Kodak Ektar 100

James Thorsen · Jan 30, 2020

Hello - hope everyone is doing well. I recently picked up a roll of 35mm Ektar 100. I've used Ektar 100 before in 120 format, however, this was only during bright daytime hours. I have been interested in low light photography and have been experimenting with tripods, shutter releases, high iso films. Wondering if anyone has experience using a wide open aperture (2f in my case) and 60th of the second shutter speed during low light/night shoots. I recently did this with some Colorplus 200 and was able to get good high lights as well as darkness - I was pleased with the results at open aperture and 60th/second. I don't mind if the image is underexposed a bit, just looking for a moody Neo noir type vibe.

Ariston · Jan 30, 2020

I don't see how you could get much from a 100 speed film with that aperture amd shutter speed. I can rarely get good indoor night photos at those settings, even with 1600 ISO film. I don't know how much, if at all, you can reliably push Ektachrome since I've never used it.

runswithsizzers · Jan 30, 2020

According to the charts on <this Wikipedia link>
Table 2 shows "Floodlit buildings, monuments, and fountains" = EV(100) of 3 to 5, and "Night street scenes and window displays" = EV(100) of 7 to 8

... and Table 1 shows, if EV=3, at f/2 you need an exposure of 1/2 second
at the higher end (EV=8), the recommended shutter speed for f/2 is 1/60th sec.

mshchem · Jan 30, 2020

Remember that the color temperature of the illumination (Ektar is designed for daylight ) requires filters for good color balance. Using a Kodak guidebook works great for determining correct exposure. If you are looking for great color you need to use filters or go back in time and buy tungsten balanced film.
Part of why Dig*** is so popular.

DWThomas · Jan 30, 2020

If by "low light" you're thinking town business districts at night or something similar, you'll almost always get something. There is a huge range of brightness from deep shadows to bare lightbulbs, neon signs, etc. As such, best bet is try some variety of exposures, keep notes, see what you like. An exposure that brings out detail in a dark ambient background may wash out the color in more intensely lit places. But again, my experience is, you always get "something."

James Thorsen · Jan 31, 2020

DWThomas said:
If by "low light" you're thinking town business districts at night or something similar, you'll almost always get something. There is a huge range of brightness from deep shadows to bare lightbulbs, neon signs, etc. As such, best bet is try some variety of exposures, keep notes, see what you like. An exposure that brings out detail in a dark ambient background may wash out the color in more intensely lit places. But again, my experience is, you always get "something."

Thank you everyone for responding.

Lachlan Young · Jan 31, 2020

It is very easy to overexpose Ektar if you key to the shadows - key off the highlights and you should be fine.

Thorpelyon · Feb 1, 2020

I did some night photography with Ektar on a recent trip to Nice, France. I was quite happy with the results. Here are a few examples from my Flickr album...

https://flic.kr/p/22kpiHJ
https://flic.kr/p/GXEfSY
https://flic.kr/p/GXE6TW
https://flic.kr/p/2564ZZ7
https://flic.kr/p/243EoeN

Happy night shooting!

Arthurwg · Feb 1, 2020

The French are so serious about food.

James Thorsen · Feb 1, 2020

Thorpelyon said:
I did some night photography with Ektar on a recent trip to Nice, France. I was quite happy with the results. Here are a few examples from my Flickr album...

https://flic.kr/p/22kpiHJ
https://flic.kr/p/GXEfSY
https://flic.kr/p/GXE6TW
https://flic.kr/p/2564ZZ7
https://flic.kr/p/243EoeN

Happy night shooting!

Hi Thor - I appreciate the response - just wondering were you hand holding those photos (wide open aperture and 60th shutter speed) or was that a tripod you were using (at slower shutter speed). The type of exposure I was thinking of is similar to that (even maybe a bit darker).

Thanks for sharing your photos - nice images - makes me want to do the same in France!

Thorpelyon · Feb 1, 2020

James Thorsen said:
Hi Thor - I appreciate the response - just wondering were you hand holding those photos (wide open aperture and 60th shutter speed) or was that a tripod you were using (at slower shutter speed). The type of exposure I was thinking of is similar to that (even maybe a bit darker).

Thanks for sharing your photos - nice images - makes me want to do the same in France!

Most of them were done with a tripod — just a cheap, light Manfrotto aluminum tripod. The widest aperture on the Yashica Mat 124G is 3.5 so my shutter speeds were usually around 1/10s.

I’ve recently been experimenting with Lomography’s 800 speed color film at night. It’s cheaper than Portra 800 and is almost as nicely saturated as Ektar, and at ISO 800 I can handhold the camera at 1/60s.

Ste_S · Feb 1, 2020

Thorpelyon said:
I’ve recently been experimenting with Lomography’s 800 speed color film at night. It’s cheaper than Portra 800 and is almost as nicely saturated as Ektar, and at ISO 800 I can handhold the camera at 1/60s.

Was about to post similar. Lomo 800 is a very nice film, and for a consumer film doesn't tend to loose shadow detail as quickly as some others.
It's the film that allows me to keep shooting colour during the winter.

However, unless the scene is very brightly lit, I still wouldn't use if for hand held night photography. At f1.8 and 1/60s I'd want 1600ISO minimum, and probably 3200ISO to get reliable results

Agulliver · Feb 4, 2020

Outside in the street, unless there are well lit shop displays or Vegas-style neon/LED displays I wouldn't use Ektar. The colour balance and saturation of Ektar probably wouldn't suit such scenes and over exposure of Ektar overblows the reds. Certainly not without something to rest my camera on and longish exposures and I wouldn't expect accurate colours...though the results may well be artistically interesting.

I do a lot of shooting in a jazz/blues club which is dimly lit. I have got away with f1.8 and Fuji Superia 800 and Lomography 800 but most of the time I shoot Ilford HP5+ with 1/15s or 1/8 sec and f2.8....processing for around 2000ISO. For night time outside street shots I tend to close down to 5.6 or f8 and leave the shutter open a few seconds on B&W film at anything from 400 to 800ISO.

Kodak Ektar 100

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