reala alternative

[perry_cas]

I quite like Reala but it doesnt seem to come in a 220. I was wondering what the

alternatives might be, Portra 160 NC? I am about to go on a trip to the tropics.

Any suggestions would be valued.

perry

[colin_elliott]

I don't know where you reside but up/down/across here in Canada, it's readily available.

 

If I'm shooting negative film, other than for weddings, I use Reala as my regular emulsion. You could try Fuji NPC as a 160 ISO alternative to Portra.

[kparratt]

Portra is of course an excellent film. But when travelling, I always carry some Fuji with me because the packets carry a printed-in-red message warning to avoid x-rays. This I have found to be very helpful in convincing security staff that a hand inspection is important. So even if the bundle contains a mix of film types, I show them the Fuji lable. This is not what you were asking about but it may be of help.

 

Reala has been my favourite colour neg film, but I have not yet made critical comparisons with Portra. ie, a magazine loaded with each to expose under identical conditions. The local labs where I am no longer do analogue prints, and the qualities I enjoyed with Reala are lost.

 

Kevin.

[diegobuono]

When you ask for an hand inspection does this mean they open the sealed roll film? Or they simply inspect it and eventually check for explosive?

In Italy if I don't want to X-ray the film the security man want to open the roll.

[dougmiles]

At Seattle at least they want to open every sealed foil wrapper to see what's inside. Last time I just opened each wrapper myself then put the 20 rolls of 220 NPZ in a clear 1 liter zip-loc bag, and the inspectors were happy.

 

I've never used Reala, but Fuji 160S (used to be NPS 160) is a favorite for outdoor travel scenes. 160C is contrastier, I believe, while 160S is favored for weddings and portraits. I use the 800Z (formely NPZ 800) for evening and interior shooting. These are both great films, and so is the other member of the pro group, 400H.

[kparratt]

Hand inspection: as Doug says, they will want to open at least some of the foil wrappers. No harm done. This was at a UK airport, and yes, present them in a zip-lock bag. Check in early to avoid delays.

[Ed_Ingold]

The foil seal excludes all light, and removing it makes the unprotected spool much more sensitive to fogging at the edges. You are better off to allow the film to be X-Rayed. There is little noticeable effect from carry-on inspection systems to ISO 400 film, even after 100 passes or so (about 1/3 stop). The effect is roughly proportional to the film speed, so judge accordingly. AFIK, Heathrow will not bypass the X-Ray under any circumstances. Get use to it or switch to digital.

[allison_reese2]

i like the portra line as well.

[perry_cas]

thanks I appreciate the suggestion re Xray warning. I had a really bad experience in Hungary a few years ago where the staff actually tried to wrestle me for the film so that they could Xray it. they were much more civilised at the other end in Syria, where i ended up having a surprising conversation with the head of security about post war absurdism and the plays of Harold Pinter in relation to the Hungarian farce. NPS? You might be in for a pleasant surprise with Reala Doug, NPS is a really a Portrait film, VERY soft on wrinkles, not really useful for landscape details.

I dont think I have tried NPH, but I really what i wanted to know was how the Portra 160 compared to the Reala as an outdoor landscape film. If it was as fine grained.

Thanks for the help

Perry

[subho basu]

May I suggest Fuji Provia 100 as an alternative to Fuji Reala? I assume you scan your negatives before printing. It is a general purpose slide film that is not as saturated as Velvia. Many photogs say its easier to scan. Hope this helps.