# Film recommendations?



## Johnny Canuck3 (Aug 14, 2012)

I just bought a used Pentax K1000 SLR film camera, just like the one I used to have, thirty years ago. But, the whole film game has changed.

You film shooters out there: what do you use?


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## Stanley Edwards (Aug 14, 2012)

Depends what you want to shoot. What effect you want. What is important to you.

For the sort of shots you often post here (night scenes, street scenes) film will give you colour balance issues (assuming you're not choosing B&W). Fuji Velvia is great, but at only 50 ASA it requires large apertures, or long exposures and the emulsion will react differently to artificial light (as will any daylight balanced film). You can use correction filters. Better still, you can scan the negatives and use PhotoShop, or similar to correct the colour balance PP, but the negative will never be true.

For B&W Ilford FP4 is still the most versatile IMO. Kodak Portra is a good colour film. Not sure if VC 160 is still available, but I like it for landscape even though it was designed for portrait and wedding work.

Normally, I opt for the slowest film speed and adjust my work to its capabilities. Agfa stuff is long gone, but replica emulsions, or copies are around.


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## Johnny Canuck3 (Aug 14, 2012)

Stanley Edwards said:


> Depends what you want to shoot. What effect you want. What is important to you.
> 
> For the sort of shots you often post here (night scenes, street scenes) film will give you colour balance issues (assuming you're not choosing B&W). Fuji Velvia is great, but at only 50 ASA it requires large apertures, or long exposures and the emulsion will react differently to artificial light (as will any daylight balanced film). You can use correction filters. Better still, you can scan the negatives and use PhotoShop, or similar to correct the colour balance PP, but the negative will never be true.
> 
> ...


 
For my old b&w work, I always used Kodak Tri X 400


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## stowpirate (Aug 14, 2012)

Cheapest B&W Iford stuff is Kentmere 100. It apparently has reduced silver content. Anyway I use Kentmere 100 35mm most of the time. I also use Ilford FP4 125 & HP5 400. Mailshots is a good place to get hold of it, they also do the chemistry:

http://www.mailshotsuk.co.uk/

As for colour film. If you visit car boot sales you should be able to get a plentiful supply for 20-50p each. Mostly expired but all usable unless really out of date, meaning 15 years or so! I have even bought carrier bags full for 50p. If you are lucky you might also see some B&W film and even the chemicals turn up! You should be able to negotiate a really good deal on any darkroom kit. 50p for a box full of developer tanks. Enlarger for £1.50. Projector again similar money. Remember the stuff is on the way to the dump and they do not want to take it home


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## FridgeMagnet (Aug 14, 2012)

Johnny Canuck3 said:


> For my old b&w work, I always used Kodak Tri X 400


You can still get Tri-X, though I seem to find it easier to find T-Max for some reason. I've not really used either.

In 35mm I generally shoot slightly expired Ilford HP5+, of which I picked up a lot on eBay, or new Fomapan 400, a Czech film that's cheap and good quality. (I'd shoot HP5+ all the time if I could afford it, but it's over twice the price of Fomapan new.) These are both slightly grainy and quite punchy with contrast. Occasionally I use Fomapan 100.

I don't shoot a lot of colour - this is London, it's black and white and two stops down most of the time - but when I do I either use Kodak EliteChrome 100 or whichever generic consumer 200 colour negative film I can pick up at Poundland.

In 120 I use Velvia 50 or 100, Fomapan 100 (or sometimes 400) FP4+ or whatever random expired film I've got from eBay. I'll use slower speeds with MF - I don't do landscapes and buildings with 35mm really.


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## stowpirate (Aug 14, 2012)

FridgeMagnet said:


> or new Fomapan 400, a Czech film that's cheap and good quality.


 
What is the price for Fomapa, is it cheaper than the Ilford Kentmere stuff?


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## cybertect (Aug 14, 2012)

I've been rather enjoying Kodak BW 400CN lately.

It's a C41 process film, so while it's not as easy to develop at home as, say, HP5, you can get it developed cheaply in any high street place that does colour negs. For some reason I find it easier to get nice results from a scanner with than traditional b/w film.

Ilford do XP2, which is their C41 b/w film, but I've only ever tried XP2 once. Otherwise, in the past, I've mostly stuck with Ilford FP4 or HP5 depending on what speed I want, mostly because that's what I started out using 30 years ago when I was a teenager processing at home.

For colour I have, for the most part, used Fuji Sensia or Boots 200 slide film (which is rebadged Sensia, but cheaper). Sadly they've been discontinued, along with Kodachrome, which was my other standby. Not sure where I'm going to go for colour now. Got my first roll of Ektar in for dev at the moment to seek if I can get on with it.


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## FridgeMagnet (Aug 14, 2012)

stowpirate said:


> What is the price for Fomapa, is it cheaper than the Ilford Kentmere stuff?


Silverprint sell the 400 for £2.62 a roll - http://www.silverprint.co.uk/ProductByGroup.asp?PrGrp=2213 - 40p cheaper than the Kentmere there (though prices vary a bit up and down between shops).


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## stowpirate (Aug 14, 2012)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Silverprint sell the 400 for £2.62 a roll - http://www.silverprint.co.uk/ProductByGroup.asp?PrGrp=2213 - 40p cheaper than the Kentmere there (though prices vary a bit up and down between shops).


 
Might give that a try.  No data on developer mix/times for Tmax developer for both Fomapa and Kentmere? I will have to make a best guess and see what happens 

Just been rewiring my slide projector with a modern mains cable


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## FridgeMagnet (Aug 14, 2012)

stowpirate said:


> Might give that a try.  No data on developer mix/times for Tmax developer for both Fomapa and Kentmere? I will have to make a best guess and see what happens
> 
> Just been rewiring my slide projector with a modern mains cable


I treat the Fomapan pretty much the same as the HP5+ for times - in fact I often put a roll of each in the same tank.


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## stowpirate (Aug 14, 2012)

FridgeMagnet said:


> I treat the Fomapan pretty much the same as the HP5+ for times - in fact I often put a roll of each in the same tank.


 
I am going to have to do some research on comparable films, dev mixes, temps and times. Or try the coffee home made developer instead


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## ViolentPanda (Aug 14, 2012)

Stanley Edwards said:


> Depends what you want to shoot. What effect you want. What is important to you.
> 
> For the sort of shots you often post here (night scenes, street scenes) film will give you colour balance issues (assuming you're not choosing B&W). Fuji Velvia is great, but at only 50 ASA it requires large apertures, or long exposures and the emulsion will react differently to artificial light (as will any daylight balanced film). You can use correction filters. Better still, you can scan the negatives and use PhotoShop, or similar to correct the colour balance PP, but the negative will never be true.
> 
> ...


 
Agfa-Gevaert are still going and still (after a brief hiatus) produce a few of their emulsions, as well as stuff like Rodinal.


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## stowpirate (Aug 14, 2012)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Silverprint sell the 400 for £2.62 a roll - http://www.silverprint.co.uk/ProductByGroup.asp?PrGrp=2213 - 40p cheaper than the Kentmere there (though prices vary a bit up and down between shops).


 
I just bought ten Kentmere 100 35mm 36exp film and 1L Ilford rapid fixer, which worked out at £44 with 1st class postage. Next time I might try this Fomapan 400


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