Kodak Portra Film - Advice?

[HLAuburn]

Does anyone have any experience using Kodak Porta film? I'm gong to take some just-before-sunset beach pictures of my daughter next week, and a friend recommended I try the Portra film, but I'm not sure what type to choose. I'm debating between the 160, 400, and 800, and I can't decide if NC (natural color) or VC (vivid color) would be better for beach pictures.

Any advice??

Thanks!!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Just before sunset should give you more than enough light to use ISO 400 max and be safe. Because it depends on the subject. If subject moves around a lot and/or if you're not going to use tripod/monopod then I suggest ISO 400, but if it's going to be still/posed pictures, then ISO 160 is the best choice.

Remember, the lower the ISO, the lesser grains it will have.

Vivid vs Normal, that depends whether you want colours that poppe up or not. I don't like unnatural colours, so I'll choose normal.

Regardless, I don't like Kodak in general, they tend to be grainier than other film manufacturers (the same is true with their digital cameras).

 

[HLAuburn]

Just before sunset should give you more than enough light to use ISO 400 max and be safe. Because it depends on the subject. If subject moves around a lot and/or if you're not going to use tripod/monopod then I suggest ISO 400, but if it's going to be still/posed pictures, then ISO 160 is the best choice.

Remember, the lower the ISO, the lesser grains it will have.

Vivid vs Normal, that depends whether you want colours that poppe up or not. I don't like unnatural colours, so I'll choose normal.

Regardless, I don't like Kodak in general, they tend to be grainier than other film manufacturers (the same is true with their digital cameras).

Thanks! So what brand film do you recommend?

 

[Kelly Grannell]

For slide film I like to use Fuji Velvia because of the red push, when projected to a screen the red becomes natural.

For black and white I like Ilford Delta 100 and Kodak TMax 100

For other colour shots I like Fuji Reala.

 

[mhutchinson]

My preference use to be for Fuji, I found the tones to be more accurate and not overly warm like Kodak produced... That would be back in the old days when I used film..

 

[HLAuburn]

Thank you all for the advice.

One more question...do any of the "professional" films require any special handling as far as developing goes, particularly the Fuji Reala or the TMax100? Or can any Walgreen's-type photo center develop them? Does that defeat the purpose of using higher quality film when you just take it to a "regular" place to have it developed? I was thinking of having it done there and then taking it to a photo store for the enlargements.

Thanks again.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Yikes! No, never, stay away from those places. Run! run! run!

Not that "pro" films require special handling (although slides and b&w films require special handling which I don't know whether those places equipped to do so), but as a professional, I want my films to be handled like gold, that means the chemicals and the temperature should be just perfectly so to ensure there is no human error added in the process between taking the pics to the final print.

I don't know about in the US, but in the area where I live there are two professional film services that I usually use (some of my clients won't allow me to use my dSLR but provide me with their 35mm camera... ye olde archaic Canon A2E) and I use one of them just to handle regular 35mm prints, and another to handle my b&w and slides.