pro160c 160s for africa

has anyone used these two films ,and which would be the best for photography

in africa.Animals,landscapes,people,I only use print film and mainly fuji

reala,but in the mornings and evenings the extra speed may come in handy ,and

these film are supposed to be very fine grain.

what are the characteristics for which application

Jason, ISO160 isn't faster than ISO100 to use it specially, they are about the same speed, so I'd pick one depending on preferences. For occasions you mention I would choose from 400H and 800Z, overexpose a stop and get both speed and fine grain (for their speeds, o.c.)

 

In similar way I thought that in India I will be fine with ISO100 (plenty of light, ha ha), though in tropical countries they also have dark, and it's darker than in northern countries.

Fuji 160c has a little more contrast than 160s, and less contrast than Reala. Both 160s have a greater dynamic range (10 stops) than Reala (8 stops), per the Fuji characteristic curves. In general, you want more contrast for landscapes, but any of these films will work. You can get whatever you want out of post-processing. 160s is a little easier to balance for portraits. Reala is much finer-grained, despite the specs. Perhaps 160 grain is better defined (it is very clean, like Tri-X).

 

For people shots, particularly when hand-held or with flash or fill-flash, NPH400 is hard to beat. It is a good compromise between speed and grain, and arguably the best "travel" film. The color is much easier to balance than with Superia 400, especially for flesh tones, and it is still relatively fine-grained. It is fast enough for many interiors, including museums and churches, if you have steady hands (tripods are generally banned). I carry a bean bag for those circumstances.

 

I would only use two emulsions if you have two bodies. ISO100 is best used with a tripod to capture maximum detail. It is too slow in shadows or overcast skies, and its range with flash too limited. NPH400 will work well enough under more circumstances than a slower (or faster) film. If you have ISO100 in the camera, there will be many times you wish you had something faster. ISO160 is in between, but still not fast enough, IMO, for many situations. For me, 160 film is used on a tripod to take advantage of its fine grain.

"I only use print film and mainly fuji reala,but in the mornings and evenings the extra speed may come in handy"

 

My advise would be to stick wiht Reala in good light. However, for extra speed, my advise would be to stay away from either 160C or 160S, they only have a 2/3rd stop increase in speed, that just won't do the trick in low(er) light.

 

My advice would be to take Fuji Pro 400H with you as your low light film. It has very fine grain, the finest grain I have ever seen in a 400 ISO film. The color palette is just like Reala, very realistic without excessive saturation or contrast. Below is an example.

If you'd like to try something other than Fuji I'd suggest the Kodak Portra line. I like the 400VC (vivid color) although the NC (natural color) is also very nice for portraits!