Every 35mm Film I’ve Tried

There’s an ongoing debate about whether 35mm film is dead.  Well it’s definitely not because a lot of people are still shooting film and there’s rather large community that seems to be trying to bring it back. Kodak announced it’s bringing back the much loved Kodachrome and there’s a few people who have started their own brand. On the other hand companies seem to be killing it off, particularly Fujifilm, who have recently announced it’s discontinuing quite a few of it’s multi-pack films, which usually means the end of that film.

Kodak 35mm Film

Kodak Tri X 400 – Perhaps the most iconic and famous 35mm film of all time, Kodak Tri-X has that unmistakable classic look that simply can’t be replicated
Kodak Ektar 100 – I’ve only shot a couple of rolls of this and with little success, in terms of the photos I got back. That’s not necessarily the films fault.  It’s been advertised as the finest grain colour negative film with ultra fine grain, high saturation and vivid colours but I don’t really like the look of it.
Kodak Portra 400 – Next to Kodak Tri X, Kodak Portra is probably, at least today, one of the most famous and popular colour 35mm films, particularly liked because of it’s pleasing and realistic skin tones.
Kodak ColorPlus 200 – Cheapish good all round film probably better for outdoor subjects
Kodak Pro Image 100 – This an excellent, underrated film that to my eye, produces muted colours and pleasing skin tones making it great for portraits.
Kodak Gold 200 – Daylight balanced consumer 35mm film with a wide exposure latitude and fine grain.
Kodak Ektachrome100G Slide Film (discontinued)
Kodak Ektachrome100S Slide Film (discontinued)

Agfa 35mm Film

Agfa CT Precisia 100 – Colour slide film that produces some deep blues and pleasing colours without too much vibrance and saturation.  I’ve shot this quite a lot and would do so more if I didn’t have so many of Fuji’s Provia 400X
Agfa Vista 400 – If this were branded Fuji or Kodak, it’d get a lot more love.  In some situations it’s hard to tell the difference so unless you’re blowing up your images to large size and pixel peeking, Agfa Vista 400 is worth a try
Agfa APX 400 – This black and white 35mm film has got what I describe as a milky look to it and when the light is right, it’s beautiful.  Then again, when the light is right almost any film is beautiful.  It get’s overlooked in favour of Tri X and Ilford’s HP5 but I’m using it more and more these days.
Agfa Scala 200X (discontinued) – beautiful contrast, tonality and extreme sharpness. Agfa Scala 200X is the holy grail of Black and White Slide Films. I recently got my hands on a few boxes and when you get it right, there’s simply nothing like it.

Fujifilm 35mm Film

Fujifilm Industrial 400 – Cheap colour film from Fuji that’s supposed to be “Japan Only” but you can get it at most good film shops.  If you’re looking for something cheap with great quality, this is the one to get.
Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400 – A great all-round, general purpose film suitable a wide range of situations.  Fuji says it’s meant for point and shoots but there’s no reason why can’t use this in your Leica MP as I do and come out with great images.
Fujicolor Pro400H – Supposedly a professional film, whatever that means, if you’re just taking snap shots of kids like I do, this is overkill and you’re not going to notice much of a difference printing a 4R size print.
Fujichrome Velvia 50 – Everybody knows if you shoot landscapes or want vibrant, saturated colours, you reach for Velvia 50, one of the most famous colour slide films of our time.  Get it before it’s discontinued.
Fujichrome Velvia 100 – Ultra fine grain and colour saturation best used when shooting scenery and nature. You can push this 1 stop with little change in the end result.
Fujichrome Provia 400X – My favourite film of all time and unfortunately now discontinued. I bought about 20 boxes at HKD$165 a roll and have about 5 boxes left.  This is why is I shoot film.
Fujichrome Provia 100F – Possesses the same ultra-fine grain as Velvia but with less colour saturation. I’d shoot this more if it was higher speed but it’s not the cheapest. Can also be pushed 2 stops.
Fujifilm Acros 100 – One of my top three favourite black and white films.  I almost always push this 2 stops for that dark, moody look that Ted Viera has mastered.
Fujifilm Neopan 400 – Now discontinued, this was one of the most popular black and white films once upon a time.  It can still be found today in some places (expired), and if you’re lucky enough to find some, give it a try.
Fujifilm Natura 1600 – To my non-photographic eye this film has an orangy dull tone to it that I don’t really love.  Others think it’s fantastic, which is fine.  Grab some yourself and see what you think.

Ilford 35mm Film

Ilford HP5 Plus 400 – Probably, no definitely, the black and white I’ve shot with most. I almost always push it 2 stops. It’s less grainy than Kodak Tri X, which is neither good nor bad, but when you shoot this in golden hour, the results are awesome.

Rollei 35mm Film

Rollei CR200 – Yellowish, washed out looked that not eveybody will like (including me).  I keep trying it hoping to get different results but everytime it’s the same.
Rollei VarioChrome Limited Edition – Good on you Rollei, package up some expired film and sell it as Limited Edition.  I bought 5 rolls and didn’t like the results at all.
Rollei Superpan 200 – Shot a couple of rolls of this in Vietnam and when I got it developed the whole roll was severely underexposed, as was JCH StreetPan and a Rollei Retro 400S.  Others were fine, I think the film lab buggered up.

I’d say Rollei is my least favourite 35mm film. I don’t know why I keep buying it.

Other 35mm Film

Lucky SHD100 – Looks faded and old, made in China, say no more.
Konica Minolta 100 – Nothing at all came out here, expired in 1998 or something ridiculous like that
Lomo X-Pro 200 – Tried out a few rolls and didn’t really like it. I guess people buying this are after a certain look.
Seagull 400 – From China, this is a load of crap and probably my least favourite black and white film
JCH StreetPan – Shot this on a trip to Vietnam, and like most other rolls I shot that trip, everything came out severely underexposed. I think the film lab buggered everything up
AS Photo – Expired film from Germany, don’t know much about this but got a bunch of rolls at OutPut ProLab for cheap.  Some mixed results but overall quite pleasing.
TudorColor XL – Got my hands on a roll that had expired more than 10 years ago and they actually turned out ok.  Nothing extraordinary but this film is really sharp.

If you want to get your hands on any expired 35 film, check out a shop on the 4th floor of Sim City. They sell a bunch of old classic 35mm film. The results can be a bit of a lottery but there’s some hidden gems in there.

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