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What is everyone’s favourite film stocks?


capturesbygus

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Hey everyone!

wanted to get a round up of what everyone’s favourite films are at the moment! Personally I’m a Portra 400 and Ilford HP5 400 man usually with a sprinkling of Ektar to keep it interesting in the summer!

what do you all like to shoot? Looking to get some new films in for new project I’m working on.

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Ilford PanF and HP5 a lot, but like the Fomapan films as they sit flatter for sharp scanning. However, trying the TMax films again for finer grain with speed. For color, both Portra and Ektar depending on subjects, but now loving Ektachrome and projected slides again!

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50 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

If we're talking about 35mm, I use a variety of films.

Black & white: Delta 100, Acros 100, Delta 400, Tmax 100, Tmax 400, Silvermax 100, Rollei 25, FP4+, HP5+, Pan F, 

Colour: Portra 400 & Ektar

do you see a big difference between HP5+ and Delta?

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13 minutes ago, capturesbygus said:

do you see a big difference between HP5+ and Delta?

There is a difference, how you interpret that depends on the developer or your intended outcome. 
If pushed, I prefer HP5+ in RO9 to Tmax 400  in Tmax Dev, but you can’t go wrong with either emulsion.  

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FP4+ developed in Microphen, pushed 2/3 stop to 200 iso is my standard film

For higer sensitivity I use HP5+ which can with good results (imho) be pushed to 1600 iso also in Microphen.

I've recently ran one Delta 3200 testing an even higher sensitivity but I think I like HP5 better, so will only use it when the extra stop is really needed.

In the old days I ran a lot of Fuji slide film for colour, but now colour is a digital exclusive for me.

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Hi,

I use FP4 and HP5 for B/W.

For color, since some years ago I only shoot slide film (or almost). A lot of Agfa CTprecisa and some Fuji (not a huge fan of Fuji as a company) in the past, and now Ektachrome. The color inversion required by the negative films makes you dependent on a proper scanning (unfortunately nowadays it's almost impossible to get color wet printed). On top of it, from my perspective there are few pleasures like having a properly exposed slide projected in let's say 1.5 x 2 meters.

Augusto

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Choice of film stocks is largely influenced by an individuals appetite for grain. Personally I think that prominent grain suits some types of photography more than others. Portrait photography and grain go together very well. I think this is where HP5 and Tri-X do best. These film stocks don't fair so well in street photography where faces are usually further away. Grain interferes with fine details so if fine details are important then  grain becomes your enemy and PanF 50 and other low speed films give better results. Especially modern T-grain films like delta and tmax. 

Grain is also strongly influenced by choice of developer so I don't think you should choose a film stock in isolation. Some developers that provide high acutance will exaggerate grain and sometimes render it unpleasantly (in my opinion). 

Edited by PaulJohn
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7 hours ago, capturesbygus said:

What medium format do you use? Been looking to add one to the collection!

I don't think my experience will help - I use everything from 6x6 rangefinders and SLRs, to 645 waist-level viewfinders cameras, and even rollfilm 120 backs on a 4x5 large-format camera.

They're all fun in their own way - my advice is just get out there and find what suits you.

Word of warning: there's a LOT of beautiful MF equipment out there, and for a while it was cheap. But most of it isn't cheap anymore...

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B&W TMax 100 and 400 in TMax developer. Can't find it in the US but in a previous life PanF in Neofin Blue was a favorite.

Color Portra 160, used to use Ektachrome 50 and 64T in the studio and Agfachrome 100 Pro. Will try the new E100 have heard good things

Have a box with HP5 for my 4x5, will have to get that together.

Edited by tommonego@gmail.com
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  • 2 weeks later...

I bulk load a lot of Fomapan 100, because it is relatively inexpensive and I like the classic look.  In the past I've mostly developed in Rodinal and HC-110, and those remain my mainstays, but recently I explored other developers -- Adox FX-39, Fomadon, Clayton F76, Diafne, Cinestill; I prefer the liquids.  I'll shoot other films through the year, Ilford, maybe some Kodak, and even some oddball stuff, like Eastman copy films, but not in quantity.  This thread reminds me that I have a couple bricks of EFKE in the freezer.  It's nice that we still have such variety. 

Edited by TheBestSLIsALeicaflex
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Most of it is gone. 
Was for 35 mm color Fuji Superia Reala and Fuji Superia 400/800/1600.

For B&W ORWO NP 15 (not the sharpest but gorgeous tones) or Kodak Panatomic X and TRI-X and Fuji Neopan 400.

For 120/220 and sheet-film color Fuji Pro160NS, Pro400H (not available as sheet film:( ) and the Fuji NPZ 800 (also no sheets).
The old Fuji tungsten film NPL was also great, the rather old Kodakcolor II and the old Kodak Portra NC's (don't like the actual ones). For slides Kodakchrome 64.

From this only the TRI-X and the Fuji Superia 400 or Pro400H remain. The Fuji Superia 400 is also fine, but I mostly don't need 400 ASA for 35 mm. With an M6 and 1/1000 second as shortest time you have to photograph nearly fully stopped down during daytime.

For B&W nowadays the ADOX Silvermax is fine for me also.

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