Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Douglas, I print 35mm and medium format color neg films. My all around favorite film for both formats is Fujicolor Reala 100. Reala has good color saturation with moderate contrast. You can get better highlight and shadow definition on a print when compared to a consumer film like Superia or Kodak Gold. Another film I shoot in 35mm is Konica Impressa 50. Acording to Ctein, it is the finest grain color neg film available. Recently I compared K50 with Reala under a 100X microscope and have to agree, but, the Reala came very close in grain and apparent sharpness. I don't use K50 in mf any longer because with the bigger negs I can't see any improvement over Reala 100. Konica 50 has a slightly different color pallate than Fuji or Kodak films.It has great flesh tones. You won't see any grain at 11X14 and it is hard to find any to focus on in the enlarger. I but my K50 in 100 ft. rolls from Freestylesales.com for $21!! I just ordered some more today. Another 100 speed film I have had good resulty with is Kodak Ektapress 100. The best way to learn color printing, IMO, is to pick a film and paper and stick with it untill you have learned the art of color balance. I prefer Fujicolor Crystal Archive C paper but am using some Kodak Supra at the moment because I got it half price at a swap meet. Kodak has therr contrast grades in color paper but the range is not as wide as with b&w papers. I take all my exposed negs to a local minilab that does medium format as well as 35mm processing. I always ask for develop only, do not cut, sleeve in a plastic sleeve. That minimizes fingerprints. They charge $4 per roll and their work is consistent. I can get my negs developed at the drugstore minilab for $2 but they always used to mangle them and they were full of dirt. You make contact shets just as in b&w. Contact shets help you see the varying color corrections you need to do from frame to frame. If you used commercial prints as proofs they are already balanced and tell you little. there are many other good films out there. This is what I have settled on. Good luck Bill lawlor >Hm. I thought I'd sent this question to the list, but it never seems to >have arrived (or perhaps I missed it, in which case I apologize for >reposting). > >I'm new to color print films, having shot for some years with Velvia, >various Kodak emulsions, Agfa Scala and -- and, more recently Provia 100F. >I intend to do my own printing; an expert has promised to give me lessons. >What flavors of color print film do LUGgers suggest? This world seems >complex: I'm told that the Fuji consumer films are *sharper* than the >professional line; can that possibly be true? > >I'm sending this to the LUG, because I intend to shoot, for the most part, >in a Leica-like way: hand-held, using available light, often at longish >exposures. > >By the way, since I intend to pay only for the negative processing, is >there any reason to pay the premium for a professional lab? (If I can get >away with cheap one-hour processing at the local drugstore, it would be >nice.) > > >cheers, >