photo:film
photographic film in a digital age
see also:
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scanner software:
B&W film-developer combinations tests by
Erwin Puts, in general:
D-76 gives fine grain but the grain has fuzzy edges
Rodinal gives tight grains with clearly defined edges, but grain clumps are rough & irregular
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E6 colour reversal Fujichrome films:
C41 colour negative Fujicolor portrait films:
see also:
Superia Reala 100:
extremely sharp, fine grained film with high saturation & lower contrast with 4th layer tech for skin tones
although a consumer film, many pros use it for much of their photography including weddings and portraits as it scans well.
some rate it at 64-80ASA instead of 100ASA as it tends to lose contrast and get washed out if underexposed and can tolerate over-exposure by 1-2 stops quite well.
NPS160 Professional:
NPC160 Professional:
NPH400 Professional:
NPZ800 Professional:
enhanced contrast & colour saturation.
ensures faithful color and skin tone reproduction under a wide range of light sources, including fluorescent and mixed lighting.
ideal for available light wedding and portrait photography.
C41 colour negative Fujicolor press films:
Superia 100, 200
Press 400, 800
B&W silver halide films:
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E6 colour reversal Ektachrome films:
E100G - neutral tones - The new G(X) generation has the fine grain of the Fuji films, a lower Dmin and very natural colors.
E100GX - warmer tones
E100VS - vivid saturation
E200 - ideal for pushing
C41 colour negative films:
Portra (portrait films): 160NC, 160VC (vivid), 400NC, 400NV, 800, 100T (tungsten)
Supra (fashion, sport): 200, 400, 800 - push processible, scan well.
B&W silver halide film:
Plus-X 125:
Tri-X 320, 400:
uses 3 emulsion layers to capture different regions of tone & thus a favourite by many for its tonal range, especially in large format photography. Its tonal range can be helped by developing with gentle agitation in Rodinal.
plus 3 stops reciprocity compensation for 100sec exposures;
very tolerant of adverse storage and handling, processing variation, and exposure.
the film to which all other films are compared.
T-Max 100, 400, P3200:
very fine Tabular-shaped grain but loss of acutance, enlarge 8-12x; good for smooth grain in white/grey areas;
+1 to 1.5 stops reciprocity compensation for 100sec exposures;
100 is a very fine grained film with a very short toe, giving a very realistic rendition of tones but poor tolerance for underexposure.
uses a print-like emulsion and the latent image tends to deteriorate rapidly, thus best to develop as soon as possible.
the new Spur SD 2525 is a two-part developer that brings outstanding smoothness of grain and sharpness.
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B&W chromogenic C41 film:
BW400CN:
no reciprocity compensation needed up to 120sec exposures, longer exposures not recommended.
much less UV and red sensitivity than Kodak's silver halide films
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B&W silver halide film:
B&W chromogenic film:
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RSX II 50/100/200 colour reversal film - for architecture, still life
Optima 100/200/400 colour negative film
Agfacolor Portrait 160 colour negative film
Agfapan APX 100/400 silver halide B&W film
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Why film?
although use of film is declining at a rapid rate and quickly becoming a niche product, it still has some significant advantages over digital such as:
greater dynamic range, especially with B&W film (most digitals are similar to slide film - only 5-6 f stops)
traditional film artefacts such as grain can give an image a special type of softness & mood.
when using medium or large format film, they can be either printed or scanned to much higher degrees than current digital:
one can thus combine digital with film in a synergistic manner, particularly when one can use a digital camera to simulate the traditional Polaroid back, as well as acting as a special reflective light meter.
B&W films:
Professional vs Consumer films:
professional films are manufactured to more demanding specifications and for good results should be developed within hours or days of the photo being taken as the latent image alters with time, particularly the detail in the shadow regions.
colour professional films are normally stored refrigerated and allowed to thaw at room temperature for at least 3 hours prior to use. However, once at room temperature, most can tolerate days or weeks at room temperature before being used as long as there are no extreme temperature fluctuations.
chromogenic B&W films are processed in the usual C41 colour negative processing and compared to silver halide B&W, have very wide exposure latitude allowing exposures to be taken at 50-800ISO settings and still getting good results, although the lower the ISO used, the finer the grain and the smoother the skin tones will be.
high temperatures & high humidity can impair the photographic characteristics of film material, especially speed and colour balance, consider storing below 10degC.
avoid fumes harmful to film such as formalin, glues & cosmetics.
People photography with film:
black and white film:
good skin tones using silver halide film and print can be achieved with either Kodak Tri-X Pan Professional and Ilford FP4+, but the grain in these films does not scan as well as chromogenic films. Kodak's TMax has extended red sensitivity which may be problematic with skin tones which may be rendered “pastey” and thus require a yellow or yellow-green filter. Ilford Delta 100 is a favourite of many for skin tones & seems to scan well.
for scanning, a chromogenic B&W film may be better.
traditionally for B&W of skin tones a yellow-green filter is used to render the skin as sun-tanned in daylight (esp. needed for Tmax), but the loss of light may outweigh its benefit.
extended red & infra-red film, or a B&W film used with an orange or red filter can be used to create a milky skin tone with minimal blemishes and freckles.
a blue filter may be needed in tungsten light to prevent skin looking too pale.
colour film:
if your intention is to scan the film, then a E-6 reversal film such as FUJICHROME ASTIA 100F produces the best skin tones.
if your intention is to create conventional prints or you need extended dynamic range, then a negative C-41 film such as KODAK PORTRA 160 NC (Neutral) or VC (Vivid) are good choices, as are KODAK 400UC, FUJIFILM NPS 160 (Neutral) and NPC (Enhanced Contrast).
although traditionally, a warming filter such as a 81A is used for swimwear/lingerie, it may not be needed if you are scanning the image as then it can be warmed in Photoshop.
as this is a rather new technology - film + scan + digital printing, it will require a bit of experimenting to get the best results, which is lucky for me as it gives me a good excuse to get out there and start taking some pics with my new 6×6 film cameras.
Film scanners:
For a different look, then try some analog darkroom techniques:
vintage bromoil effect:
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essentially:
first go to your darkroom (remember what that is?) and make the best possible print you can do. Use developers and fix with no hardening additives in it.
after the final rinse - let the image dry.
then you bleach the image with a special bleach, containing potassium dichromate which will harden the gelatine on which all images are done. the darker the area is, the more it hardens.. then re-fix - rinse a lot and let it dry.
you now have a piece of paper with only a hint of the original image left. All silver is gone.
put the image in tap water. the gelatine will then soak up water, but of couras not, where the gelatine is hardened…
after a while you'll see a faint photography in water! as a relief…
then you take the wet image - take off the surplus water on the surface, and using a brush - or a sponge you add lithographic colour, made very stiff with an additive..
the principle is, that oil and water doesn't go together, so in the areas where the gelatine is hardened, the paint will stick. Where there is lots of water in the gelatine, the colour is easy to remove..
So tapping away, the photograph slowly emerges in oil paint.
photo/film.txt · Last modified: 2019/09/05 09:02 by gary1