a few times you'll have all the settings down pat, and they won't change much from drawing to drawing.

Shoot from as high above the drawings as you can get and with the longest focal length that will work.  As focal length gets shorter distortion gets worse (think of how fisheye lenses work).


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## Fred Berg (Aug 9, 2012)

I like Kodak for both colour negative and B&W. I prefer Agfa for colour transparency. These are the films I regularly use (and keep a supply of in the cellar):

Kodak

Ektar, DIN 21

Farbwelt, DIN 24
Farbwelt, DIN 27 (this is probably my favourite film)

BW400CN (some people knock the C-41 B&W films but this is a good 'un in my opinion)
T-Max, DIN 21
T-Max, DIN 27

Agfa

Precisa (colour transparency), DIN 21

--------

I also occasionally use Agfa Vista colour negative (DIN 24) and Fuji Superia Xtra (DIN 27 & DIN 30).


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## gsgary (Aug 9, 2012)

Fred Berg said:
			
		

> I like Kodak for both colour negative and B&W. I prefer Agfa for colour transparency. These are the films I regularly use (and keep a supply of in the cellar):
> 
> Kodak
> 
> ...



Is Farbwelt a film maker or is it like Arista made by Kodak ?


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## Derrel (Aug 9, 2012)

Fred Berg said:


> I like Kodak for both colour negative and B&W. I prefer Agfa for colour transparency. These are the films I regularly use (and keep a supply of in the cellar):
> 
> Kodak
> 
> ...



I AGREE Fred, I always have liked the BW400CN. It was the last B&W film I shot, and I thought it did a fine job, PLUS it was so easy to have it lab processed without paying an arm and a leg for custom B&W film developing.


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## Fred Berg (Aug 9, 2012)

gsgary said:


> Fred Berg said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Farbwelt is a Kodak film made for the German and Austrian market. Whether it's marketed under another name in different regions I don't know, but it could be something like UltraMax.


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## JTB (Aug 9, 2012)

I use Ilford for all my Black and White, Kodak and Agfa for the color.  I had been rolling my own B&W 35mm film for years, then got into digital and now my son wants to learn to shot and develop.


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## Danmunro_nz (Oct 13, 2012)

I have all sorts of old film in my fridge I am slowly getting through. Mostly Kodak Professional Supra and Ektachrome E100. Today I brought some nice fresh Kodak Ektar after having read so many good reviews on it. Cannot wait to give it a try. I love shooting film, when I get exposure bang on it beats my EOS DSLR hands down.


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## wsetser (Oct 13, 2012)

I settled on Ilford FP4 Plus several years ago. I develop it with Caffenol C-L.


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## Vautrin (Oct 13, 2012)

wsetser said:


> I settled on Ilford FP4 Plus several years ago. I develop it with Caffenol C-L.



Caffenol?   Meaning you develop your film in coffee?  How does that work?  Do you have pictures?


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## wsetser (Oct 13, 2012)

Vautrin said:


> wsetser said:
> 
> 
> > I settled on Ilford FP4 Plus several years ago. I develop it with Caffenol C-L.
> ...



In a liter of water add:
40 g Instant Coffee
16 g Washing Soda
10 g Vit. C
1.5 g Potassium Bromide (Kbr)

Then at 20° C:
Presoak for 5 min.
Agitate for 1 min then let stand without agitation for 70 min.
Stop, fix, and wash as usual.

Sorry, can't show you any examples. No scanner, no digital camera, totally film.

​


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## amolitor (Oct 14, 2012)

Search for Caffenol on flickr, you'll see .. a lot of images. It seems to work fine. The artist runs the risk of falling down the "process is more important than results" hole, but that pretty much describes all of flickr, as well.


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## ulrichsd (Oct 14, 2012)

I've been using Ektar 100, Neopan 100 b&w in 120 and fuji velvia 50 in 135.  I really like the look of the Ektar.  I just bought some tri-x 400 120 film so I'll be trying that next to compare to the Neopan...


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## panblue (Oct 14, 2012)

There's Efke also. 25/50/100 ADOX. Made in Croatia. 
Freestyle Photographic Supplies - Efke Film


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## angelus984 (Oct 22, 2012)

Right now I'm using Fuji Superia 200. I have used Kodak Ektar 100 and wasn't happy too much with it, I also used Fuji 400h Pro, and that was very nice film, really loved it, and will buy it again.


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## jjdig (Nov 2, 2012)

I like grain so I mostly use HP5.


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