FILM PHOTOGRAPHY

Review: Kodak Portra 800

To see Portra 800 exposure tested, follow this link. As a reference for Portra 400 shot at 800, follow this link. To see a more formal comparison of Portra 800 with the other two members of the Portra family (Experiment 2), go here.

I waited far too long to really give Portra 800 a fair shake. The main reason was the price – coming in at $15 more expensive for a pro pack of 120 and half again the price of a roll of 35mm, I considered more of a luxury than something I would regularly shoot. A couple months ago I caved and picked up a pro pack of both 120 and 35mm in order to write a review on it. I can honestly say that I won’t be defaulting to Portra 400 any longer. The colors of 800 are fantastic. The colors are quite punchy and given the additional speed from 400, the grain structure is minimal and pleasing.

Color

Much like Portra 400, this film stock is great for shooting portraits. The tones are nice and warm with a lot of depth. At the time of writing the Portra 400 review, I had only shot one roll of 800 at box speed and a couple others at 500 or slower to intentionally overexpose as that’s what had been suggested to me. Some of the shots at box speed really turned out well but I don’t know that I cared much for a single shot from the rolls of it overexposed. So, naturally, when I decided to give it another go I wanted to shoot most all of it at box speed. I couldn’t have been happier with the results. The colors are more saturated than Portra 400 while not being quite as strong as Ektar. That said, compared with Portra 160 it’s got saturation for days.

Properly exposed it actually doesn’t have a terribly different rendering that Portra 400 underexposed. The warm tones are spot on with this film and even the cool tones may by favorite of any other color negative film. The greens are just unreal…

Portraits

Similar to Portra 400, it’s literally in the name. It’s crushes portraits in daylight, low light, and while I haven’t experimented with it in the studio, I expect it too would be great.

Dynamic Range

To see a head to head comparison with other color negative film stocks, please refer to the exposure testing article. I was truly blown away by Portra 800s ability to retain detail while being underexposed. While being the highest speed color negative film we tested, it keep good detail even at 3 stops underexposed – that’s metering at 6400ISO!!! While I wouldn’t personally shoot it at this speed on the regular, it gave me a lot of confidence in really low light situations to open up the lens and shoot as slow as I could go while trusting the outcome to be solid. Well.. relative to any other color film shot at 6400ISO, I had confidence.

As for overexposing, I don’t much care for it. I think this is where I had the problems before… It gets too yellow and all around too saturated for my taste. for now, I’ve learned my lesson in intentionally underexposing this film. In fact, if I find myself in tricky conditions (which isn’t uncommon hiking in OH) I may in the future meter for half or even a whole step underexposed. Maybe… I only say that because I’ve still had too many shots come out undesirable because some parts of the frame were still too bright and the whole shot was lost to unattractive colors.

Pushing/Pulling

I haven’t done either as of yet. I fully expect that at some point I’ll try both as 800 speed gives enough to move in either direction and still be fine.

Conclusion

I love this film. Plain and simple. If it was less expensive, it would be my go to film probably. But it isn’t… It’s almost half again as expensive as Portra 400 on all fronts and that’s a real concern – it adds up fast if you’re shooting a lot. So for now, I’ll continue to shoot with it as much as I can and play around with it in different situations to really get to know it. But I don’t really see the day where it takes 400’s place in my heart or freezer.

One caveat to all of this: I’ve not yet brought up but is a consideration of mine is ease to travel with. As an 800 speed film, this film must be hand checked if you’re flying. As it happens, Portra 400 doesn’t need it at all – I’ve gone through security 4 times with the same rolls and not had a single issue with it. With everything I’ve ever read (in addition to the TSA website and signs in the airport) about traveling with 800 speed or faster film, you have to hand check it and that’s just a pain. More of a pain than I typically feel like dealing with. Perhaps if I was going on a huge trip and needed a lot of fast film for whatever reason and I knew I’d want to take Ilford Delta 3200, maybe then I’d go through the hassle. Otherwise, I’ll likely keep leaning on Portra 400 and Ektar when I’m flying.

Interview: Seth Gaffar

“I think the big change I have noticed since moving to shooting film is striving to make more authentic images…”

Seth’s work is incredibly interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone who has such tasteful first of the roll shots or light leaks. Much of his work is based on coastal living and captures a life that inspires. I love his work and look forward to hearing what he has to say about film photography. His instagram account can be found here.

JM – Why do you shoot film?

SG – I shoot film for the love of the process and the challenge. I know a lot of people talk about quality or the archival aspect but I just love the whole process of shooting film so much more than digital. I feel that with film you really focus on every shot; there is no looking at the back of a screen to take you out of the moment…

JM – What is your favorite film? Camera?

SG – I think my original love and the reason I really got into film photography, the Nikonos V, would have to be my favorite camera.

SG – Although I am a big time Kodak Portra fan and user, that is just so boring. Haha. I actually really love Fuji Superia but unfortunately it is getting harder to find these days. This shot was taken with my Nikonos V on Fuji Superia 400.

JM – What proportion of your shots turn out as you hoped (or better)?

SG – Hmm… That is a tough question. I would say it depends on what I am doing and what camera I am using. It took me a while to figure out the Nikonos. There were a few rolls I shot in the water that were total duds with maybe only a couple okay shots. It is a funky camera with zone focusing and shooting surfing with a 35mm camera in the water, you really have to get closer than you think and wait for just the right moment to click the shutter. I would say now most shots I get I am pretty happy with because I am more patient. I usually swim out with just a 24 frame roll and it might take me two hours or more to finish it.

SG – But lately for instance I have been playing around with double exposures on my mamiya RZ67 and that can be very hit or miss for me.

JM – Would you say that your style has changed since you’ve started shooting film? What was the catalyst for this change?

SG – I think my style has always been and will always be an evolving thing. I think the big change I have noticed since moving to shooting film is striving to make more authentic images and getting away from the super saturated epic sunsets. I have learned to really enjoy the process of being out shooting and I am much more patient now. Instead of going crazy shooting image after image, I wait until I see something I want to capture. In a way I think it trains your eye more than digital photography can.

“I think film has made me really appreciate the happy accidents and the images I get that were not as planned out.”

JM – What is a personal goal you have for your photography?

SG – A personal goal I have for my photography is to capture more authentic everyday moments and to try to capture more of my life through photos. I have been really into shooting landscapes and surfing, but I want to try to have a camera on me more often for everyday moments. I think film has made me really appreciate the happy accidents and the images I get that were not as planned out.

JM – What do you look for in a photograph? Is what you find compelling in a photograph different when it’s one of your photographs compared with one from someone else?

SG – I think whether it is my own photograph or someone else’s makes a difference. The images I am drawn to have a composition that just pulls you in. I usually find that my favorite photos I have taken have a very clean and minimal composition.

JM – What is your favorite shot you’ve ever taken? What’s the story behind it?

SG – I am not sure if I can decide on one favorite shot, but I really love this shot I took of my friend Scott. The surf was really going off and we went out to this little secret spot. I had never seen surf like this in Maine. It was an epic day. After the session I left the roll in my Nikonos and forgot it was loaded. I opened the back before re-rolling it, and I was so worried I had ruined the whole roll! Luckily I closed it quick and just about all the shots were salvaged, and a bunch had some really cool light leaks. This one was my favorites.

JM – If someone told you they were thinking of getting into film, what would your response/advice be?

SG – Do it! Haha, seriously though it has been so much fun for me. I fell like it really brought a whole new excitement to photography for me moving to shooting mostly film from all digital. It gives you a whole new layer of things to learn, and I just think it is a super fun medium to shoot with.

SG – I also think it is really cool that for pretty cheap you can get gear that was, and still is top of the line in many respects. There are so many different types of cameras too. Since you can usually sell cameras for what you buy them for, (a benefit unobserved in digital photography) you can experiment with all sorts of gear. You can really find the perfect camera that matches your shooting style.

More of Seth’s work can be seen below:

Interview: Gabriel Maldonado

“Film is alive and no matter how much you plan, it’s going to do what its going to do.”

Gabriel is an amazing portrait photographer out in Orange County, CA. His work is really unique and quite engrossing. I highly suggest you check out his instagram and website.

JM – Why do you shoot film?

GM – I couldn’t afford a full frame digital and I really wanted to start photography after doing video for so long. Then I asked myself why do I want to shoot digital when I’m just going to try and copy the look and feel of film in post. Well we all know you can NEVER copy the look and feel of film.

JM – What is your favorite film? Camera?

GM – Hate to sound cliché but it works and it’s never failed me. PORTRA 400. I’ve tried others and the only one that has come close to the love I have for portra is Cinestill 800t.

GM – My favorite camera is my current most recent acquisition, a Leica M6 in classic chrome.

JM – What proportion of your shots turn out as you hoped (or better)?

GM – I’m lucky to get 5-6 usable shots in a roll. And I’m ecstatic if I can get like 11. A lot of the shots I get are good shots but just not stuff I’d use and share – more shareable for the model.

JM – Would you say that your style has changed since you’ve started shooting film? What was the catalyst for this change?

GM – Yes I would. I’d say I’ve become more patient with my work and humbled by film. Film is alive and no matter how much you plan, it’s going to do what its going to do. All you can do is make sure you set it up to succeed. Framing, exposure, etc…

“I think I’m always proud of the new stuff I do because I feel like every time I shoot I change and get better in other areas where I was previously weaker.”

JM – What is a personal goal you have for your photography?

GM – I’d like to do more commercial fashion work. I’d like to be published somewhere that truly likes my work and not when its convenient to have a new photographer.

JM – What do you look for in a photograph? Is what you find compelling in a photograph different when it’s one of your photographs compared with one from someone else?

GM – Yeah, I’m definitely more hard on my work. I like everyone’s work over my own work. I’m constantly second guessing myself and I’m always a finger push away from deleting a photo I’ve already published. I’m getting over it though; I think I’m getting better. I think…

JM – What is your favorite shot you’ve ever taken? What’s the story behind it?

GM – I don’t think I have a favorite at the moment… It always changes. If I had to say, I guess it would be my most recent work. I think I’m always proud of the new stuff I do because I feel like every time I shoot I change and get better in other areas where I was previously weaker.

JM – If someone told you they were thinking of getting into film, what would your response/advice be?

GM – Buy a scanner and develop yourself. You will save a lot of money. There’s nothing wrong with using a pro lab. I use one . But its going to cost. Just keep that in mind. Oh, and shoot something cheap first then work your way into the pro films like Portra 400. You might end up liking the cheaper stuff more anyway. And remember – if you shoot with a Leica, Mamiya, or Contax, they’re all just black/chrome boxes and tools. Invest in glass first and a good scanning system. That will make for a higher quality photo. So go get those old Nikon systems or those canon FD cameras… They’re worth it.

More of Gabriel’s work can be seen below.

Interview: Gareth Morton

“Film feels random and organic and beautiful. I love how different films have different qualities…”

Gareth Morton is a film photographer based in the U.K.. His work is quite strong and he is quite humble about it. You should check out his website and/or instagram. Recently he started The Ten Shot Project with Rick Davy in which they post ten shots with one theme from one photographer. Please check out the website and instagram.

JM – Why do you shoot film?

GM – This would have to be the first question, ha. It’s one of those that I find most difficult to articulate an answer for. Firstly, it would have to be the aesthetic qualities of film. The colour palette that certain films give as well as the natural grain structure, a by product of the silver in the emulsion. Film feels random and organic and beautiful. I love how different films have different qualities like more or less contrast, more or less saturation, different colour qualities and the way negative film renders from the highlights to the shadows.

GM – Secondly, I like the way film makes me shoot. No screen to distract or check after every image. No shooting 100 frames of the same scene and hoping for the best. I am more careful and considered with film and I truly love the process.

GM – Finally, having printed in the dark room recently, I am not sure there is much that is comparable to that. Developing and printing your own film from start to finish is magical and the qualities of a silver halide print are just beautiful.

JM – What is your favorite film? Camera?

GM – Absolute favourite? Kodak Portra 800, especially in 120. The grain, contrast and saturation are just beautiful and I have even shot it in bright sunshine for the certain aesthetic that it gives. I tend to lean towards Kodak for colour negative and always shoot travel on Ektar 100 which is amazing and gives great colour renditions with the added saturation, although it isn’t always ideal for people, I do have images where it works very well. I will be travelling to Vietnam soon and am going to shoot almost exclusively on Portra 400 for consistency and versatility.

Iceland

GM – My favourite camera is a little more difficult as I have had quite a few and still do. Film cameras, unlike digital, all shoot very differently. Different formats, different sizes of different formats. 35mm in normal or panoramic mode with the XPan. 120 in 645, 6×6, 6×7 all the way up to 6×17! (I have never shot 6×17). I think if I could choose one of each, 35mm and 120 it would be my Leica M3 and a Hasselblad 500cm. I had an M2 first and instantly regretted selling it once I did so this M3 is for keeps. Both of those cameras, the Leica and Hasselblad are completely mechanical, no batteries, no electronics, no distractions. Plus, viewing the world through the ground glass of a waist level finder is a beautiful sight.

“Despite changing tastes for what I seem to be shooting at times, a few things remain constant that I admire in other peoples work and finding what compels me – a cinematic aesthetic…”

JM – What proportion of your shots turn out as you hoped (or better)?

GM – Oh crumbs. I have very low expectations on how my shots are going to turn out so anything that I class as a keeper or worthy of public consumption is a bonus. Every now and then, I get a surprise when something turns out better than I had hoped, but often on a shoot, particularly if I am shooting portraits, if I feel I am on to something and everything comes together in the viewfinder, I get really excited and that comes across to the client. That’s when I cross my fingers and hope it comes back as good as I remember.

Alice

JM – What is one thing that you’ve changed in your approach to photography? What was the catalyst for this change?

GM – Honestly, the biggest change I made to my photography was selling all my digital equipment. I am not anti-digital as far as photography is concerned because the end result is what matters, not what it was created with, but for me personally, once I started shooting film it seemed a natural progression until ultimately, I sold the last of my digital equipment in September 2017 and I have no desire to go back. If I could try and identify the catalyst for this, firstly it would be that I was finding a lot of the images I truly admire were created on film and the photographers I alluded to earlier all worked pre-digital and it you look at their images, they are just beautiful and it’s because of the content, not the medium. I would also say I grew tired with the constant upgrade cycle that the internet leads us to believe is neccassary to produce great photographs. I was in a local, well known photographic retailer with a friend for the first time in a while recently and was absolutely blown away by the vast amount of current digital bodies that are available, all promising amazing things, all largely irrelevant for making better images for the enthusiast. That being said, I still have a yearning for a Leica M6 one day, even though it’s irrational and not needed. Ha.

JM – What do you look for in a photograph? Is what you find compelling in a photograph different when it’s one of your photographs compared with one from someone else?

GM – Despite changing tastes for what I seem to be shooting at times, a few things remain constant that I admire in other peoples work and finding what compels me – a cinematic aesthetic. An image that could be straight from a movie and that stirs emotions with a combination of moment, light and colour palette. I love strong black and white work by the great photographers like Elliott Erwitt, Robert Frank and Vivian Maier who captured real moments in time with such confidence and conviction and I feel this shows in their photos. I love flare. Something that a lot of photographers deliberately try to avoid, as well as chiaroscuro, which is something that other people seem to do very well but I haven’t quite grasped yet.

JM – What is your favorite shot you’ve ever taken? What’s the story behind it?

GM – Favourite shot? That’s a tricky question as I very rarely hold any of my photos in high regard. That’s why this request to be interviewed was quite a surprise. There are different aspects that I think make certain shots special, whether that’s taking you back to a time and place, or stirring up memories of a loved one or friend that you haven’t seen for a while. I have images that remind me what it was like to be stood in a particular place, therefore I think I would have to go with the sunset we experienced when driving through Glencoe in Scotland. I had been travelling with my two American friends, driving through the landscapes and stopping to take photos whenever we saw something we deemed worthy and one evening we decided to head out for a sunset drive which had been fairly uneventful and the sun had all but set behind us amongst the snow covered mountains and then, all of a sudden, BAM, the sky was on fire behind us with the most magnificent sunset! It blazed through the mountains and into my rear view mirror. I had noticed it and was desperately looking for a pull in to stop the car when a voice from the back seat, my friend, Sarah said as calm as you like, “are we gonna stop or….?” As we pulled over, I made only three frames of this moment and it was the last shot on a roll in the Hasselblad XPan (a camera I bought to try and create the cinematic feeling I described earlier). It was loaded with Ektar 100 so I metered the light, it was fading fast, and set the shutter speed as low as I dare (it was either 1/15 or 1/30, I don’t fully remember) and shot the last frame, as well as two on the same film stock on the Pentax 67ii. Those colours, as well as the memories will stick with me for a lifetime.

JM – If someone told you they were thinking of getting into film, what would your response/advice be?

GM – Just do it, don’t think about it. I often hear photographers who have only taken photos digitally saying they think it’s going to be hard, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Buy a fairly inexpensive film camera, such as the Canon AE-1 or Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, whatever equivalents, get some film and start shooting. Photography ultimately is about content and light and feelings and stories and moments, not about megapixels and high resolution screens and more frames per second.

More of Gareth’s work can be seen below:

Montréal: New City, New Film – Cinestill BWXX

Soon after our trip to Banff, AB (color and B&W), we went to Montréal, QC for my birthday. I shot through roll Ektar when I arrived and picked up a roll of Cinestill BWXX for myself for my birthday. Unfortunately the weather was not so favorable and you can tell. So much so that a long hike from the city center to the top of Mount Royal resulted in a beautiful view of grey fog. I shot through most of the roll in the poor weather only to see it clear up as I went through my last few shots. Nevertheless, the moody weather felt right for a cinematic film.

Acros and T-Max 400

As mentioned before, I shot through some other film and I honestly liked the results from them a bit more than the Cinestill. Still though… It’s good to try out some new stuff.

Interview: Christopher Hamberger

“There is an honesty to film. Almost all of the decisions to be made in the resulting image happen before or during the shot when you shoot film…”

Chris is a talented film photographer located in Kentucky, USA. His work ranges in style and content but the quality is consistently high. Not long ago he started up the Film Community Map which if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should straight away.

JM: Why do you shoot film?

CH: There is an honesty to film. Almost all of the decisions to be made in the resulting image happen before or during the shot when you shoot film; whereas in digital there is so much that goes into editing and post. I suppose I’d describe film as akin to a documentary whereas digital is more “based-on-a-true-story,” full of dramatic exaggeration.

JM: What is your favorite film? Camera?

CH: I can never pick one! But I’ve narrowed it down to two: Portra 160 and Cinestill 800T. Portra 160 is one of the most versatile films I’ve found in terms of how it captures images. I’ve never taken a photograph with P160 and thought, “man, I should have used a different film for this shot”. Cinestill 800T is an entirely different beast. This is where I satisfy my urge to shoot at night and in artificial light, usually going for an 80s scary movie vibe.

CH: My favorite camera is a tricky question, so I’ll rephrase it to What Camera Do You Use the Most? And that would be my Nikon F4 w/ MF-23 databack. It’s a super versatile camera that can do pretty much anything I personally would want it to, from having full control in all-manual to letting the camera make a few decisions – but all while retaining physical dials and switches for everything instead of digital LCDs and menus

JM: What proportion of your shots turn out as you hoped (or better)?

CH: Depending on how disciplined I was while I was shooting, I’d say between 15% and 40%. And more often than not, shots that I took thinking “there’s no way that turned out” end up being one of my favorites.

“I look for a message, which usually communicates an idea, a story or an emotion.”

JM: What is one thing that you’ve changed in your approach to photography? What was the catalyst for this change?

CH: I’ve started moving towards gear that helps me shoot. Originally, I was shooting mechanical SLRs and using my iPhone to meter, but now I don’t mind shooting aperture priority and using auto focus. While there was a sense of pride in being able to say I always shoot in complete manual, I’m realizing now that I’d rather have a sense of pride in my images and not be worried about how I capture them.

JM: What do you look for in a photograph? Is what you find compelling in a photograph different when it’s one of your photographs compared with one from someone else?

CH: I look for a message, which usually communicates an idea, a story or an emotion. It sounds simple, yet 95% of the images I see on Instagram don’t have this; and I’m talking about from the photographers I’ve specifically chosen to follow. I’m all for putting out content and genuinely engaging with people on social media, but recently I made a decision to err towards the side of being proud of the work I share instead of being “good at Instagram”.

JM: What is your favorite shot you’ve ever taken? What’s the story behind it?

CH: It’s difficult for me to have favorites, I’m a recovering perfectionist so I overcompensate sometimes by refusing to compare even my own photographs to each other. That being said, here is what you could call a recent favorite.

CH: The sun had set and the model and I were at our second location: on the side of a highway at a section where heavy machinery had cut into the rock in the hills. I used the headlights of my car for lighting to try and instill a familiar sense of traveling at night and the excitement that comes with it. Her wardrobe was very well thought out, a sensual yet classy look that emphasized the color red and her blonde hair. This image sticks out to me because it has a strong idea of mystery, causing you to create a story in your head. That and the lighting is just killer – and I mean that, it reminds me of an old school movie poster!

JM: If someone told you they were thinking of getting into film, what would your response/advice be?

CH: Start simple, shooting with a mechanical camera with a meter. Shooting manual lets you really learn the craft, understand the science and appreciate the art and effort. Most folks would say you should shoot a lot, but that doesn’t help if you always shoot the same subject or in the same environment. So I’d add to that and say shoot as many different things/situations as you can find, even if you know the photograph in the end won’t be super interesting, it will be a learning experience. On that subject, humans learn best from mistakes so expect them and don’t get disappointed if you’re not getting what you want yet because eventually you will.

You can see more of Christopher’s work below.

Review: Pentax K1000

As a disclaimer, this review more or less covers my thoughts and opinions on a camera. By definition, given that they’re subjective, you may or may not agree. If you’ve read the article on getting a first film camera you’ll know that I completely support anyone and everyone getting into film and support however they can do it.

I would also just like to say that the body of the camera does little to nothing in terms of getting the image you’re looking for. In its most simplistic form, it is a tool that holds the film in place and connects to a lens that allows for control of the light hitting the frame. Mechanically, the only thing that needs to work are the film advance, the film winder, the mirror, and the shutter curtain. As such, I personally judge a camera by the price and availability of good lenses as well as well as the build quality of the lenses and camera body. Having a metering system, automatic film advance, mirror lockup, and autofocus are nice but not necessary. That said, I can’t imagine having a camera meant for hand held shooting that doesn’t have a meter. Cameras meant to be shot on a tripods are a different story – the RB 67 in my case – does not have a meter built in and I couldn’t care less.

What is the Pentax K1000?

Without a doubt the most popular student camera, the K1000 is arguably the most ubiquitous film camera out there. So much so that when I went to trade mine in to the local shop, they wouldn’t give more than $20 for it. My thoughts on it are judged by my other experiences and you’ll find that I prefer my other cameras most of the time. That said, I recognize and tip my hat to the reputation of this camera. It is what it is for a reason. It’s a solid camera.

Some Pros

Lightweight
In-camera metering
Bright focusing screen
Hot shoe
Standard cable release threading
Availability

While these are not all the features, they are the features that stand out among the other cameras I own and frequently use. As mentioned in the guide to getting your first film camera, this camera is relatively lightweight – compared with the Nikon F2 and heavier. The metering is convenient although I don’t often use it. I typically keep TMax 3200 in my K1000 and shoot around the house when it’s too dark to shoot anything slower. The reason for this is a combination of the nice, bright screen and the fact that I use my Nikon gear way more so this one sits around the house.

While having a hot shoe and standard cable release threading (people refer to it as the ‘standard’ for a good reason) are not really anything special when comparing this camera to many others in the K1000s same tier, they are a commodity to me. The Nikon F2, a camera I would call superior in just about every way, has neither of these two things.

Probably the best thing about this camera is the availability. Just about any respectable camera shop with used equipment will have K1000s in multiples. Depending on the shop and whether it comes with a lens and what the lens is if so, the kit can be relatively inexpensive. I got mine because a buddy gave me one with a busted meter. The used camera shop up the street from my place had junked K1000s by the dozens so I found on with a functioning meter for $10 and fixed it with parts off the camera my buddy gave me. I doubt I would have had any sort of an experience if something like this happened with any of my other cameras.

Some Cons

Lightweight
Lens lineup
No interchangeable parts
Reputation (it’s too good)

I know “lightweight” is also a Pro – in all honesty, I feel like this camera is too light. I’m almost certain if this camera fell, it would shatter. Whereas if my F2 or any other camera fell, it would hurt the floor/ground more than the camera itself was hurt. While I’m obviously I’m being hyperbolic, I’m serious when I say the camera doesn’t feel like it could take a beating like my other cameras. Though I try to prevent beating my camera, I like using them in any and all situations and I would honestly feel concerned I would break the Pentax if anything happened.

As for the lens lineup, the K1000 took lenses that have the Pentax’s original bayonet K-mount. Prior to the K1000, Pentax used a screw mount so any and all Spotomatic lenses are useless without an adaptor. That’s not to say the adaptors don’t work – I just prefer to not use them. In addition, the lenses are generally more expensive than good in my opinion and not particularly easy to find.

If it sounds unusual to complain not having interchangeable parts, then you should read into cameras that have them. The F2 has 14 different screens to choose from and 5 different metered heads as well other, non metered heads including a waist level finder.

Conclusion

While I would not choose this camera for myself if I were to start over nor would I suggest it as a first camera, I think they’re great for what they are. I still use mine around the house and will continue to keep a roll in it so long as it continues to work.

Below are some of my favorite photos I’ve taken with it. Keep in mind that all are in and around my house as I use this camera to document our life when it’s took dark to use slower film.

Review: Kodak Ektar 100

To see Kodak Ektar exposure tested along side 10 other film stocks, follow this link. To see my first (substantial) attempt at shooting Ektar while in Banff, follow this link.

In the fall of 2018 I headed to Arizona for the second time and intended to see the Grand Canyon for the first time (btw, it was as grand as the name implies. Lots and lots of grand.) and when deciding what film to take, Ektar never crossed my mind. I thought to myself – I’ve shot a couple rolls of Ektar before and hated it. A lot. Then I found the work of Pete and David and decided I didn’t give Ektar a fair shake in my previous attempts. Albeit, I believe now that what I didn’t like was in fact the scans from the lab I was using moreso than the film itself.

Color

Ektar has bold colors that, coupled with the high sharpness, make it an incredible film for landscapes. Compared with Portra 400, I find this film to have a bit less blue in the shadows and bit more yellow in the highlights. Granted, I’m basing this exact assessment on the exposure testing experiment but so far my personal experience has not turned up any conflicting evidence.

So far, the colors that have really jumped out at me and made me fall in love with this film are light turquoise and deep blues. The turquoise values are truly unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. When I see good examples of this (heavily based in Banff) I wonder if the film actually rendered a significantly different color than reality. I mean… Was it ever actually that beautiful? As for the deep blues, I’m just a sucker for that color range and I think this film does a tremendous job at it.

The only colors I haven’t fully grown to like from this film are greens that don’t have a blue tint. I felt like the closer the green got to blue, the more I liked it. Conversely, the less blue it got, the less I liked it. The light greens were a bit too quick to have a yellow-ish tint and the darker greens didn’t have the same “pop” as everything else. Still though- this is all relative and I recognize my experience may just be limited. As such, I’ve kept a roll of Ektar in at least one camera at all times and I’m experimenting to see if this opinion persists or limited to only my first couple pro packs.

Icefields Parkway

Portraits

Given how pronounced the colors are, I fully expected this film to bomb at portraits. Who wants a photo or themselves with the saturation turned way up? That said, I don’t dislike this film for portraits so long as its an environmental portrait. I felt like the more the photo felt like a proper portrait, the more I couldn’t get over how strong the colors were. While the more of the scene I got in the photo, the more I appreciated the coloring – it’s always a trade-off.

Lake Minnewanka

Dynamic Range

I can honestly say that I am beyond surprised with the dynamic range of Ektar. In the exposure testing experiment, I genuinely felt this film performed better than every other color negative we included. In the experiment, I thought it handled underexposure really well. My personal experience has been a bit less successful. I’ve found all of the photos that I knew to be underexposed a bit muddy with very strong saturation in the darker values, leading to an experience a bit less than I hoped for.

As for overexposing, I don’t much care for what happens to the coloring but given that I can rectify that in post, I am beyond surprised with this film. It’s such that if I meter for the midtones to shadows, I’m hard pressed to overexpose the highlights to a point beyond return. I think it is this very quality that makes it such a solid choice for landscapes.

Icefields Parkway

Pushing/Pulling

I can count on one hand how many times I’ve ever pulled film and with this film being 100ASA, I don’t see it ever happening here. That said, I did once put through a roll at 400ASA in one of my F2s and didn’t much care for the results. So much so that I’ll not be providing examples. I really felt like the saturation was over the top (even on my scans) and the loss of the dynamic range was beyond my taste. I did it purely as an experiment and I suspect I’ll try it again at 200ASA and update.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I’ve really grown to love this film and have kept a constant stock of it since I bought my first pro pack. So much so that I’ve kept a roll in at least one camera since. While I don’t know that I’ll be going through much of it once the weather in Ohio starts going back to grey all the time, I’ll be enjoying it as much as I can while the sun is out.

Mt Rundle
Icefields Parkway
Two Jack Lake
Two Jack Lake
Lake Louise

Columbus
Hocking Hills
Montreal

Banff (In Monochrome): New City, New Film – Acros & T-Max 100/400

This article shows off some of the black and white negative film I tried out on my vacation to Banff, CA in April2019. To see some of the color negative work, please follow this link. Several of this films in this article have exposure tested and compared to other B&W negative films – this article is located here.

The Canadian Rockies were calling and we answered. In a moment of spontaneity and luck finding round-trip tickets for only 18k points, we got our tickets and booked a hotel within a couple hours and I immediately started thinking about what film I was going to take. For ease (and out of pure laziness) I needed to make sure everything was ASA 400 or slower so I didn’t have to have the film hand-checked.

For black and white negative film, I ended up taking a pro pack of T-Max 400 120 and 1 roll of 35mm. A few rolls of T-Max 100 120 and a couple rolls of Acros 120.

Acros

Of all the films I shot on this trip, I would say Acros was hands down the most interesting. I thought the clarity and the distinct transition from the darkest darks to the brightest brights combined to be such an interesting mix. I only ended up going through one of my two rolls I took and I honestly wish I shot more of it. I honestly wish they still made it…

T-Max 100

I liked this film but thought the shadows were not quite dark enough for my taste. I would have liked for a little more contrast. Nevertheless, I got this film in hopes of making some quality darkroom prints and I think they’ll do that splendidly.

T-Max 400

So this film – oddly enough – was only shot on my F100 (35mm format) even though I took an entire pro pack of it in 120. I just never got around to using it. The shots from it were fantastic and produced some of my favorites from the trip. Brittany was handling the F100 for half or so of the roll and despite typically disliking B&W film, I think she really enjoyed using the F100 and liked the results.

Banff (In Color): New City, New Film – Ektar & Portra 160

This article shows off some of the color negative film I tried out on my vacation to Banff, CA in April2019. To see some of the black and white negative work, please follow this link. Several of this films in this article have exposure tested and compared to other color negative films – this article is located here.

For color negative film, I ended up taking a pro pack of Portra 400 (per usual), Ektar, and Portra 160. I also ended up taking a few rolls of Fuji Provia and Ektachrome.

Portra 160

I gave this film a shot after Matt Seal suggested it a few times. I had shot through two rolls previously and didn’t much care for either. I found it to not be very flexible for my shooting style and didn’t much care for the way it rendered colors.

That said… This film took some of my favorite photos AND my least favorite photos of the trip. The ones that worked out really killed it. The ones that didn’t work out reminded me a lot of my first attempts in that the colors weren’t really on point and the shadows were pretty muddied.

Below are my two favorite photos from my trip. Both were taken with Portra 160.

Ektar

Prior to this trip, I had actually shot through a couple rolls of Ektar and hated them both. Admittedly, I think my distaste for them came from the scans from the lab- the lab I was using had a knack for boosting up the saturation to a point beyond my tolerance for it. Since then I’ve seen the work of Pete Gotz and David Chan and decided to give it another shot. I doubt I would have made that first attempt on a vacation I’ve looked forward to so much but in all honesty, it was their pictures of Banff with this film that really turned me on to their work pushed me to try this film again.

Anyhow- I shot through a pro pack of it on this trip and I couldn’t have been happier with the results. It was a lot more versatile than I expected and the colors were really intense.

Below is my favorite photo I took with Ektar.

All in all, I was pretty blown away by the results of this film. Nothing was too bold and the colors were gorgeous. I’ve already picked up a few more rolls of this film and loaded it into my F100 when I went to Montreal.

Below are a few more of my other favorites from Ektar.

Portra 400, Provia, & Ektachrome

As you may know, I’ve shot through plenty of Provia and more than my fair share of Portra 400. And since it came back out again, I’ve been working my way through several rolls of Ektachrome. I know they aren’t new films for me but I thought I’d share a few of my shots from these great stocks. I’m posting the Provia first, then Portra 400, and concluding with Ektachrome.