I have tried the new fuji 160s its nice. but a bit warm. probably would be great for portraits.
I have been looking for the kodak E100vs looks really interesting but have not found a source with reasonable prices. Its going to cost me over $75 for the film and to dev and mount and scan one roll.

Interesting, thanks guys.

I've always just shot b/w usually with fp4 and delta 100, so color isn't really familiar to me. I picked up a few other rolls at the same time just to try out (fujicolor pro 160, supra 100 and 400)

so we'll see. I want to find some that I like working with before my trips this summer. I think I might be digital-less, so i'll be taking my ftn, my rollei, and I'm undecided about which body to take for a third, but with that body I'll probably shoot color.

I shot agfa many years ago so it may not have been agfa vista. But I didn't like it. I remember you get a kind of pinkish hue. but then again it may have been an early version of agfa and not the one you have.

vista 100 (AGFA) is pretty much a standard consumer color film. I've never shot it, and for colour work I've always seemed to use either kodak's portra films or fujichrome reversal stock.

also, kodak ektar 100 is quite good.

chris (or anyone else), how do you feel about agfa vista?
I don't normally shoot color at all so I'm not really comfortable with the different types, but I've picked up a few rolls of various things to try out and I have one roll of vista 100 to try out

keep it either at room temp, or refrigerated (dry), in the dark.

So, to revive this thread: what are the rules for proper film storage? I hear a lot of people mentioning taking film from their freezer, for instance?

Talking about film... My mentor just gave me a roll of 120 Eletrachrome 160T slide film that expired in 1992, and a broken diana to fix :) this will be interesting

Slide (aka reversal film) gives you a transparent picture that you can view with a projector.

Negative film is the traditional kind of film you normally think of that gives you a negative image.

E6 and C41 you mean?

E6 is a positive and usually is slightly more sensitive to light changes than c41, which is why you should meter everything shot on Provia (or any other slide film). Also it costs more to process it and fewer places do it (and is a migraine to do it yourself)...

so like, excuse my complete lack of understanding regarding film, but whats the difference between slides and negatives. like, i could do the research but you guys are so much better at explaining this stuff.

the "funky" colors you're talking about are color shifts brought on by decay in the dye-couplers within the emulsion. More likely than not, though, expired film will result in loss of sensitivity, base fogging from cosmic radiation and heat contamination, and/or condensation spots from poor storage conditions. Never entrust subjects of great importance to questionable film. I shoot all my serious work on new film, or film that has only recently expired, and has been in my possession since it was in date. I use expired stuff for personal work only after testing a roll or two from a batch, in the case of my vintage plus-x, it's been ok on most rolls, but some of them have condensation spots of uneven density, therefore, that stuff is reserved exclusively for messing around with friends and family. Anything for my portfolio or display is shot on trustworthy stock.

NikoDoby said:
It's not just expired film that hasn't been exposed yet, but also exposed film that just sits there waiting for you to develop it.

That makes sense, I never thought of it that way though.

It's not just expired film that hasn't been exposed yet, but also exposed film that just sits there waiting for you to develop it.

ChrisLange said:
depends how far out of date, and on what film. fast films age faster, and less gracefully. I have some plus-x from 1983 that is still pretty decent, but sometimes Delta 3200 can go bad within months of its expiry. it depends on how it was stored and the type of emulsion. If it's within the past ten years though, and has been in a relatively dry, room temp/cold environment, you should be totally fine. New film is always best though...

Thanks. I don't have a darkroom, so I really don't need to care about emulsions. I get it done at an independent place. It's good they're still around.

Old film gives funky colors right?

NSXType-R said:
By the way, how much of a difference does using the film before the expiration date make? I'm sure it makes a bit of difference, but does it really matter?

depends how far out of date, and on what film. fast films age faster, and less gracefully. I have some plus-x from 1983 that is still pretty decent, but sometimes Delta 3200 can go bad within months of its expiry. it depends on how it was stored and the type of emulsion. If it's within the past ten years though, and has been in a relatively dry, room temp/cold environment, you should be totally fine. New film is always best though...

By the way, how much of a difference does using the film before the expiration date make? I'm sure it makes a bit of difference, but does it really matter?

to me, my real favorites are FP4+ and Plus-X Pan in 120 format for mid, and Tri-X Pro 320 for fast. The negs out of my Pentax 6x7 are unreal, and the tonal gradations are to die for. I love using plus-x in my rolleiflex, gives me negs with the character of 1951 and the subject matter of today.

Acros in 120 is also unreal, I don't shoot it in 35mm, but in 120 it's heavenly.

The only film I've developed yet that I've shot with is Fuji Superia 100, it's a nice film I guess, I have no experience. But you guys are right, the greens come out really nice.

Just had a look around for Slide film and the new Kodak e100VS sounds interesting. Anyone tried that?

ChrisLange said:
mid: Ilford Delta 100, Ilford FP4+, Plus-X, Fuji Neopan Acros, Fuji Neopan SS - I've floated between all of these for the past year and a half, I like Delta a lot, and Acros too, but I like FP4+ and Plus-X the most. Neopan SS is good too, but I prefer FP4+ and PX over it.

I love me some delta 100 and fp4+
I'm with you there compadre.

Velvia is not my favorite choice when shooting Bluebonnets (Texas Lupin).
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/39/39.5.html

In my experience, unless the light is perfect Velvia has a tendency to exhibit a magenta shift that is not attractive to me. It also emphasizes the green of the plant which can readily overpower the flower. Provia seems to avoid some of these problems and still has a fine grain. Velvia also does not favor the "golden hour" light on Bluebonnets...though a flash can reduce the problems to some extent.

Oh and if I could throw a little curve into this discussion, anyone use Ilford Delta, Kodachrome 64, Fujichrome Velvia 100, Tri-X, or any other Lightroom or Photoshop preset for there workflow? I have gotten some great finished shots with these presets and they really look like film in some cases.

Wow the posts are so good on this thread that I just cut and pasted the entire link to a desktop folder on my notebook computer for future reference. Great stuff Chris Lange you really broke it down into important situational needs. Some of the films mentioned here can be very difficult to find.

Kodak and Fuji are generally fine, but others can be tough. I have always liked my prints with Kodak gold ISO 100 36 exposure rolls. Its a a basic easy to shoot film. Tmax is great for black and whites and Provia gets a vote for me as well. I actually have some Kodachrome left for my big trips this summer. I've been saving it in the fridge.^^ It expires next year! Love that stuff...

Ilford PAN F and Xp2 (ISO 400), Fuji Provia (ASA 100)is amazing as is Reala (do they still make it?) and Velvia, Kodak porta (c41) ISO 400, and Agfa ultra ISO 100...