What is the most natural colour film ?

[Drew Wiley]

I appreciate well-nuanced work regardless of specific output medium. Its obviously easier
to judge the idiosyncrasies of particular films when they are chromes, cause you can just
slap em onto a lightbox. With color negs, it takes some experience either printing them
outright or understanding what happens thru the scanning step. The temptation is when
folks have too many options and just go hog wild in PS. In my thinking, I'd rather dance
with the film than beat it into submission. But it's a lot more cooperative in the first place
if some time is taken to really understand it.

[Peter Gomena]

I remember, back in the late '80s, taking a class in which the instructor laid out a roll of ektachrome next to a roll of fujichrome on a light table. Both were shot in the same environment, all outdoors, subject was wildlife in natural environments. The fuji was hands-down the prettier film. The ektachrome was more neutral, certainly, but really less interesting. No zip. So much for a "natural" look. In the studio, in other classes, and later when I was photographing catalog work, ektachrome was preferred for its ability to render fabrics and skin tones more neutrally. Tests on fujichrome produced some really bad skin tones. It also gave the color separators fits. Fuji eventually changed its emulsions and produced transparency films that were pretty darned amazing. They gave Kodak a real run for the money. Kodak then fought back with the E100 series, E100 S, W, SW, etc. I really liked the look of E100S. All gone the way of the dodo bird now, so it's a moot point. That was a real golden age of E-6 films. Great films from both manufacturers, and a big choice of emulsions. You could show art directors a range of films and they could pick the look they liked. Ektachrome 64 was the choice for "natural" or "neutral" renderings, but it was a little bland. It usually needed a little spicing up with warming filters to give things a little life. Regardless of the film you used, it took time and experience to learn to use them well and how to control and filter light to make them really sing.

Peter Gomena

[E. von Hoegh]

I hAve just been corrected as to my thinking that portra was
The truest or most natural colour film
Apparently not so

My interest is landscape not portraits.




Cheersalot!
Andy Pandy

Kodachrome 25.

[adam satushek]

I agree with those who like Portra 160.

I do generally shoot landscapes, but prefer more muted tones than some. Also I love the dynamic range and can often retain shadow and highlight detail even in non-ideal lighting conditions. I have played around with chromes in the past, and I admit at the time I had old gnarly shutters that were likely far from accurate so that may have been part of the problem, but I always found I could not get the shadow and hightlight detail I needed in 1 sheet. But I also did not spend much time trying to figure it out. Once I discovered Portra NC 160, that was all I needed until Portra 160 came out. I did shoot some fuji neg films for a while but always had issues with greens being way saturated, though that was years ago and could have been my old lenses, old Imacon scanner I was using, or many things in my process that I was probably not doing correctly.

Anyway, Portra 160...all the way, only film I need....just as long as they keep making it.

[Drew Wiley]

... Just as long as we keep buying it!

[adam satushek]

... Just as long as we keep buying it!

yeah exactly! I buy as much as I can, but need a larger freezer, not because im stocking up per say, but because I have a very small alotment of freezer space.

I just read an article that stated that lomography may be interested in purchasing kodaks film division. Seems odd to me...but as long as its still the same portra and is availiable at least up to 4x5 I would be happy.

Reference:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...58f_story.html

[Drew Wiley]

Wouldn't that be like some skateboard company trying to buy Chrysler?

[adam satushek]

Wouldn't that be like some skateboard company trying to buy Chrysler?

Ha! yeah it certianly would, thats a good way to put it. Like I said, it would be wierd....but as long as its the same film and it means its around longer it seems like a good thing to me. The same article states that lomographys boutique stores are doing well....now they just need to make a hipster 4x5 camera....or Ben Syverson can sell Wanderlusts to them. Im sure hipsters would pay $99 for a 4x5 camera.

Sorry, im not trying to hijack the thread with my woe-is-me kodak whinning...

[cosmicexplosion]

I did not realize the lense effects colour

I will be primarily using dagor 19 and 14

Though I am happy to change if another lens is
Better for colour work.

I may also of course completely hate cour
And use black And white

But I like the muted tones over saturated.
I suppose I like over v under exposed colour
As it has a nice light airy feel.

But I don't think 160 is made in portra ange more.

Any way as posted I think I need to be less gen y and more old school
And do some scientific field tests with my gear.
And a range of films and printing


Which is another tangent; printing optically v digitally.

I guess it's hard to find optical printers nowadays.

Does one have more or less permanence.

Should each print sold be offered a reprint every 60 years after destroying original and paying costs.
As a way of making an immortal print.

[adam satushek]

I did not realize the lense effects colour

If you are refering to my comment about my old workflow and gear where I mentioned that my old lenses could have been part of the issue I was seeing, please take this with a grain of salt. It could have been part of the issue, and I convinced myself at the time that i needed more modern lenses, but who knows. I got rid of the rickety old wooden Korona and uncoated lens and never looked back. But at the same time I got some really great color shots with the setup, it is very likely that my issues were more to do with technique, exposure, scanning, and learning photoshop. I'm not saying that lenses dont affect color, but just that there are many other more improtant considerations. You can make great color work in LF with all sorts of old gear.

I'm sure your dagors will be great.