Color negative recommendation

[eric bond]

After having spent years in traditional B&W and doing my own processing, then going all digital, I'm returning to film.

I am getting ready to shoot the Tetons and Yellowstone and would like recommendations for color, negative 35mm

film.

 

What is best for this outdoor situation? I used to use Fuji Reala. Anything better for saturation and the high

contrast?

[phule]

Reala for ISO 100 and Kodak UC 400 for, well, ISO 400. :)

[drjedsmith]

Reala is still a respectable neg film. Although I primarily shoot transperancy film and would recommend it for landscapes such as the Tetons/Yellowstone, I do understand the desire for the exposure latitude of negs...espcially if you're used to working the max latitude a properly exposed B&W negs into a print.

While I have not seen a print with color neg film that matched the intensity as the same made with a color slide (I would love to be proved wrong on this point), the ability to capture say, 9 stops worth of data instead of 5, is certainly a plug for shooting color negs!

 

If you want a little more punch than Reala, with very fine grain, try some of the new Portra 160 VC. A very nice film indeed.

Ultracolor (100 UC) will give more saturation, but the reds tend to block up easily. From the couple rolls I've shot of it, I just can't seem to find the groove with this film, but some swear by it.

 

Good luck with the neg films, and I would love to see some scans when you get back from your trip. If you have some good ones, maybe it will convince me to shoot less slide film and more negs... :-)

Sincerely,

Jed

[bgelfand]

Reala is nice, but IMHO, Kodak Ultra Color 100 UC is better. It certainly is more saturated, but still gives good skin tone, and I think it scans better.

[stephen sullivan]

Kodak 160VC with a Cir-PL. Plus the 160VC scans so nicely.

[anthony johns]

I'd say reala or portra nc or even vc. Personally, I think uc lacks a kind of warmth.

[paul_miller10]

See my rsponse in the thread below (slide and color negative film questions).

Reala is too flat for landscape photography and the greens and blues will lack saturation. I have found Reala to be a superb film for people photography and especially for architectural photography with mixed light sources because it has a fourth (cyan) color layer. Any Fujicolor amateur color negative emulsion (ISO 200) will yield neutral greys, satruated blues, and vibrant greens.

[phule]

[[Reala is too flat for landscape photography and the greens and blues will lack saturation.]]

 

Perhaps you're using the original Reala and not Superia Reala? I have not seen any sort of lack of saturation from the Superia Reala I've shot.

[ted_marcus1]

Kodak 400UC. Probably the best all-around color negative film on the market. Saturated but not excessive color,

snappy but not excessive contrast, very fine grain, convenient speed. It scans well too.

[benny_spinoza]

Kodak 100UC.

[eric bond]

Thank you to all who responded. I've committed the "overcomitment" sin and ordered up too many films for the short time before the trip. I'm familiar enough with Reala, so I'm really going to concentrate on test rolls of Kodak 100UC (and I even order some Porta 160 VC).

Thanks - You've helped me narrow the focus.

[drjedsmith]

Alrigh! I've done that myself...just so many good ones to try. :-)

Seriously, though - the Portra 160VC is a beautiful film, and the 100UC is really good for more saturation...kind of like the "slide film" of negatives in a way.

 

I'd save a lot of money if I could just convince myself the results from negs were as good as from slides! :-)

 

Jed