Best current colour print film?

[david_craig1]

I am planning a trip to Germany/Austria in the summer. Will be taking

MP with 35/50. (Hopefully) something better than usual holiday snaps

of buildings, landscape etc. What film should I take? Thanks

 

David

[WM]

Hmmm.....depends on what you are shooting, and what effects you are going for, but my staple diet of colour print film has been the cheapo run-of-the-mill Fuji Superia X-tra and I am pretty happy with it. The 200 is real nice, but if I need speed, the 400 is OK too without too much loss of "punch" for lack of a better word.

[terry_rory]

Fuji Reala 100

 

Kodak Elite Color 400UC neg film

[al_kaplan1]

I also like the Fuji 200 el cheapo better than the Kodak Gold 200. I buy the 4 packs of 24 exposure rolls when they're on sale and try to use coupons too. That can get the cost down to about $1.50 a roll or less. I mostly use it for taking pix while fishing or snaps when the kids are visiting.

[Rich B NYC]

I really like Fuji Reala but if extra speed is needed Superia 400 has proven itself to me time and again.

 

I don't know if you scan your negs, but both films scan well. The Superia 400 usually needs a little kick in saturation but that's simple enough to achieve in PhotoShop.

[ronald_moravec1]

Buying Leicas and using cheap film is like owning a Rolls Royce and worrying about how much gas costs.

 

Save money by rolling your own, film that is, if you must. My choice is Reala or I get Portra 160VC from the pro lab that does my processing. They get it direct and store it properly so there is never a problem. They do it because it saves them problems with poorly stored out of date film that comes from somewhere else.

 

If you want cheap, Target or Sam`s Club or Walmart always have deals on 5 packs of Fuji or Gold 200.

 

I dislike saturated high contrast film. That`s what the Leica takes care of for you, so leave the point and shoot stuff on the shelf.

 

Usual fodder for cameras is Delta 100 or HP5+. On rare occasions Ektachrome 100 EPN if I have to do slides. I get normal contrast and color saturation.

[johnny massey]

Reala, or . . . if you see anyone selling off their remaining stocks of Konica Centuria 100 . . .

[len_smith]

I endorse Trevor's recommendation of Kodak Elite Color 400UC neg film. This has good sharpness, probably thanks to T-Grain technology <g>, and colour saturation that is slightly stronger than neutral. It would not be a first choice for portraiture, but it is a very good all round film for just about everything else.

 

My favourite slide film is Fujichrome Provia 100F, which has similar saturation, and I find the Provia and Elite Color go well together.

[torben_daltoft]

What a question!! And that on the LEICA forum (sigh)

[pablito pistola]

David, while everyone has favorite films, choice of film is a personal matter with direct

impact on the aesthetic qualities of the photographs you take. Some color films have

"natural" or subdued color and lower contrast, whilde others have "hyped up" or very

intense color or higher contrast. Some are better for skin tones than others. Only you can

decide, based on how you want your pictures to look. I suggest you do some research and

looking around and make your choice based on what you see. Personally, I like Fuji NPH

and Kodak Portra 400 NC ("natural color) which some folks refer to as "TriX-like".

However, if you are after very bright colors or very fine grain, you might dislike these

films.

[pablito pistola]

Well, Torben, that was my first reaction as well, but then I figured, heck, it's never too late

for a little education....

[gerry_szarek]

I like Kodak Royal Gold 100 which is not the same as Kodak Gold 100. Do bring some high speed film for indoor shots.

[brambor]

I would shoot the new emulsion Velvia 100 for the landscape and the new emulsion (if you can get it) provia 400 in the towns.

[terry_rory]

Torben I realise your post was in jest but I still wonder why there is a resistance to using colour in Leicas after 60+ years of 35mm colour film.

 

People on the LF have posted some wonderful colour shots from slide and neg. Just think of Frederick Muller's Fuji Superia + Leica shots from all over Europe.

[vincenzo_maielli]

Fujicolor Superia Reala 100 and Fujicolor NHP 400 are the best colour negative that i used, from 1978 at present day.

Ciao.

 

Vincenzo Maielli Bari Italy

[frederick_muller]

I really like Fuji Superia 400. It was also the only 400 speed film rated by Modern Photography a couple of years ago as having the same fine-grain rating as a 100 speed film.

 

As one might expect, you post a question and get a truckload of recommendations. My one real recommendation is this: never rely on an untested film, lens, or camera body on an important trip. The best equipment for trips like this are your old reliables. Use the film you have used for years and are happy with, use the camera and lenses that you have used for years and are happy with. If that's not possible, work them for a couple of months before you go.

[rich815]

I like Gold 200, scans beautifully on my LS-4000. In Germany pick up some Farbwelt. It's Kodak's european version of the Gold line but I think has slightly different character and is very nice. At least the 100 and 200 versions.

[frank uhlig]

Kodak 400 UC.

 

And if you like compressed color, retro old style, use Fuji Reala. Lots of people love it for old times sake. But otherwise: Kodak 400 UC.

[tony_senzaorbi]

"I am planning a trip to Germany/Austria in the summer...What film should I take?"

 

There's enough time between now and then for you to try a few and decide for yourself. It's not just the film either, it's the processing. The same film often looks completely different printed at different labs.

[arthuryeo]

Hmmm ... it's interesting that no one mentioned the newly formulated Kodak 800 Portra. It's supposedly less grainy, easier to scan and smoother tones on humans skins. I'd guess it's probably a nice neg to have for dark indoors work.

[EricM]

What does your lab print with and print on? One now has to match their tools and products for optimum results.

[cooper8168]

I'm a huge fan of NPH. For me, it works well on all that old-meets-new architecture in

Munich and works great in all those shaded narrow alleyways in Salzburg and Vienna. We

share an apartment in Munich and go to Bavaria 4 or 5 times a year. NPH, along with HP5

BW, is all I carry. Have a fun - it's our favorite part of the world!

[jonathan_reynolds]

Not much help to you, David, but I just wanted to record my grief at the recent loss of Agfa 400. I hardly used it, but my wife has accumulated many stunning shots of the family using that film in my old Nikon. Nothing else matched it, in our experience.

[helenbach]

I've come to like Fuji Pro 160S a lot since it came out. I also use Ultra 100, but that doesn't seem to be available everywhere. For 400 speed films I use either NPH (now renamed Pro 400H) or Ultra 400. The remarkably low graininess of Portra 800, NPZ (now renamed Pro 800Z) and even Fuji Natura 1600 make them all-round useful films if you don't want to enlarge beyond 10 x 15 or so, depending on your preference. If you have plenty of light, just overexpose them a stop or two and the graininess will get even lower.

 

Best, Helen

[robert goldstein]

Best all purpose color negative film--Kodak Ultracolor 400, with Fuji NPH 400 a close second.

 

Best for bright sun--Superia Reala 100.