I hope you enjoyed my last impressions on monochrome films. One good thing about shooting films is you can easily change your expression without changing cameras. Quality of monochrome films mainly depends on contrast, tonality, and granularity. In addition to the three elements, quality of color films also depends on color tone and saturation. This time, I picked up the new Kodak PORTRA 400 (released in the fall of 2010) and another Kodak film, the EKTAR 100. Who am I? I'm Akio Inden, a photographer who talks about films with full of enthusiasm and subjectivity.

Don't you feel there're more pictures with gentle cyan-tinted color or calm color reproduction than before? If you take a look at the data, you'll find most of those pictures are taken with PORTRA. We used to have fine kinds of PORTRA films with the sensitivity of 160, 400, and 800 (the 160 and 400 films had neutral color (NC) and vivid color (VC) versions). This variation works great if you know what to photograph, but it may confuse you if you don't really know what to shoot.

Now, the two old versions of PORTRA400 seem to be integrated as one version, PORTRA 400. While the biggest difference between the two old versions was saturation, saturation of the new PORTRA400 is in the middle of the old two versions. In addition, granularity has been increased and the film surface has a coating to prevent scratch in the scanning process. This big improvement by their new technology reflects how films are used today. So, how is this new one different from the old two versions that made a history? Is it completely different? Or, has it evolved maintaining the traits of the old versions?

I wonder how many people have been fascinated by this cyan-tinted color reproduction. Despite the backlight condition, it realized the fresh green by maintaining soft contrast and gentle colors.



I framed dynamically by including the sun. Thanks to the rich tonality and the cyan tint, tonal balance seems to be great even though it was shot against the sun.

The low saturation of the PORTRA is perfect for shooting a scene that reminds me of my golden childhood.

Do you think trends don't matter to you? Or, you don't sing popular songs? No problem. You have the Ektar 100. The name Ektar was used for the best lenses made in Eastman Kodak's birth place, Rochester, New York. And, some people may be quick to realize that the "Ek" in Ektar means the initials of the company name. Anyway, the name Ektar shows their confidence in quality. They started using the name for films in the 90's and it was the Ektar 25. The granularity of Ektar 25 was exceptional and people used to say that it beats 4x5 format (large format film, 100 x 125mm) even though it was Leica format (135 film, 24 x 35mm). Why did they discontinue it? Maybe it was because the 25 sensitivity was too low for many consumers.

The Ektar 100 was released in October 2010 boasting rich tonality, natural color and saturation, and world's finest-grain. The speed is ISO 100 and it has the anti scratch coating for scanning. Now, let's shoot!



All colors are reproduced with clarity. Clouds are pure white. This clarity is comparable to slide films and this is what Ektar means.



Saturation becomes low without sunshine, but the solid colors in flowers in the front and the back alley indicates high saturation of this film. Yet, it has the good character of a negative film: tonality is smooth and calm.



I chose to shoot in an adverse condition including sunshine. I expected more flares, but the high contrast covered them.

Usually, film testing requires comparison under the same conditions and analysis of each element such as granularity, color tones, and saturation. However, this time I'm only focusing on my impression because analyzing is one thing but having fun in taking photography is another. I hope you'll feel that you can take such photos if you used a certain film, or that this color is interesting, or that you can shoot against the sun with a certain film. Such feeling doesn't have to be scientifically based. Taking photography doesn't mean to be bound by rules, but to think freely.

Here's the summary of my subjective impressions.

As for the PORTRA 400, I feel it's a little similar to the old NC version. But, I must note that this feeling is due to the fact that I really like the PORTRA NC. Still, the unique color and calm tonality just like worn-out jeans remind me of my favorite NC. As long as it has such character, it will keep attracting many photo enthusiasts.

As for the Ektar 100, it's a well-balanced film and has natural color tone, saturation, and contrast. Subjects are reproduced without exaggerations just as the photographer saw them. People tend to favor colorful and contrasty films, but the Ektar 100 is a precious one because it's loyal to the real appearance of subjects. If you want to record your dearest family, friends and scenes just as they are, choose this film.

Would you follow the trend with the unique PORTRA 400? Or, would you choose not to sing the pop song by using the natural Ektar 100?

PS: The PORTRA 160 was just released while I was writing this impression. Also, at the photo exhibition, some people asked me what the Italian Solaris is like. Maybe there's no end for my film impressions...

Back to top