starting with color film

[matlinek]

I've done mostly digital work, and some 35mm B&W with Kodak Tri-X 400. I'm

going on vacation in a couple days to a cabin on a lake, and I'd like to try

out some 35mm color. Whats a good film to start out with?

 

In this instance I'm going to be doing a lot of landscapes, sun setting on the

lake, green fields, etc. But since I've never really worked with color film

before I'd be interested in a very general, all-around film that I can adopt.

Any reccomendations?

[jbq]

Reala

[daniel_taylor]

Kodak 400UC

[roger_hicks1]

Dear Mat,

 

A lot more depends on the lab than on the film. Any fresh film from a reputable manufacturer will deliver good quality, and the slower the film, the finer the grain as a very good general rule: I'd not go higher than ISO 400 if I were you.

 

Cheers,

 

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com -- a site aimed mainly at film users)

[markok765]

For landscapes, fuji velvia 100

[john_shriver]

Any name brand ISO400 or slower C-41 is really very respectable at this point. Paying for good printing is MUCH more leveraged. You won't go wrong with Kodak Gold 100, 200, or 400, so long as it's reasonably fresh. Sure, Ultra Color 400 is cool film, as are Portra 400NC and 400VC. But without good printing, you may not notice (or care about) the difference...

 

Unless you feel really confident about your metering and exposure technique, don't try the Velvia yet, or any slide film.

[enrique sf]

Velvia is renowned for its high contrast and saturated colors. Like most slide film, it has very

little exposure latitude (if you bracket by 1/3 you'll easily see what gets blown out or

underexposed). Slide film is like digital in that blown out highlights are unrecoverable, but

with the high contrast blacks of Velvia, sometimes the the shadow ramp is very steep. Also

note that Velvia can make skin look a bit orange. All those caveats notwithstanding, I shoot

Velvia for travel almost exclusively because it's so damn gorgeous. See my Flickr set for

examples.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ehuelga/

[john_graham3]

Consider where you will have it processed, and ask them questions! Today most labs see so little film coming in that they can't afford (or don't bother)making sure their machines are warmed-up, calibrated, and the chems refreshed. Then, once they develop the negs they run them through an automated scanner that scans them at the supposedly "right" resolution for the print size you select. The results are often pixellated and gross. The fact is, it takes the right hardware, software and a lot of expertise to make a scanned piece of film print as good as a digital capture, let alone a wet print made with an optical enlarger. That isn't to say it can't be done, but it's not a given that every lab can and will do justice to a neg nowadays.

[charles_stobbs3]

I am not an expert but from what I have read on photonet some films scan better than others. If that is a consideration for you, some online research may help.

[timcorridan]

"fuji reala 100"<div></div>

[gman]

I would say bring both Fuji Reala and Kodak 400 UC. The Reala for sunny clear days and the 400 UC for overcast days and eves. You will be well covered with these two excellent films.

 

Wayne

[juergenf]

Mat, what is important is that you decide in advance where you will bring your film for processing. If its going to be the 1-hour drug store, there is no good reason to use expensive 'pro' films for they will be printed through 'consumer' film channels. I.E. a nice low contrast low saturation film will be printed with much more saturation and contrast because this is what the average consumer wants their prints to look like. They are not going to change these settings for the occasional roll of Reala because 99% of the consumers that use these labs, will drop off a roll of Gold or Superia.

[geoff_samuel]

It depends on what look you want from your film, but as has been mentioned, the processing will make more difference than the type of film used. Starting out I would suggest any Fuji Superia or Kodak Gold film as they good all round films & are cheaper than the professional films, and can give excellent results.

Good luck.