Yes Virginia, good cheap film does exist. Click on the audio play button to listen to my thoughts on new approaches and needs for film in this figital / hybrid world.

The test images below are Fuji 400 Superia X-Tra which is a fantastic film and is readidly available at only two bucks (24 exp)… that’s $2 Dollars, 1.51 Euro, 1.28 United Kingdom Pounds, 167.94 Yen… about the price of a cup of coffee!

Fuji 400 Superia X-Tra at EI 200

Fuji 400 Superia X-Tra at EI 100

Fuji 400 Superia X-Tra at EI 200

Fuji 400 Superia X-Tra at EI 1600

And for those of you who want even smoother results here is an example of the portrait of my wife (same file as above) that has been processed through Imagenomic Portraiture Photoshop Plugin at default settings and then faded back to 50%… very nice!

Fuji 400 Superia X-Tra at EI 200, Imagenomic Portraiture at 50%

New Kodak Portra 400

Click on the audio play button to listen to my final thoughts on this new film offering by Kodak.

Viva la Revolution- Stephen

After reading this post remember that it is always 5 o’clock somewhere so have a stiff drink ready…

I have yet to get the “official” release from Fuji but from what I gather the following is true:

Discontinued:

Velvia 50 4×5 quickload
Velvia 100 4×5 quickload
Velvia 100F 4×5 quickload
Provia 100F 4×5 quickload
Color 160s and 160c: 35, 120, 220, 4×5, 8×10, and 4×5 quickload
Color 800z: 35mm 5pack, 120 and 220
T64 in all formats
Neopan 400 in 120

Not gone only new packaging:

Provia 100F 4×5 and 8×10 now in 20 sheet boxes
Provia 100F 120 now in 5-packs
Arcos 100 120 now in 5-packs
Arcos 100 4×5 now in 20 sheet boxes.
Velvia 50, 100, 100F 4×5 and 8×10 now in 20 sheet boxes
Velvia 50, 100, 100F now in 5-packs

From what I gather this is effective immediately. So what does this mean?… 1. get a freezer and buy a lot of what you love and 2. Support companies like Kodak as they are quickly becoming the best option for the future of film…. did I mention they just released Ektar 4×5  and 8×10 sheet film? Fuji still has many amazing films so don’t despair…

One final thought… discontinuing of certain films may be ok in the long run as I mentioned in a recent interview with Scott Sheppard
Executive Producer/Anchor of Inside Analog Radio … as there are currently too many films offered for the existing size of the film-shooting market… I suspect that this attrition process will continue until we have hit a point at which each company produces their “best” films only and  in a quanity that can be sustained financially by film-shooting photographers.

If anyone has additional info please share…

When you hover over the image it will give the description of the thumbnail.

Viva la Revolution-

Stephen

The dark barn boards above the windows were placed at Zone 3… they were EV 0. The detail outside the window fell on Zone 14. The detail image below is a 3″ x 3″ crop from a 20″ x 20″ print… pretty impressive.

My metering technique for these images is a stripped-down Zone approach that will be outlined in some detail in my next book The Photographers Coffee Break … I feel it fits the Caffenol C process quite well.

The best range for the Acros in Caffenol C is around EI 100 – 400 but it is nice to know that 800 and beyond is also possible with nice grain and tonality.

Viva la Revolution-

Stephen

Link to previous Fuji Acros Test with Caffenol C

Wait till you see the TMAX 100… I’ll post it tomorrow, it is equally amazing.

Viva la Revolution-

Stephen

Few notes:

Both test images were shot on Kodak TMAX 100 at box speed.

The first test scene was very extreme… Zone 3 on the lower cabinets and the outside snow was Zone 14. The detail images are amazing and I really like how the grain is rendered.

In the second test scene I chose something that had a more “normal” range… deep shadows on the far right bush are Zone 3 and the lightest snow fell on a solid Zone 8… it was snowing during the test shots which is normal for Vermont this time of year, you can see the texture the falling snow makes in the background… the range is quite impressive and very easy to work with.

Both scans were straight scans (Imacon) with no sharpening and no noise reduction applied. In Photoshop my standard contrast adjustments were made  with little to no effort. In both cases I had more than enough shadow information and a simple “S” curve did the trick… much like I would do with Diafine processed negatives.

When I compare these negative to the Fuji Acros negatives I find the Acros is a bit softer and the highlights tend to get very dense whereas the Kodak Tmax 100 negatives are a bit thinner looking but have full shadow detail and very controlled highlight density. The grain on the Tmax 100 in my opinion is  a bit sharper than the Acros but both look really nice.

Both test images were shot on my 1960 Rollei TLR “F” (120). The first test image was at F5.6 at 1/4 sec and the second image was F11 at 1/30th.

How’s that for a great way to start the New Year!

Caffenol C Note:

I am working on a new book which will outline the technique I use for processing with Caffenol C and also give a starting direction for scanning and Photoshop adjustments to these negatives. I hope to finish sometime this winter so stay tuned.

Ilford FP4+ Processed in Caffenol C

Fuji Acros Processed in Caffenol C

I’m not sure if it reads on the screen but in the Acros image there is very good detail in the left side dark region… both images were shot with my Leica MP with a 28mm lens at box speed. The Acros processing time and technique will be discussed later…

Viva la Revolution