I always look forward to your videos! Have you ever tried shooting Kodak Pro-Image 100? It's Called "poor man's portra," and I usually prefer those colors vs. Portra. Portra is too overpriced and overhyped imo. I feel as if you'd like ProImage's colors :)!
I shot an expired roll of it and it was pretty good! I know a local photog who swears by it and gets great results, so I should probably give it another swing one of these days!
Yeah aerocolor and 800T hard agree. I used the elektra version and instantly was like ok this is THE 100 speed color film got it. For me Provia 100f and ektachrome 100 are up there in that order too.
I agree with this list, especially your thoughts on Portra 400. However, I think CineStill is too inconsistent in overall quality to be ranked in a way where you could use it for a magazine shoot. T way Cinestill treats the Vision3 stock sometimes leads to odd marks on the film and I've had rolls with frames covered in brown dots and scrapes. Also I'm surprised you didn't include Ektar, Ektachrome or Velvia! Would love to hear your thoughts on the array of black and white films that are out there too!
I had ektar and velvia on the list originally, but there was a lot of rambling involved so I cut them out alongside a few others. I agree re: cinestill, looking back I probably should have put it in A tier but I was blinded by sentimentality hahaha
@@YvonneHansonPhotography But that's where it gets tricky, right? Vision3 500t produces amazing images. If more labs developed ECN-2 we would all be shooting for print on Vision3 stocks; especially given the price of Portra 160/400.
Ektar 100, Portra 160 (yes, overpriced but seems much better than the over-hyped portra 400), Pro Image 100 (seems to be another decent more budget friendly film). Almost need two different rankings, one for actual quality, and then a separate one for value. 🙂
If I ever get a watch which winds by hand motion, I'll ask you to wear it while recording a video. 😂 Do you use color slide film? In your video in Japan, it seemed that you were uninterested in Fuji Velvia and Provia. And they lose in your pricing preference. I ask because color slides are the only reason I got a film camera recently, and your thoughts along the lines of this color negative tier list would be interesting. Thanks.
Old Fuji Superia 400, B tier. In the last 2-ish years (pre Koda-Fuji), A ... The stuff that quietly got switched to the Superia Premium Japan-only stuff . Metropolis ... I really like. I'd give it a B. I'd put NC 500 in the D tier from my experience ...But I'd put 50D in A ... I just realized I've never shot anything by Revlog or similar companies. Also, I think Ektar is an S tier film, and like S+-tier when printed RA4 Good lord, it's amazing looking.
Great video! On paper, the Portra family should be S-Tier but I never get excited from the results I get. I mean they are always great but no wow factor for me. Lomo 800 is a real sleeper though.
For cinestill 50d I’ve only shot one roll but I really dug the colors and found the grain really fine. I’d say give it another shot if you can find a cheap roll or discounted expired roll(all my 50d rolls were bought with a July 2023 expiry so I cold stored them as soon as I received them in June)
Seeing Fuji 200 (not C200) go in a lower tier than Gold 200 despite them being the same film except the Fuji packaging being cheaper was wild to me ngl
@YvonneHansonPhotography I realize that, but you showed an image of Fuji 200 not Fuji C200 which I why I said that. I would also agree that Gold 200 is better than real C200 because of what you mentioned about the green shadows.
I'd put vision 3 250D in the S tier, it's in a League of it's own. You're not missing out on portra 400, it's way overhyped. The only portra worth shooting is 160. Another commenter lauded Proimage, I completely agree with that. The 50D results are totally not what I would expect out of 50D, maybe you had a bad roll or something? Each time i shot 50D the results came out awesome, and it's easily pushable as well. The only other s tier film for me would be velvia 50. It is limited in it's use, and you have to use a graduated ND filter for skies and such, and even the most seasoned photographers messed up a shot with velvia, but when you get it right, it's an explosion of colour, sharpness and contrast. The latest batches of fuji 400 are the same emulsion as Ultramax 400 by the way. Their spectral sensitivity charts are identical, their negatives are identical, and the scand look exactly the same.
I might have had a bad roll of the 50D, I hadn't considered that! It was also my first 6 months of shooting film, so its possible I flubbed the exposure or something. I'll try it again when the stars align to convince me to buy another roll lol.
I think you'll like the results! I just rewatched the section on 50D, and might have an idea why they look 'murky'. You said you shot those photos on a sunny mountainside. Did you compensate for exposure in the snow? Practically all analog cameras meter for a mid grey (18% grey usually), and light reflected off of snow can really throw off an internal light meter, sometimes by as much as two stops. I've noticed the same effect in beach or sand dunes to a lesser extent. Whenever I'm unsure, I try to find a somewhat neutral scene, like some shrubbery or trees, and evaluate the difference in suggested exposure.
Hi Yvonne! Thanks for the great video. Lots of stock I never really have tried! Can I try and redeem my buddy 50D? Here's my trick :) I shoot it at twiight on a tripod so it's not super mobile but for set up shots, it's pretty neat. You get the fine grain, you get a "cooler" look than 800T and with long exposure at twilight, it actually does halation pretty well. It's actually (gasp) my....favourite colour film. If you ever want to see my results I can point you at some old insta posts. Thanks again! :D
since you already tried the Blue Ultra from FPP, I really recommend you to try their Sun Color iso 1. A really interesting slow emulsion with a beatiful color palette and unique look It has an incredible resolution thanks to the low iso and the nearly inexistant grain, and beautiful, vivid colors despite a cold cast. (I prefer the results in daytime, though. Blue hour or nighttime are very very blue) The sharpness is kinda reduced by a really sublte haze around high lights, but I kinda love it, as it gives a beautiful and subtle dreamy look to the images It has strong contratst and kinda small lattitude, though. But honestly, it is a really unique and beautiful film.
I saw that on the shelf next to the Blue ultra actually! The packaging was very enticing, but the iso scares the heck out of me hahaha. I'll pick some up next time I'm in a sunny place!
I recommend you to try the Godox F400Bi lighting. It mimics window light perfectly. A great list of ranking by the way. I would have made similar ranking if I were to make a list myself. I have access to lomography, I guess I will try to order from overseas to test these films now.
I'm right there with you with metropolis. I like the idea of it, but I don't like it. Too heavy in the yellow-green for portraits, and not bold niche shifts like purple and turquoise. But I did find with a side-by-side comparison that Gold or Pro Image 100 underexposed a stop and then bleach bypass processed gets similar vibes but better color and more dynamic range than metropolis (exposed around 200) on both ends. Developing with bleach bypass is easy for those who do it at home, but the scanning is really a pain.
My favoirite is the Kodak pro image 100. I love the colours. The price is OK. A very nice film for sunshine wheather. Greetings from Germany. We are sad, that the german film company Agfa no longer exist. The Agfacrome was a very nice film.
I would put portra somehwere around D Tier; too expensive, too overrated and the film turned into the analog photographer youtube film that you see it everywhere..
there is no color film manufacturer left on the planet except kodak. even Fujifilm curtailed production, and first packed frozen masterrolls, and then began to buy photographic film from Kodak and pack it from its brand. all other photographic films are repackages of Kodak, delays and aerotechnics. as well as soot flushes from the kodak film.
also, microscopic batches ordered for irrigation from InovisCoat, as Lomographs did, are not a full-fledged production. these are all handicrafts of the aborigines.
Ilford is making Phoenix color emulsion from scratch, Kodak, Ferraria I believe is making a brand new color emulsion, and Orwo. So that's 4 at least? Even if the fuji claim is true.