rokkor fan Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 Hi all, After a long time only shooting Reala and Velvia I have been experimenting with 400 speed films for a holiday coming up. While I shoot with all primes and so can use slower films normally, I do need to have some faster films for flexibility in lower light situations. After reading feedback provided I shot NPH on the weekend at ASA320 (processed normally) and also a roll of Kodak Gold 400 that my wife had left lying around begging to be used (I don't normally shoot Kodak). I was surprised to find that scanned at 2200 dpi I was seeing noticeable grain on both films! Maybe I am spoiled by shooting Reala normally but I expected better from the NPH. The colour on the NPH was also noticable less saturated than the Kodak, which while not a real issue could look strange beside the Reala prints. I expected that shooting at 320 would boost the saturation a little. Given I am about to invest in a Minolta 5400 dpi film scanner, this grain is of a little concern, as I will be restricted to A4 prints off the NPH. Are there any suggestions for getting better grain performance than NPH at ASA400, or is this as good as it gets? Best regards, Antony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbq Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 Try Kodak HD400 or Kodak 400UC (which are very similar). I'm sure exposing those at 320 or 250 wouldn't hurt them. Or, if you're not afraid of experimenting, try a roll of Superia 800 or Press 800. That thing's got so much latitude for overexposure that it's scary.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peza Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 I see grain in Reala in 4000 PPI scan easily - however I consider NPH very fine grained, especially considering Canon FS4000US is not particualary gentle to grain :)<br> <br> Sample attached is soft unfortunately - cause poor AF capabilities Elan 7 in dark conditions..<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_tuthill Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 New or old NPH, Antony? If you discarded the box, you can distinguishnew by a dot after "NPH400" on the edge coding. I would expectnew NPH to be much less grainy than Gold 400. Old NPH needed EI 200exposure to scan well, if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry_akiyoshi Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 You can shoot Fuji Press 800 at 400 with good results. It won't touch Reala for resolution, but the grain is comparable on an 11x14. Colors are pretty punchy, and the contrast is a higher than NPH; it makes a pretty good all-around 400.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward_c._nemergut Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 I'd give Kodak 400UC a try: finest grain ISO 400 film available. It won' be as fine grained as Reala, but it will beat NPH for grain hands down... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rokkor fan Posted July 24, 2003 Author Share Posted July 24, 2003 Thanks to all, the suggestion of Kodak 400UC looks interesting, I normally only use Fuji but based upon your suggestion (and the supporting reviews I found elsewhere after your post pointed me in the right direction) I will give it a go. Do you recommend shooting at 400 or 320? Cheers, Antony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 Shoot it at 400. It's right on the mark. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_ferguson1 Posted July 26, 2003 Share Posted July 26, 2003 It's not just the grain size, it's also the quality of the grain. Colour negative grain often looks "mushy" when enlarged too far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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