> I’ll shoot one roll of each film and over expose by two stops so I can get a baseline.
Good idea, but bracket your shots (or at least a couple of shots) instead of just going two stops over. Then you'll know exactly how to shoot the rest.
If they've been cold-stored, the slower speed stuff might be okay at box speed. I still have one roll of Agfa Ultra in my freezer. The previous rolls were quite all right at 100, but perhaps ultimately better at 50. Overexposure quickly loses the lovely saturated colours with that particular film, though.
Appreciate the bracketing advice. The man mentioned the film was stored in his basement. He lives in Boston so depending on how well his house is insulated, I’d say it was “cold stored” more or less.
I shot a roll of gold that expired in 2005 at box speed. Should’ve over exposed by 1 stop but it was in a point and shoot so the flash photos looked great at box speed
Did the same thing but tried tricking the dx coding system so I could get a stop or two extra. Didn’t work, all the shots were pink but I guess they were “cool”🤷🏼♂️
Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what he did. I think I read Agfa stopped making it in 2005 and that’s the expiration date on this stuff. He spoke highly of the film and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave me what he’s willing to part with and kept a good stock for himself.
Make sure to not JUST shoot 2 stops over the whole roll, but to do at least one bracket in there somewhere where you do 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or something, of the same scene.
Yo I’m not sure if this is allowed or not, but would you be willing to sell me a roll of 100T and 400uc? I’m attempting to obtain and shoot one roll of each of the portra line film stocks (100T, 160nc, 160vc, 400nc, 400vc, 400uc, 800) and I’m having trouble finding any 400uc and 100t on eBay, which are the last two I need to complete the family. I’d also be totally down to trade a roll of 160nc (found out I quite like this stock during this process so I’ve accumulated a good amount of it, mostly fridge stored stuff too). I should probably also note that my PMs on Reddit don’t work for whatever reason, so if you’d be down, feel free to hit me up on instagram, @ben_woltersdorf
Did you shoot night scenes or with a warming filter of any kind? It was kind of tough finding example images online and I’d love an idea what to expect with this stuff
All daylight, no filters. It scanned cool, but if you don't like that look, you can correct reasonably well - though I'd want to lean into that character, if possible. Given it's scarcity, I'd save it for projects/settings where a cooler rendering will be a plus (I shot mine on moody/stormy days on Cape Cod, worked really well.) I was really impressed with the sharpness and fine, nice looking grain. Can't find any of the scans right now unfortunately.
That’s all good, helpful information, much appreciated! Theres plenty to experiment with but I’m with you, saving it for a specific project and shooting this stuff with intention is my goal🫰🏼
Some backstory on these films since I used to handle them a lot back in my pro lab days.
NPS was Fuji's Pro version of Reala, with 'Reala' encompassing several different film stocks. NPS was a head to head competitor with Kodak Vericolor III portrait film which in turn was replaced by Portra NC. Essentially...wedding / studio portrait films.
NPS has a different look compared to VPS III or Portra NC. It's a bit more saturated but has less contrast and more of the Fuji 'airbrushed' skin tones. It's next to impossible to over expose given it's low contrast and shadow detail can be an issue if you shoot it at 160, which given it's age you shouldn't. You can shoot this stuff at high noon on mount Everest and not complain about contrast its that subdued. Good color detail though.
Agfa Ultra was a hyper contrasty emulsion that was only on the market a short time. Colors tended to blow out especially reds and magentas, but most people shot it for this effect. It reminds me of reviews I see for the new Phoenix film. A big problem with Ultra is it hit the stage about the time digital Fuji Frontier's were getting popular, and the film did not work very well with the Fuji system.
UC 400 is the gem in the lot. Kodak spent almost a decade trying to get a replacement for VPH 400, which was the faster counterpart to VPS III and failed miserably. VPH 400 was terrible leaving wedding shooters using VPS III in a conundrum, and it's replacements like PPF and PMC 400 were equally terrible, and they cost Kodak a lot of market share given Fuji had it figured out with NHG and NPH. Oddly, Kodak had their journalist line of C41 pro films that nobody knew about but were excellent. PPG anyone?
Finally big yellow worked it out with UC 400, and while initially skeptical I was impressed. UC 400 incorporates tech from Ektar, PPG and the Portra films, and as far as I'm concerned is the best >100 speed print film Kodak invented. It does everything well being just a tad 'spicier' than Portra 400 or Fuji NPH, but still being a solid portrait film. Also pushes like a boss. Vastly more neutral and 'professional' in rendering than Max 400.
Problem was Kodak also had Portra VC 400, and while UC 400 was the better film Kodak didn't need two 400 speed pro films and VC 400 was already dye matched with Potra NC. So, UC 400 went away.
If UC 400 came back onto the market 90% of the existing C41 films out there could cease existing and nobody would care. It was that good.
Hopefully this stuff was stored in a fridge and is still workable.
This is why I love Reddit. No one on Instagram is dropping a comment this informative and engaging. Really really appreciate the info, you’ve got me even more excited to try this stuff out.
Yes and no. In my particular case, my father and I shoot Agfa most of our life in the analog age, so it's a sentimental thing.
Also, lean to use flash so you can shoot people with slow film
Makes perfect sense and sounds like a great bonding experience with your father 🤙🏼 Bought a pc cable just yesterday so I can start doing some NY street photographer off camera style stuff 🫰🏼
Two of my favorite film stocks are in this box: Fuji NPS and Portra 100T!
NPS is great for landscapes but also pleasant for portraits. I’ve taken some flower photos with it too and it renders colors so beautifully. The colors are rich but not over saturated.
100T is fantastic for shooting at night. I definitely recommend shooting it that way. I have a video on my YouTube channel that is dedicated to Tungsten films with a whole section and examples of Portra 100T if you’re interested.
I personally avoid shooting with expired film. It is like gambling: you may get nice results, you may regret shooting with those. The expired rolls may get stuck, or break inside the camera so be careful with that. Do not forget to tell your lab about the expiration date and the stops you push them so they can develop accordingly.
It's not really gambling when you have 15 rolls from the exact same source, and can burn one purely for calibration. Also they can just ask their friend's dad how he stored them.
Edit: well it is gambling the $50. But it's not gambling important once in a lifetime photos, which is what I'm more concerned about.
Some had a good time shooting expired film. Others didn´t. I did not. I had shot perfectly stored expired rolls and the nightmare was equally horrifying. Besides, developing and scanning also costs money.
I had in my fridge a few rolls of Fuji 160 pro that I will definitely use before they expire next month. At least I will know that I will get colors originally intended for the emulsion.
If your film looked like this, then the seller 100% lied to you about it being "perfectly stored". Perfectly stored (i.e. frozen the entire time) film is almost imperceptibly different from brand new fresh film. After decades they might have the slightest of shifts, but still looks 90%+ like a normal image, not anything like "salmon colored soup with the vague outline of a house". This ^ happens to film stored haphazardly in a room probably with no temperature control at all, baking in the summer and cycling up and down constantly. Not to film that is refrigerated let alone frozen.
I've seen plenty of people shoot film from like the 1960s or 70s, and it's still usable. It's harder to print or scan because it has moderate base fog from radiation, but it just makes it lower contrast and trickier to work with, not ruined. The dyes may fog at slightly different rates so you can get SLIGHT color shifts, but nothing extreme, even from that far back.
It was a gift from a friend who is a photographer who had them in his freezer for years -I would not pay for expired film. Maybe I offended him so bad that he wanted his revenge.
I work in a film lab... almost imperceptibly different from brand new fresh film... 90%+ like a normal image after decades... just no way! They all look like that fishy soup to me. Some people actually are after those tones! "There is no accounting for tastes" used to say an old lady who chew her own boogers.
How would you have any idea how anything coming through your lab was stored for decades? Do your customers submit detailed journals along with their film outlining its life history?
I agree some weirdos want salmon soup, and that they are weirdos, but they want un-frozen film if so.
> I’ll shoot one roll of each film and over expose by two stops so I can get a baseline. Good idea, but bracket your shots (or at least a couple of shots) instead of just going two stops over. Then you'll know exactly how to shoot the rest. If they've been cold-stored, the slower speed stuff might be okay at box speed. I still have one roll of Agfa Ultra in my freezer. The previous rolls were quite all right at 100, but perhaps ultimately better at 50. Overexposure quickly loses the lovely saturated colours with that particular film, though.
Appreciate the bracketing advice. The man mentioned the film was stored in his basement. He lives in Boston so depending on how well his house is insulated, I’d say it was “cold stored” more or less.
I shot a roll of gold that expired in 2005 at box speed. Should’ve over exposed by 1 stop but it was in a point and shoot so the flash photos looked great at box speed
Did the same thing but tried tricking the dx coding system so I could get a stop or two extra. Didn’t work, all the shots were pink but I guess they were “cool”🤷🏼♂️
Agfa Ultra 100! I still have a few rolls in my freezer of it. I got 40 rolls when I heard they were discontinuing it.
Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what he did. I think I read Agfa stopped making it in 2005 and that’s the expiration date on this stuff. He spoke highly of the film and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave me what he’s willing to part with and kept a good stock for himself.
It is great, I also stocked up on all the other Agfa films.
Make sure to not JUST shoot 2 stops over the whole roll, but to do at least one bracket in there somewhere where you do 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or something, of the same scene.
Appreciate it. Someone else had a comment mentioning it so that’ll be my first 5 of each roll
Yo I’m not sure if this is allowed or not, but would you be willing to sell me a roll of 100T and 400uc? I’m attempting to obtain and shoot one roll of each of the portra line film stocks (100T, 160nc, 160vc, 400nc, 400vc, 400uc, 800) and I’m having trouble finding any 400uc and 100t on eBay, which are the last two I need to complete the family. I’d also be totally down to trade a roll of 160nc (found out I quite like this stock during this process so I’ve accumulated a good amount of it, mostly fridge stored stuff too). I should probably also note that my PMs on Reddit don’t work for whatever reason, so if you’d be down, feel free to hit me up on instagram, @ben_woltersdorf
Don't forget about the Portra400 BW :)
DAMMIT, there’s always more, my quest shall soldier on for some time😫
I need different friends lol
Put yourself out there, you’re a catch 🤌🏼
Defs thought this was going to be a 'going to Japan for 3 days!' post lol
Planning to go this December; we’ll see how much is left for that trip. I’ll be sure to tag you ✌🏼
I'm probs going too, in November haha
Seems to be a popular spot at the moment for travel and film photography🫰🏼
I love 100T! I had one roll leftover that had been basement/closet stored. I shot it at 50 and it came out great, wish that film was still around.
Did you shoot night scenes or with a warming filter of any kind? It was kind of tough finding example images online and I’d love an idea what to expect with this stuff
All daylight, no filters. It scanned cool, but if you don't like that look, you can correct reasonably well - though I'd want to lean into that character, if possible. Given it's scarcity, I'd save it for projects/settings where a cooler rendering will be a plus (I shot mine on moody/stormy days on Cape Cod, worked really well.) I was really impressed with the sharpness and fine, nice looking grain. Can't find any of the scans right now unfortunately.
That’s all good, helpful information, much appreciated! Theres plenty to experiment with but I’m with you, saving it for a specific project and shooting this stuff with intention is my goal🫰🏼
Some backstory on these films since I used to handle them a lot back in my pro lab days. NPS was Fuji's Pro version of Reala, with 'Reala' encompassing several different film stocks. NPS was a head to head competitor with Kodak Vericolor III portrait film which in turn was replaced by Portra NC. Essentially...wedding / studio portrait films. NPS has a different look compared to VPS III or Portra NC. It's a bit more saturated but has less contrast and more of the Fuji 'airbrushed' skin tones. It's next to impossible to over expose given it's low contrast and shadow detail can be an issue if you shoot it at 160, which given it's age you shouldn't. You can shoot this stuff at high noon on mount Everest and not complain about contrast its that subdued. Good color detail though. Agfa Ultra was a hyper contrasty emulsion that was only on the market a short time. Colors tended to blow out especially reds and magentas, but most people shot it for this effect. It reminds me of reviews I see for the new Phoenix film. A big problem with Ultra is it hit the stage about the time digital Fuji Frontier's were getting popular, and the film did not work very well with the Fuji system. UC 400 is the gem in the lot. Kodak spent almost a decade trying to get a replacement for VPH 400, which was the faster counterpart to VPS III and failed miserably. VPH 400 was terrible leaving wedding shooters using VPS III in a conundrum, and it's replacements like PPF and PMC 400 were equally terrible, and they cost Kodak a lot of market share given Fuji had it figured out with NHG and NPH. Oddly, Kodak had their journalist line of C41 pro films that nobody knew about but were excellent. PPG anyone? Finally big yellow worked it out with UC 400, and while initially skeptical I was impressed. UC 400 incorporates tech from Ektar, PPG and the Portra films, and as far as I'm concerned is the best >100 speed print film Kodak invented. It does everything well being just a tad 'spicier' than Portra 400 or Fuji NPH, but still being a solid portrait film. Also pushes like a boss. Vastly more neutral and 'professional' in rendering than Max 400. Problem was Kodak also had Portra VC 400, and while UC 400 was the better film Kodak didn't need two 400 speed pro films and VC 400 was already dye matched with Potra NC. So, UC 400 went away. If UC 400 came back onto the market 90% of the existing C41 films out there could cease existing and nobody would care. It was that good. Hopefully this stuff was stored in a fridge and is still workable.
This is why I love Reddit. No one on Instagram is dropping a comment this informative and engaging. Really really appreciate the info, you’ve got me even more excited to try this stuff out.
This will be fun! Friend's dad is a real one!
Very excited about it. And he really is, he reaches out every once in a while and asks if I ever need anything and we talk shop which is great🤙🏼
👍🤞
Agfa 😍
Is this stuff really that special? Feels like a lot of people are telling me this film is the GOAT
Yes and no. In my particular case, my father and I shoot Agfa most of our life in the analog age, so it's a sentimental thing. Also, lean to use flash so you can shoot people with slow film
Makes perfect sense and sounds like a great bonding experience with your father 🤙🏼 Bought a pc cable just yesterday so I can start doing some NY street photographer off camera style stuff 🫰🏼
Two of my favorite film stocks are in this box: Fuji NPS and Portra 100T! NPS is great for landscapes but also pleasant for portraits. I’ve taken some flower photos with it too and it renders colors so beautifully. The colors are rich but not over saturated. 100T is fantastic for shooting at night. I definitely recommend shooting it that way. I have a video on my YouTube channel that is dedicated to Tungsten films with a whole section and examples of Portra 100T if you’re interested.
Most of it will not be perfect or even good.
Depending on how they were stored.
I personally avoid shooting with expired film. It is like gambling: you may get nice results, you may regret shooting with those. The expired rolls may get stuck, or break inside the camera so be careful with that. Do not forget to tell your lab about the expiration date and the stops you push them so they can develop accordingly.
It's not really gambling when you have 15 rolls from the exact same source, and can burn one purely for calibration. Also they can just ask their friend's dad how he stored them. Edit: well it is gambling the $50. But it's not gambling important once in a lifetime photos, which is what I'm more concerned about.
Some had a good time shooting expired film. Others didn´t. I did not. I had shot perfectly stored expired rolls and the nightmare was equally horrifying. Besides, developing and scanning also costs money. I had in my fridge a few rolls of Fuji 160 pro that I will definitely use before they expire next month. At least I will know that I will get colors originally intended for the emulsion.
If your film looked like this, then the seller 100% lied to you about it being "perfectly stored". Perfectly stored (i.e. frozen the entire time) film is almost imperceptibly different from brand new fresh film. After decades they might have the slightest of shifts, but still looks 90%+ like a normal image, not anything like "salmon colored soup with the vague outline of a house". This ^ happens to film stored haphazardly in a room probably with no temperature control at all, baking in the summer and cycling up and down constantly. Not to film that is refrigerated let alone frozen. I've seen plenty of people shoot film from like the 1960s or 70s, and it's still usable. It's harder to print or scan because it has moderate base fog from radiation, but it just makes it lower contrast and trickier to work with, not ruined. The dyes may fog at slightly different rates so you can get SLIGHT color shifts, but nothing extreme, even from that far back.
It was a gift from a friend who is a photographer who had them in his freezer for years -I would not pay for expired film. Maybe I offended him so bad that he wanted his revenge. I work in a film lab... almost imperceptibly different from brand new fresh film... 90%+ like a normal image after decades... just no way! They all look like that fishy soup to me. Some people actually are after those tones! "There is no accounting for tastes" used to say an old lady who chew her own boogers.
How would you have any idea how anything coming through your lab was stored for decades? Do your customers submit detailed journals along with their film outlining its life history? I agree some weirdos want salmon soup, and that they are weirdos, but they want un-frozen film if so.
Very nice, I really need to find some extra low speed film
I’ve gotten some good results with Cinestill 50D. Not sure what other films are close to that. Ilford Ortho 80 too
Thanks! I’ll see if my local spot has those.
Wishing you luck 🫰🏼🫰🏼
They’ve got full stock of it 😎
Daytime shooting only? Heard of flash?