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Film recomendations which film should i use

Some one posted a question on the G2 thread regarding which films are best for scanning.

For B&W, I have started using the Kodak Portra 400BW and it works very well in prints and scanning as well. Very fine grain with good latitude. It is a c-41 film so you can process it almost everywhere. I will try to post some non edited pics to the gallery for reference.

According to Fuji and Kodak, most of the newer films are optimized for scanning.
 
"I have been using Supra 100 kodak professional with my G1 setup. For a good day to day film (travel, street, landscape, etc) is this film choice ok? Can someone recommend a few others to demo? Thanks."
 
Anyone on this list ever tried B&W positive films? - I would like to find out the following

1 - Which brand makes them for 35mm
2 - Does it require special processing?
3 - Why use or not use it.

-Thanks,
 
>How well does it (Portra B&W film) print if you use an enlarger on B&W paper?
 
> > For B&W, I have started using the Kodak Portra 400BW and it works very>> well in prints and scanning as well. Very fine grain with good> latitude. It> is a c-41 film so you can process it almost everywhere.

I havent been following this thread , but I fully agree that this film scans very nicely indeed . I find I'm using it virtually all the time and getting great B&W digital prints at the end of it. Steve
 
> "I have been using Supra 100 kodak professional with my G1 setup. For> a good day to day film (travel, street, landscape, etc) is this film> choice ok? Can someone recommend a few others to demo? Thanks."

It really depends on what sort of results you are after and in what medium - presumably prints in this case . Personally , I would anticipate using different films for each of the subjects you mention - certainly street photography lends itself to B&W in my opinion , rather than colour . Steve
 
> >How well does it (Portra B&W film) print if you use an enlarger on> B&W paper?

Never tried it , but as good as it is I expect it wouldnt be as contrasty as traditional silver films . It has a good tonal range so you should be able to get decent prints in the darkroom too . Steve
 
> Anyone on this list ever tried B&W positive films?

Almon,

The only B&W positive film I know of is Agfa Scala. It requires special processing, and there are only a few labs around the world. There's no lab for it here in Hong Kong so I haven't tried it.

It has a good reputation for quality. The main reason to use it might be for projecting in a slide projector.

You can find all the info about it, including a list of lab locations, on Agfa's web site.

Regards,

Craig
 
> I have shot a number of cartridges of Agfa Scala and enjoy the ability to shoot black and white images of great permanence, without having to search for local B&W print processing. The Agfa site has a nice discussion of pull-processing (and shooting with ISO 100) to get less contrast, or push-processing (and shooting with ISO 400/800 to get more contrast. I have only shot it at the normal rating of ISO 200. Exposure should be fairly accurate to achieve the best results, as with all slide films. I have used mailers from Adorama sent to the lab in Miami, and have without fail gotten my slides back (cardboard mount, in approx. 2 weeks).
 
I have tried agfa scala before and I have been please with the quality. B&w slides are something different. Gamma pro imaging in Vancouver, B.C. is the only place I know that will deal with this film, and they send it somewhere in Ontario, I think. Have fun, peter
 
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