Dear all,

Has someone already started to use the new Kokak Ektar 100 in 120 rolls?

How does it scan on an Imacon and how is the detail/colors/DR relative to Provia 100F?

Thanks.

Cheers,
Bernard

Bernard, I have shot perhaps 7-8 rolls of 120 Ektar. It is a fantastic film. Very sharp, very fine grain. I have shot little transparency film so not much basis for comparison; but its DR easily equals that of any other color negative film I've shot.

I've scanned it on both a Nikon 9000 and a Hasselblad 646 and it scans extremely well with either. It looks great with the Nikon's built-in "color negative" profile via Nikon Scan. There is no Imacon profile fir it that I know of; I think I used one for Portra VC or Fuji 160S which got me in the ballpark.

If you've not tried it you should. Kodak really hit a homer with Ektar.

I'm scannng some images now--I'll try to get back here with one or two as examples.

I have just shot a couple of rolls of it. But I only got it back in the last two days and had only had it roll scanned so it is not comparable to drum scans. My use is different from many so perhaps it will not be as applicable to landscape shooters and others.

I can say that I am very pleased so far. I used it where I would have otherwise used Portra 160VC. I was concerned that skin tones would be excessive but not the case. The Ektar had just the added punch in color and contrast that I would bring up in PhotoShop. My first reaction was "this is so real".

I also have shot a couple of rolls of 35mm Ektar 100 around a swimming pool. Again I was pleasantly surprised with skin tones. The water in the pool was just beautiful.

Anyway I will post some as I go. But right at the moment I am sold. I do wish they would bring it out in 220.

I can't compare it to Provia because I was never much of a Provia user.

Thank you gentlemen, much appreciated. It looks like my 6x12 film back will get used agian. :-)

Cheers,
Bernard

Bernard,

I am astonished to hear that you still use that stuff -- what's it called again? --- Ah: "Film!"


I'm curious: when you do your stitched images from film, do you use a Singer sewing machine to stitch the negs or trannies together?  

Cheers,

Eric 

Shooting film puts me in a special mood for taking pictures. Sometimes it is very inspiring and routine liberating to drastically change your usual tools. Like forcing yourself to shoot with a lens you seldom use, or use another format. It sparks creativity. One of the reasons I used 4x5 so much was not only because of IQ, but because of the way it made me relate with what I was photographing. It puts me in a different perspective, in a different way of seeing, and that's what photography is all about for me.

I have been using a soon to be patented Belgian chocolate based welding technique... good stuff!

Cheers,
Bernard

I can very much relate to that.

Cheers,
Bernard

I have always preferred the French chocolate. Michel Cluizel 99% is perfect for the job. 

Eric


P.S. It was only during the last few years of my film photo career that I began to appreciate even the value of developing film. Gently slipping the bottom sheet up onto the top of the stack and jiggling the tray gently, and then repeating for sometimes up to 15 minutes in total darkness: one can learn patience, and do some good meditating. Digital has no procedure that is the psychological equivalent of developing film.

Too true...

Mike.

We'll probably have to agree to disagree on that one...

Cheers,
Bernard

I should mention also that I was a bit confused when I first saw the title of this thread. "Ektar 100 120?" What's that? I once had an Ektar, but it was a 175. That is, a 7" Aero Ektar f/2.5 lens. It was a monster, which I managed to fit to my 4x5 view camera for a few shots. No built-in shutter, however, which made it a bit awkward to use.

Then I dimly recalled that Kodak has recycled the grand old "Ektar" lens name for a film of all things!

Cheers,
Eric

P.S. I'll concede that Belgian chacolate can be quite acceptable. In fact I'd say Belgian is to French sort of as Nikon is to Canon.
And even Belgian can surpass French on isolated occasions, when in the hands of a master, like Bernard!

Are you trying to conduct two brand wars at the same time???

Cheers,
Bernard

I prefer Swiss chocolate myself.....

<ducks>

I dunno. I find the 12 minutes between the time I press print and the time my HP B9180 figures out that I was talking to it to be peaceful.

Good God, Mr P, a fellow user!

Do you have problems getting strong reds? I seem to produce lots of terracotta instead. Have tried isolating these colours and winding up the strength as far as it will go, but to little avail. I now try to avoid red in the picture. Or stay with black and white which it does very well indeed.

Rob C

It is a tremendous black and white printer. I have some trouble with muddy greens and yellows. (If they're mixed.) Not sure about red.

Hi Dark,

You should, of course, be agitating your B9180 gently during those 12 minutes.

Of course I am. I've just gotten tired of all the usual Deardorff vs. Minox battles around here.

Cheers,

Eric

I seem to have that reversed as the B9180 does a nice job of agitating me during those 12 minutes.

I have a simple solution for that, too (and just as useful as most of my solutions.) Just load your B9180 into Photoshop. Then, from the Image menu choose 'Invert'. That should have you agitating the printer instead of the other way around.

By golly: I should collect all my useful tips in a book!

Wow, EricM getting tired. ohh

Age is something the we can't avoid,

I will be alive until the day I die, and I will never die, so I will be alive all my life

Blas

A lot remains to be done though...

Cheers,
Bernard

This is so true. Darkroom photographers will always have a longer life span and lower blood pressure. Great meditation and even if I can coin a phrase "Post Visualization" something that happens in the dark when a photographer sees what happened in total darkness.

I've miss treated a negative before but never had one system crash.

Though I've yet to drum scan my Ektar 120 rolls, my experience with dirt-cheap Noritsu minilab scanning has been outstanding. Perceptibly finer grain leads to what I believe is a less intrusive noise reduction process. There is also less color casts from the direct scan, which leads to easier Photoshop post-processing. I regularly use Fujifilm Pro 160S, Kodak Portra 160VC, and in the past Fuji Reala. After shooting only two rolls of Ektar, I've found my favorite color negative.


Here are some samples, which have very minimal to no color correction:









Pedro Kok

Pedro,

Excellent!

Same here Pedro, my usual film is Portra 160/400/NC/VC with a little Fuji 160s and 400h thrown in. Got my first rolls shot this week with Ektar in my Mamiya 7 and just scanned them with my Imacon and i'm very impressed, unbelievably grain free and lovely colour! for certain work this will be an amazing combination. Mamiya 7 with Ektar is as grain free in my Imacon as 5x4 with 400NC.

Gary.

very nice pedro. the 1st almost looked like an architecture documentary shot for a mag.


-Dan

how does the Ektar 100 compare to Portra 160 VC? Does one notice differences? Is the contrast of the Ektar 100 not excessive?

Of course it is a matter of personal preference and what you are shooting. Prior to the Ektar I was primarily shooting 160VC. However I do like additional saturation and contrast of the Ektar so I have been shooting more of it lately. It is not like the "UC" that Kodak had some time back which I did find excessive. I do sometimes prefer the 160VC because of the convenience of having it in 220 rolls.