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THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE ANSWERS YOU REALLY WANT REGARDING WHICH FILM TYPE IS BEST FOR YOU IS TO...

GET OUT AND SHOOT IT FOR YOURSELF.

Let this be a mere starting point for your explanation of the film world!

COLOR. (DEVELOPED IN C-41 PROCESS. HAS LATITUDE, MAKING IT VERY FORGIVING FOR CHOOSING EXPOSURE. AMAZING HIGHLIGHT RETENTION, SHADOW DETAIL, AND TONAL RANGE.)

KODAK PORTRA 400: This film is new to the market, and is the answer to serious film shooters’ dreams. Aside from Portra 160, it is the only color film available in 220. Kodak Portra 400 is RAD because it uses the vision 3 technology found in motion pictures. This means Portra 400 can be pushed and pushed well! I’ve shot it pushed to 3200, which is unheard of for color negative film – and it is gorgeous. No grain increase, color shifts, or lack of contrast and saturation. Add the fact that you can now shoot at night with this film by pushing it like crazy? Awesome.

Contax 645, Kodak Portra 400, 80mm lens, f/2, Melbourne, Australia.

Great skintones, great contrast and saturation, this is the future of color film in 120, 220, and 35mm formats. (We can all shoot Portra, shazaam!)

Gotta tell ya, though: when I first shot this film I did not think much of it. My test images were super yellow. Turns out, they were super yellow because I shot it the way I shoot Fuji 400H, overexposing and metering for the shadows.

This new Portra 400 is more or less motion picture film. If anyone has worked on a movie set, you know when they meter they have the bulb out and meter straight up, then they expose for exactly what the meter says (more on metering a little later). I have found this is the way to meter for Portra 400. No overexposing unless you like yellow photos.

KODAK PORTRA 800: When Fuji discontinued 800Z film, the film world had a moment of mourning. Luckily, there’s Portra 800 to step up and handle those low-light situations. It lacks the magenta shift 800Z introduced whether you liked it or not, and Portra 800 can be pushed to 1600 without any issues. This film is great for skintones but still nice and contrasty and saturated.

I LOVE THIS FILM, IT’S AWESOME. LIKE BLOW-YOUR-MIND AWESOME.

The only drawback? Kodak Portra 800 is only available in 120 and 35mm formats. I shoot this guy in 120 for about an hour at the end of the night to keep that 120 format from bothering me too much.

Contax 645, Kodak Portra 800, 80mm lens, f/2. Laie, HI.

I PUT PORTRA TO THE TEST WITH A SINGLE SUBJECT, THEN EXPOSED IT ACROSS AN EIGHT-STOP RANGE.

HERE ARE THE RESULTS.

As you can see, Portra 400 should alleviate your fear of getting the “wrong” exposure with film. Worry a bit less about exposure and a bit more about the subjects in front of you, focusing manually, etc., as you make your way in the world of film.

You’ll find that with time and practice, your exposures will improve – but that doesn’t mean you’ll stop shooting Portra.

UNDEREXPOSED 3 STOPS

UNDEREXPOSED 2 STOPS

UNDEREXPOSED 1 STOP

SHOT NORMAL

OVEREXPOSED 1 STOP

OVEREXPOSED 2 STOPS

OVEREXPOSED 3 STOPS

OVEREXPOSED 4 STOPS

Mamiya RZ Pro II, Kodak Ektar 100, 110mm lens, f/2.8. Aiea, HI.

KODAK EKTAR 100: Great for travel work, personal work, and details. Super-saturated, super-super-super (note the use of three supers! I warned you!) contrasty, and a bit red. Red people aren’t pretty people, so this film usually doesn’t work for portraits.

Available in 120 and 35mm formats. The film grain is crazy-fine — like, it just might make you weep at its grainy perfection. Or blow up an image to the size of your studio wall to test its capabilities.

Want to get ballsy? These films are all available in 4x5 and 8x10 formats. Booyah.

Contax 645, Kodak Ektar 100, 80mm lens, f/2. Pasadena, CA.

400H IS WHAT CREATES THE SIGNATURE PASTEL LOOK IN FILM IMAGES.

Contax 645, Fuji 400H, 80mm lens, f/2. Groton, CT.

FUJI 400H: Available in 120 medium format and 35mm format, this was my film of choice for years. I love the color palette, levels of saturation, and contrast I can achieve when I overexpose this film. The skintones on 400H freaking rock.

400H is what creates the signature pastel look in film images – when grouped with a Contax, the combination is crazy rad.

That ISO of 400 is versatile in lots of lighting situations, like broad daylight, open shade, and hand-held up to 1/30 sec in relatively low light. This film must be overexposed to create that pastel-y look. Depending on the lighting, I recommend overexposing this film by one to three stops. In broad daylight: +1. In open shade: +2: In really flat light: +3.

The more overexposed the film, the more saturation and contrast you’re introducing into the image.

Contax 645, Kodak Portra 400, 80mm lens, f/2. San Jose, CA.

FUJI 160C: A super-magenta, super-contrasty film much like the discontinued 800Z, just 2.3 stops slower. A discontinued-at-the-end-of-2010 film that’s readily available on eBay.

FUJI 160S: Think 400H with 1.3 stops less light sensitivity. Another discontinued-at-the-end-of-2010 film that’s readily available on eBay.

If you’re going to be shooting weddings in the summer, outdoors, you can shoot 160S in 220 format and you’ll never miss your 400H. In the winter or inside? You’ll miss your 400H.