Overseas! and Film!

[kewlzound]

Hello all, been a long time since i posted here. Anyway, i wanted to consult the experts of this forum regarding my film choices for my upcoming overseas trip to US!

It's my first time going there with a purely film setup (Leica M6) and i'm worried that i might spoil the memories of the trip if i don't have nice pictures to remember them by!

My questions are:

What is the best films to bring overseas? (with regards to picture quality, price per roll and type (C-41/BnW/Slide))

I was thinking fuji superia xtra 400 is a cheap source of film, but i think that the quality can't compare with better films like solaris and maybe slide film.

Maybe you guys can help me out by giving some recommendations in this aspect as i'm relatively new to film!

Also, what ISO film should i bring there? or should there be a mix or any other things i should note!

THANKS!

 

[wongsan]

I shoot B/W mostly on my overseas trips. My go-to B/W film is TriX 400. It is a versatile film that allows you to push (to 1600) and pull.

I will leave the recommendation for color film to the experts. Nevertheless, i did a roll of Fujifilm Velvia 100 slide during my Hong Kong trip. It surprises me with the color.:thumbsup:

 

[azzurri]

for b&w, as wongsan mentioned, tri x is a pretty gd choice. it's versatile enough to be pushed and pulled when needed. ilford hp5+ is also a pretty nice film to use. personally love the grains of both.

for c41 b&w, the ilford xp2 and kodak 400cn are the ones to go for.

for colour, if you shoot a lot of landscape and nature, velvia 100 (or even better 50) is a excellent choice. it is very saturated and rich in terms of the colour. downside is that it gives human skin tone an orange look. kodak offers the 100vc which is about the same but i find that velvia has that something special.

if you are shooting lots of humans, fuji provia and kodak portra are pretty gd... nice colours and tones off the human skin.

a pretty much all round colour film would be the kodak ektar 100. produces colour very accurately and is developed using c41.

for budget, the fuji superia is a good choice. both the 200 and 400 are good with the latter still having pretty negligible grains.

most importantly, enough your trip!

 

[kewlzound]

was thinking of provia and some velvia to mix in with my superia and some B/W. How about the number of rolls? i'll be going for a 11 day trip, what is a good estimate in the number of rolls for shooting? =)

 

[newghost]

whatever film that you may eventually choose, i'd suggest at least running a roll first prior to your travel if you haven't shot it before so you know what to expect & how it'd turn out... least, no nasty surprises there! :devil:

If i'm travelling, I'd certainly bring a few rolls of Agfa vistaplus 400 (c41)

just to qualify, i'm far from being an expert but just my own film preference....

 

[raytoei]

+1 to all the comments here.

if you intend to shoot memorable stuff, then going to the US isn't time to test new gear or new film. instead, it is time to use something which is familiar which you know it will work.

i learned this the hard way several times.

raytoei

 

[kewlzound]

yea, i know also. but i already sold off my dslr so that i could afford my m6! haha... so have to make do with it.

 

[wootsk]

From my POV, only slides for color. Bad side effect is the cost
Anyway it isn't a good idea to risk the memories of your oversea trip with some film that you never tested before. Same as bro raytoei, I learn this the hard way. (Once bitten, never again)

 

[serial_lain]

My vote would be the Kodak Ektar 100, can't go wrong there. Punchy colors all around, gives a very good end result. If you want something a little less punchy, Fuji Reala should be quite good as well. Im not a fan of slides when traveling as the exposure latitude is less forgiving

BW has to be Tri-X coz you can pull and push till the cows come home and you still get decent results!

 

[Hammerklavier]

Personally, I am relatively new to film too and had started shooting it early this year.

What I feel you should consider to take which film for the trip is your expectation for this trip. Is this a photography trip or a casual vocation with non-photographer mates. What do you intend to shoot?

If it is a photography trip, take whichever films that suit the subject you are shooting. However, if it is a typical vocation, you would need the pictures for memory's sake and will require the film to be versatile in terms of ASA (for shooting indoors and outdoors) and preferably with colours (with the option of converting digitally to B&W but with mixed results).

Hence, based on my limited experience, I would recommend Kodak Portra 400 as the most suitable film. You may wish to bring a variety.

I expect to shoot 2 rolls per day for my holidays with a PnS/DSLR for standard archiving shots. YMMV.

Lastly, enjoy your trip and do share your pictures.

 

[kcchew]

Hence, based on my limited experience, I would recommend Kodak Portra 400 as the most suitable film. You may wish to bring a variety.

Hi Hammerklavier, have you tried Fuji Pro 400H before? I just started shooting film last month and I was very impressed with the 400H's natural colour, fine grain and low-light performance. It's pricey but I really like the flexibility it offers. I'd love to try Portra 400 but all the shops I visited had sold out.

To OP, I found Fuji Superia quite lousy after trying the Fuji 160S and 400H. They may not have the vibrancy of high-contrast films but they somehow look natural and much more crisp than Superia.

 

[ZoomP]

Hi Hammerklavier, have you tried Fuji Pro 400H before? I just started shooting film last month and I was very impressed with the 400H's natural colour, fine grain and low-light performance. It's pricey but I really like the flexibility it offers. I'd love to try Portra 400 but all the shops I visited had sold out.

To OP, I found Fuji Superia quite lousy after trying the Fuji 160S and 400H. They may not have the vibrancy of high-contrast films but they somehow look natural and much more crisp than Superia.

400H very expensive now. Suggest for a the 160 slightly cheaper. Buy TriX and shoot B&W.

 

[wootsk]

400H very expensive now. Suggest for a the 160 slightly cheaper. Buy TriX and shoot B&W.

If I am going on a oversea trip, I will prefer to shoot color.

 

[Joohander]

hey man!
allow me to offer an alternative (and practical) idea, i brought 15 rolls of fujifilm superia 200 to amsterdam together with 8 rolls of tri-x! my philosophy is go cheap and make nice photos i wish i brought along my sx-70 man, there's so much impossible project film for sale here

 

[chiif]

Just a suggestion:

Any film is fine as long as you shoot properly. As it's going to be your first time, run at least 4 to 5 rolls of the same film in Singapore first. Go out on a day shoot at little india or any place of your choice, expand at least 4 to 5 rolls of ISO 100 or 200. Then shoot a roll of 400 at night with a fast lens. You need to know the properties/behaviour of the film and the camera before your trip. You wouldn't want a blank roll of 36 frames at the end of your trip, so make sure you know your camera well before you bring it there, since you can't afford to make mistakes on a memorable trip.

Hope this helps.

 

[kewlzound]

thanks all! another question, should i bring more than a few different types of film? like say xp2/bw400cn/fuji superia/+ slide film?

is that too much? or should i streamline to maybe 2/3 types of film only? I feel that BW400CN gives me images that i prefer over the xp2 and hence, i can leave my xp2 films at home.

Another issue is that my perutz primera film (6rolls) have just recently expired, Nov 2010, would it be wise to bring them along for random shots? or would it be preferable to bring fresh rolls there? i have taken a test roll and the shots are not too grainy.

 

[dtohs]

Another issue is that my perutz primera film (6rolls) have just recently expired, Nov 2010, would it be wise to bring them along for random shots? or would it be preferable to bring fresh rolls there? i have taken a test roll and the shots are not too grainy.

My recent tryout;
2 rolls of 3 years expired colors film- :thumbsd: bad.. strange colors and orange stripes appeared. It was not my camera's fault cause i later ran 3 rolls of 9 years expired B&W film, they were fine. Do consider again before your lovely trip.

Flickr

 

[alex36]

yea, i know also. but i already sold off my dslr so that i could afford my m6! haha... so have to make do with it.

I am assuming you are bringing only the M6 and no other film camera? That being the case, I suggest you keep your film choices simple. Just one type / speed of colour and BW films to use for day / night. I suppose that would then limit you to a 400 film.

My other suggestion is to try to bring a backup camera, perhaps another film camera, or a digital PnS. You don't want to get caught in a situation when you don't have a spare when something fails.

Have a great trip and happy shooting!!

 

[Hammerklavier]

Hi Hammerklavier, have you tried Fuji Pro 400H before? I just started shooting film last month and I was very impressed with the 400H's natural colour, fine grain and low-light performance. It's pricey but I really like the flexibility it offers. I'd love to try Portra 400 but all the shops I visited had sold out.

To OP, I found Fuji Superia quite lousy after trying the Fuji 160S and 400H. They may not have the vibrancy of high-contrast films but they somehow look natural and much more crisp than Superia.

Hi kcchew,

Sorry, I have never tried Fuji Pro 400H and I would love to one day.

To TS,

I would strongly advise you to bring along a digital PnS for backup and also for night shots. I believe you have only one film camera and it would be very difficult to juggle between day and night shots using 400 ASA or less. I have yet to self-develop and not too sure whether you can develop normal and push in the same B&W film roll.

 

[kewlzound]

Yea, i'm still on the fence about the digital alternative camera. i only have a lowly canon ixus which i feel is very low end for good phototaking overseas. However, that's the only other option i have. I intend to bring it along with me, but i really hope that my film will not die on me. haha!

Film choices, i have narrowed it down to 1 color negative (Superia 400), 1 Slide (Unsure) and 1 B/W (Unsure).

For slides i'm looking at the 400h and the Portra 400VC, currently favoring the VC tho.

B/W, i was thinking, does traditional black and white or C-41 matter much? coz i would like to use a C-41 B/W film for the added convenience that i can process all my films at once.

Thanks.