Film Choice for the Lake District

Mozziephotography

Mozziephotography

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So, that's a roll of film through each camera to check that everything's working. Off to the Lake District early September. Anyone recommend the best colour and b&w films to record such a wonderful place. Thinking about putting a roll of colour in one camera. and b&w in the other.
I know, use a digital camera and no worries.
I want to go back n time to the early years of my marriage ... that's another story though.
 
mossienet said:
So, that's a roll of film through each camera to check that everything's working. Off to the Lake District early September. Anyone recommend the best colour and b&w films to record such a wonderful place. Thinking about putting a roll of colour in one camera. and b&w in the other.
I know, use a digital camera and no worries.
I want to go back n time to the early years of my marriage ... that's another story though.
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my suggestions would be Ektar 100 for colour negative. Beautiful film, fine grain, lots of contrast and saturation.
I’ve just shot 5 rolls in Cornwall.
 
gazmorton2000 said:
my suggestions would be Ektar 100 for colour negative. Beautiful film, fine grain, lots of contrast and saturation.
I’ve just shot 5 rolls in Cornwall.
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Not sure ISO100 is enough for the Lake District, damp, dark and dismal. ;)
I'll give it a go.
 
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Another choice would be Superia 400 for colour as it's a VG all round film, but you could try Ektar and Porta 160 (all three).... over time and see which one you prefer esp at times when you don't have sunny conditions.
 
excalibur2 said:
Another choice would be Superia 400 for colour as it's a VG all round film, but you could try Ektar and Porta 160 (all three).... over time and see which one you prefer esp at times when you don't have sunny conditions.
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Called in at the local chemists today, a veritable Arkwright's Store, asking if they sold film. Expected to be laughed out of the shop but they had some Superia 400 which was £1 cheaper than most places. She said that they weren't expecting to sell it anytime soon. Sell-by date is October this year. Might go back and strike a deal in November. :)
 
I think that the choice to use a tripod, or not, makes a big difference. I habitually use a tripod if it's a dedicated photography outing, which allows me to use longer shutter speeds and hence slower film. In that case I would probably choose Ektar for colour and Ilford FP4+ for black and white. But to be honest, if I'm going to carry a tripod I would also be tempted to take medium format rather than 35mm.

On the other hand if you're going to be sneaking the odd photo during a family walk, it's less likely to be feasible to take the time to put up a tripod. In that case I would personally choose an ISO400 film to give more flexibility for hand-holding in less than bright light. Portra 400 and Ilford HP5+ would be my choice.
 
Kevin Allan said:
I think that the choice to use a tripod, or not, makes a big difference. I habitually use a tripod if it's a dedicated photography outing, which allows me to use longer shutter speeds and hence slower film. In that case I would probably choose Ektar for colour and Ilford FP4+ for black and white. But to be honest, if I'm going to carry a tripod I would also be tempted to take medium format rather than 35mm.

On the other hand if you're going to be sneaking the odd photo during a family walk, it's less likely to be feasible to take the time to put up a tripod. In that case I would personally choose an ISO400 film to give more flexibility for hand-holding in less than bright light. Portra 400 and Ilford HP5+ would be my choice.
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There's no way I can take a tripod with me. I'm in charge of a border collie, bag carrier etc etc. My wife isn't too good at the moment and every shot I've ever taken in the Dales, Lakes etc has been on the hoof.
Thanks @Kevin Allan
 
I've found Superia 400 has a magenta cast to it sometimes, which I've found particularly evident when home scanning. I'd go for Fuji Pro 400H if you want a good-looking 400 ISO colour print film. Portra 400 is well regarded by many, but I've found it can look a bit muddy and muted if contrast levels are low (or there's a bit of veiling lens flare going on with an older camera). Kodak Gold 200 is also worth considering if there's an Indian summer and the light is bright; I think it gives nicely saturated and warm looking autumn colours on a sunny day.

I personally wouldn't suggest Ektar 100 for landscape work in the Lake District in autumn unless you are planning on tripod shots and getting the exposure spot on each time. Don't get me wrong, I love Ektar 100 for sunny, colourful scenes (think summer seaside, sunny summer outdoor events, holidays in the sun, etc.) but I'm not sure I'd want to rely on it as my 'go to' film for autumn in the Lakes. However, taking a roll of Ektar 100 with you might just be worth it though if you've already got some, as you never know with the British weather and the mixed bag of unseasonable weather we've been getting lately, and you can always put it back in the fridge ready for summer next year!

As for black and white, try Ilford XP2 400. If it's dull then you have a 400 ISO B&W film, if it's sunny then you can shoot it at 200 ISO and it will look great... the bonus being you can do this on the same roll of film without altering the development time... and, as it's a C41 colour film process, when it comes to sending it off to a lab, it won't cost any more or take any longer than colour print film, as it uses the same development process.

If going for a 'traditional' B&W film, then have a look at Ilford HP5 and Kodak T-Max 400. It's down to personal taste, and how much you like contrast. It's almost like you need 4 cameras really, two for colour and black and white in sunny conditions, two for colour and black and white in dull. At least with XP2 it gives you the '400 ISO in dull and 200 ISO in sunny' option, so perhaps just 3 cameras then! ;)

PS If you can find any at an affordable price, then Kodak Portra 800 would be in my camera bag too; low-grain (for an 800 ISO film) and well saturated. If it were cheaper I'd use it a lot more regularly in autumn and winter.
 
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Portra 400, IMHO should never let you down in the Lakes. Though my best shots so far have been on expired Reala 100 shot at 80...

Tri-X for black and white, stay away from this modern Tmax stuff ;)
 
Long time since I used film. I would certainly agree with XP2 for B&W which is the last B&W film I used but could not comment on colour film other than colour negative will give you more dynamic range than slide.

Dave
 
mossienet said:
Stacks of suggestions as usual. You lot are MAGIC!
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Sorry to shatter the illusion, there's no magic here, only what works and error... and with film photography there's a lot of the latter! That's why I like it, it's often brutally honest, get it wrong and/or choose the wrong tool for the job, and unless the light and/or circumstance are very kind, it will let you know!

Not everyone sees that as constructive criticism though... but then again, not everyone is taking photos for the enjoyment of the whole process, relaxation and escapism. It would be a dull world if we were all the same, but nevertheless, welcome to the fold and I hope you enjoy every second of it, good or 'honest'. (y)

FishyFish said:
The Lomography Color Negative films are an alternative too. Nice, saturated colours, and it’s available in 100, 400, & 800 asa variants. its cheaper than Portra too.
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I must get round to trying their 800 ISO film.

Dave Canon said:
Long time since I used film. I would certainly agree with XP2 for B&W which is the last B&W film I used but could not comment on colour film other than colour negative will give you more dynamic range than slide.

Dave
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It's changed quite a bit, with Portra 800 looking better than some 100 ISO films back in the day, and Ektar 100 print film almost replacing Kodachrome 64 for colour saturation and contrast in optimal (bright/sunny) conditions.

I know I'll be accused of heresy for suggesting that, but take a look on Flickr; do a search for Kodak Ektar 100, then tell me you don't see what I mean? We know it's not the same (and I doubt I'll live to see the day when we have a direct replacement slide film for Kodachrome) but I'd suggest Ektar 100 print film is the closest overall 'look' currently available (providing it's been correctly exposed in good light).

Sorry to the regulars on here for dragging this shot out yet again, but it gives you an idea of what a modern 35mm film such as Ektar 100 is capable of (if exposed correctly and developed and scanned by a good lab that knows what they're doing):

 
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mossienet said:
Called in at the local chemists today, a veritable Arkwright's Store, asking if they sold film. Expected to be laughed out of the shop but they had some Superia 400 which was £1 cheaper than most places. She said that they weren't expecting to sell it anytime soon. Sell-by date is October this year. Might go back and strike a deal in November. :)
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Well you could buy a roll now to try it out to make sure it had been stored\displayed properly (most films are tough and can go beyond expiry date on the box if stored properly i.e. not on a shelf in hot sun or above a radiator....and if you think you will continue to use film in the future you could buy quite a few rolls at a special price as it would keep for years in the freezer, and the way film prices are increasing could probably get your money back selling it here if you go back to digi.
 
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AAMOI..I remember reading, in the old days, that film manufacturers knew their film would be put on shelves in shops etc, so they sent their film out fresh with an expiry date. Well according to this article the film was designed to "mature" and peak performance was about midway i.e. from delivery to shops etc to expiry date....whether you could see any difference in results from first delivery to expiry date is debatable and I've had some VG results from 10 year old colour film in a cupboard at room temp.
 
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