I’ve got a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to Agfa Vista 400. I’ve only shot about 10-15 rolls of this reasonably inexpensive 35mm colour film and had some mixed results. For sure, its not my favourite film and I don’t think I’ve had even one photo from the lot that I’ve thought was more than ok. Having said that, for snapshots, which really mostly what I shoot, it’s fine.
Of course, they claim it’s supremely sharp with ultra fine grain, but so does pretty much every 35mm film out there. I don’t know if it’s the scans or something else, but this film seems to have quite a bit of grain to my eyes. I’ve checked out the prints (I print ALL my photos shot on film) and they’re ok, but unlike some films, you can definitely tell this is film, which is not a bad thing.
I shot 5 rolls in Austria and the Czech Republic, and there’s nothing decent that came from that, although to be far the Agfa Vista 400, that’s probably down to me being a shit photographer. I got some nice results from Fuji Provia 400X slide film, but I like pretty much anything shot on that, and so I should, it’s about 4 times the price and discontinued. Anyway, it’s about the same price as Fuji’s Inustrial 400 and I prefer that by quite a bit.
People think (rightly or wrongly) that’s it a cheap consumer film, but I reckon if you packaged this up in a Kodak or Fujifilm box, most of the self proclaimed experts out there would start raving about it. Agfa used to quite a revered brand but over the years it’s somehow developed the reputation of being a bit cheap and crap. This is probably not fair, as I really like Agfa APX Black and White, and Agfa CT Precisa slide film is also pretty good. Regardless, here’s a few samples for you, you can decide for yourself if you like the look.
Send us any questions or comments you have about Agfa Vista 400 35mm film via email or ask us on twitter.
