Kodak Ultra Color 100 (100UC)

Has anyone had the chance to use this stuff yet? I see its filtering

into stores now and B&H lists it in stock. Can you give some opinions

on it, or show some scans? What Kodak film does this look comparable

to? Does it seem to be based off of Pro 100 (PRN), Royal Gold 100/

Ektar 125, or Supra 100? Maybe Hi Def 200? Also how does the grain

look compared to other Kodak films past and present? Does this come

close to Reala in look? How about Afga Ultra 100?

Mine just came in yesterday in 120. Haven't taken it out of the box yet, but i will start shooting it next week.

Post your results and comments when you get it back. Thankyou.

I have a 5-pack on order from Adorama right now. My hope is that 100UC is Reala on

steroids, meaning slighter higher contrast and saturation. This would make it more

suitable for shooting under overcast skies/flat lighting. I will not be happy if it is little

more than a slightly tweaked version of Royal Gold. Now, if it resembles Portra/Ultra-

Color 400UC with ISO 100 sized grain--that would be nice.

The Kodak Technical information is at: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e4035/e4035.jhtml?id=0.1.40.14.5.14.4&lc=en

 

PGI for 35mm (4x6) print is 31 for the 100 film (UC400=40).

 

MTF looks like it is over 20 (see curves).

 

Not as good as Ektar 25, but similar to Supra 100 in these two measurements. I hope Bill can determine resolution.

They must have recently adjusted the PGI numbers, because not long ago they were listed at 32 and 42 if I remember right. The 42 number caused a discussion of whether Portra 400UC and UC400 where the same film or not.

 

Can anyone who can read the curves post what they tell you?

I would guess this to be a modified reincarnation of Supra 100. I doubt that the could increase saturation much beyond that, at least not without a penalty in grain. Just shoot slides if you need more saturation like everyone else does.

Ilkka,

 

I shoot negative film, because I like to look at prints, primarily, and because I like the

exposure lattitude that it affords. My favorite color negative film is Reala, which has as

much saturation as I want; but its low contrast yields flat images in flat lighting. So, I am

hoping that 100UC will be slightly jazzier for use in that specific situation.

Ilkka,

 

I shoot negative film, because I like to look at prints, primarily, and because I like the

exposure lattitude that it affords. My favorite color negative film is Reala, which has as

much saturation as I want; but its low contrast yields flat images in flat lighting. So, I am

hoping that 100UC will be slightly jazzier for use in that specific situation.

Have you tried to find a higher contrast paper? Anyway, it's highly probable that the 100UC has higher contrast than Reala. Unfortunately for me, it's not to be available in Europe, so I have to settle for Royal Supra 200.

If you are going to scan your images I agree that you'll have better luck shooting slide films if you need greater contrast/saturation than lets say Portra UC, NPH or Reala.

 

Current dyes in print films have pretty much hit the wall in terms of saturation with the only remaining thing to tweak being contrast. I'm still not sure what Ultra Color UC is supposed to fix. It's likely to not get along well with Fuji processing anyways.

So Scott, I shouldnt expect anything more then a Royal Gold/ Supra copy? I figured they would be able to match the 400 speed in look which does seem more bold then say Hi Def film. Funny as no one since has made a film that was as far out as Agfa Ultra 50. If anyone has any samples this week on 100UC, please post them. I see the film is now in may stores across the US, but has yet to make it into Canada. Too bad I cant go across and get some myself.

You can't come here and get some for yourself, Scott? Okay, fess up: what did you do that last time you were here??? ;-)

By looking at the PDF data sheets for UC and Royal Supra I observe that:

 

a) 100UC has exactly the same curves as Royal Supra 200

 

b) 400UC has exactly the same curves as Royal Supra 400

 

The PGI numbers are slightly different but that is about the only difference I see.

 

Panos

Last time I was in the States I looked dirty at the border officer, stuck my tongue out, and went "Naa Naa Naa Naaa NAAAAAA". So they tore my car apart using bolt cutters until they turned it into the worlds most expensive go cart. And they wouldnt let me pet the border dogs either. :P

 

Seriously a trip to Seattle is not in my plans right now. By the time I go for the trip, they'll already have the film here.

 

If the 100UC speed film is based off a 200 speed film, I will not be impressed. With all the technology they had in old 100 speed films, I cant see why they cant build off that. Even today it makes me wonder why they, with new film technology, can't get a PGI lower then 27 for 100 speed films. Instead they make new ones with an even higher numbers.

I got some free sample rolls from the store on Saturday. I managed to shoot a couple of them later during the day. I should have a shoot tonight so I'll see if I can post the results later.

Wow. That would be great. Id like to see how they come out.

 

I just called one store in Vancouver. They must get film from the US, as they now just got in some 100UC in both 35mm and 120 5 paks. I asked to keep some aside for me and I will pick it up on Friday. Its weird because no other store in Canada has this and even Kodak Canada themselves does not have stock of this yet. If anyone is interested, the Vancouver store is Beau Photo. And the price for the 5 pak in 120 is cheaper then most pro paks too.

Hi Kevin,

 

That would be wonderful.

 

Looking forward to seeing your posts.

 

Best wishes,

 

David

Just checked Kodak's website. It would appear that the curves for 100UC are virtually identical to those of High Definition 200 (which is a re-hash of Royal Supra 200). Perhaps there are subtle differences not reflected in these curves, but, for the most part, it seems that 100UC is merely a repackaged HD 200. This kind of behavior is fairly typical for Kodak, who are fond of recirculating the same products under different names and categories. Is it any wonder that many serious photographers are losing confidence in this company? We don't like being jerked around, even as we understand that Kodak is moving the bulk of its resources into developing digital products.

If the HD 200 thing is true, it looks like Kodak is screwing around with the speeds again. Ive never used Supra 200/ HD 200- so Im not sure how saturated it is. But since those are designed for normal use, I cant see how its going to give bold colors as the UC name suggests. But it makes sense since the PGI of HD 200 is 32 I think. They may have tweaked it however. But I cant see why they couldnt have based it off a 100 speed film since Im sure Supra 100 gave better results with even finer grain. I'll have to see when I get my rolls.

I just thought of something else about the HD200 thing. If it is that film and you expose it at 100 speed- thus over exposing it one stop, doesn't that usually help with saturation and grain? I mean doesnt negative film when over-exposed give more saturated colors, and give the film slightly finer grain because of overexposure? Scott may be able to confirm this. A interesting test would be to take some HD200 and expose it at 100, then buy some 100UC, and shoot side by side. Then check the results. Anyone game for that? The color Im most interested in checking is the red, because the red was the boldest color I noticed in Portra 400UC. It popped on our Kodak paper in our lab.

Some of the recent posts accuse Kodak of repackaging 200ASA HD as 100ASA Ultra Color. That's a serious accusation. It is my understanding that ISO (or ASA) is an international standard, and that there is a technical definition for film speed. If a company were to take a 100 speed film, as defined by the technical standard, and advertise it as 200 speed film, then wouldn't that violate the definition of film speed? And if so, then they would be subject to serious civil legal liabilities for false advertising, etc. I don't see how any rational company would do this sort of thing.

 

And what other examples of such purported behavior are there, as suggested in some of the postings?

 

I view many of these type of threads as nothing more than Kodak bashing. We may not like the advertising bozos, but Kodak is a leader in film. T-grain was their invention. And if 100UC shares similar technology to 400UC, then I would expect it to be a great film.

The spectral-sensitivity curves on the two films ARE different, so I don't imagine they are repackaged versions of each other.<br><br>

 

<a href="http://www.kodak.com/global/images/en/consumer/products/techInfo/e7017/f002_1251ac.gif">http://www.kodak.com/global/images/en/consumer/products/techInfo/e7017/f002_1251ac.gif</a><br><br>

 

<a href="http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e4035/f009_0586ac.gif">http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e4035/f009_0586ac.gif</a>

Kevin,

 

The spectral sensitivity curves that you have referenced are, in fact, identical. Only the

vertical scales are different, which makes the curves appear different superficially.

 

As to Seth's comment that this thread amounts to Kodak bashing, I say: nonsense. Those

of us who are drawn to this discussion in the first place very much hope that Kodak will

produce a superior product for us to use, an ISO 100 version of 400UC, to be exact. The

jury is still out on 100UC, but there is reason to worry that it will disappoint.

I got this email back from Kodak:

 

Scott,

 

Manufacturing of 100UC and 400UC began in the beginning of February, if

product is not already available through the dealer of Kodak

Professional Products it should be available shortly. To find a Kodak

Professional Authorized Dealer - Stockhouse in your area (for a reseller

of Kodak Professional films, papers, and chemicals), please visit:

 

http://www.kodak.com/go/proproductsnetwork

 

You can now search for a dealer using specific criteria such as Zip

Code, Area Code, Dealer Name, City, or State.

 

Ultra Color 100 is a new film and uses similar technologies to that of

High Definition 200. The 100UC will have similar saturation

characteristics to the 400UC. The scan that you saw may be the result

of a systems anomaly used in the comparison you saw.

 

PGI numbers listed in publications are being reviewed for any

discrepancies. PGI numbers that are 4 units apart fall within the same

JND window range and would not be noticeable to customers. Further JND

details are published in the Kodak Publication E-58. I have taken the

liberty of attaching this publication to this e-mail.

 

If you should have additional questions, please be sure to revisit our

site as we are continually adding information to enhance our support.

 

For immediate answers to commonly asked questions, please visit:

http://faqs.kodak.com/kodakprofessional

 

For product and technical information, service, support, and downloads:

http://www.kodak.com/go/professional

 

For information on ProPass Magazine:

http://www.kodak.com/go/propass

 

 

Regards,

 

Peter V.

Kodak Information and Technical Support

Kodak Professional

Ph. 800-242-2424 ext. 19