ah, comatic abberation - that which makes shooting wide open so much fun. nice to see a modern lens showing so much actually.
if this was a disease, my 73/1.9 would be in the running for 'poster child' status - and i love it.
so, everyone see that Kodak is killing off the existing portra 400vc/nc, and making on new portra 400? interesting shit - do we interpret this as 'less variety' or 'more cool new shit from Kodak, even in 2010!'
Yeah the uh... the 77 doesn't do so great at remembering the backgrounds and foregrounds aren't supposed to be green and magenta. At least it's really only at short distances it seems to have that problem. Not that I let it bother me, for the most part... I can correct it out if it is a horrible distraction and I can leave it in for the other 95 times out of 100 that it isn't.
I don't know how to feel about death of film lines anymore. Ever since Agfa stopped making color film, I haven't really played with any of it, though I need to again at some point. Hey, looks like an excuse to buy that 24...
yeah, not like we can change the film thing that much - sure advocacy and continued use helps, but assuming those who care are already doing that, the rest will just happen as it happens.
that said, i for one vastly prefer the look of film, and enjoy a non-computerized workflow to get my results. and seeing as my desired end-result is physical prints, i'm very much a fan of the wet darkroom process as opposed to computer printer output.
we've lost some really great films (neopan 400 in 120, dammit!), but there are some excellent new ones as well. dis kodak all you want for some things, but tmy-2 and ektar are VERY good. looking forward to the new portra, or if it doesn't work out, i'll have to try some vision3 in the leicas - they even make a tungsten balanced version!!
as for that 77, all lenses are less than perfect - you'vegot a choice, live with the level/nature of said imperfections, or don't. i for one make a point of lens 'shopping' by optical signature within my preferred focal lengths rather than technical perfection. hell, i gave up some REALLY highly rated nikon glass, all because it wasn't the look i like - and so far, people i hand pictures to see to agree, even when they're in them.
You know, I've basically given up on film for 35mm. My Kodachrome stock is down to one roll of KR-64, and when that is gone I think I'll retire the Rebel Ti for good. I'm just never satisfied with the look of 35mm color film compared to digital, and since I own a 4x5, B&W 35mm is basically just silly for me.
Where I think film stands a chance of hanging on for serious use, at least for a few more years, is in the larger formats. Everything from 120 up is still at least competitive with digital, and in many cases superior to it. The problem is they keep killing the larger format films!!!
With all the cheaper large format and medium format bodies hitting the used market over the last few years, a lot of amateurs have their hands on some great film gear. We might lose color film eventually, but I suspect folks (including me) will continue to shoot large format in B&W for decades. That said... I haven't used my darn Pacemaker all that much this year.
My guess on portra 400 is that it is a cost-control change. Kodak films are surviving by the skin of their teeth, and I'm betting this new film is really very similar to the old film (hence little research cost), just cheaper to make.
ah, comatic abberation - that which makes shooting wide open so much fun. nice to see a modern lens showing so much actually.
ReplyDeleteif this was a disease, my 73/1.9 would be in the running for 'poster child' status - and i love it.
so, everyone see that Kodak is killing off the existing portra 400vc/nc, and making on new portra 400? interesting shit - do we interpret this as 'less variety' or 'more cool new shit from Kodak, even in 2010!'
-GMT
Yeah the uh... the 77 doesn't do so great at remembering the backgrounds and foregrounds aren't supposed to be green and magenta. At least it's really only at short distances it seems to have that problem. Not that I let it bother me, for the most part... I can correct it out if it is a horrible distraction and I can leave it in for the other 95 times out of 100 that it isn't.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how to feel about death of film lines anymore. Ever since Agfa stopped making color film, I haven't really played with any of it, though I need to again at some point. Hey, looks like an excuse to buy that 24...
yeah, not like we can change the film thing that much - sure advocacy and continued use helps, but assuming those who care are already doing that, the rest will just happen as it happens.
ReplyDeletethat said, i for one vastly prefer the look of film, and enjoy a non-computerized workflow to get my results. and seeing as my desired end-result is physical prints, i'm very much a fan of the wet darkroom process as opposed to computer printer output.
we've lost some really great films (neopan 400 in 120, dammit!), but there are some excellent new ones as well. dis kodak all you want for some things, but tmy-2 and ektar are VERY good. looking forward to the new portra, or if it doesn't work out, i'll have to try some vision3 in the leicas - they even make a tungsten balanced version!!
as for that 77, all lenses are less than perfect - you'vegot a choice, live with the level/nature of said imperfections, or don't. i for one make a point of lens 'shopping' by optical signature within my preferred focal lengths rather than technical perfection. hell, i gave up some REALLY highly rated nikon glass, all because it wasn't the look i like - and so far, people i hand pictures to see to agree, even when they're in them.
-GMT
You know, I've basically given up on film for 35mm. My Kodachrome stock is down to one roll of KR-64, and when that is gone I think I'll retire the Rebel Ti for good. I'm just never satisfied with the look of 35mm color film compared to digital, and since I own a 4x5, B&W 35mm is basically just silly for me.
ReplyDeleteWhere I think film stands a chance of hanging on for serious use, at least for a few more years, is in the larger formats. Everything from 120 up is still at least competitive with digital, and in many cases superior to it. The problem is they keep killing the larger format films!!!
With all the cheaper large format and medium format bodies hitting the used market over the last few years, a lot of amateurs have their hands on some great film gear. We might lose color film eventually, but I suspect folks (including me) will continue to shoot large format in B&W for decades. That said... I haven't used my darn Pacemaker all that much this year.
My guess on portra 400 is that it is a cost-control change. Kodak films are surviving by the skin of their teeth, and I'm betting this new film is really very similar to the old film (hence little research cost), just cheaper to make.
JPS