Candido 200 = Kodak Vision 200T

 Well, it's my first post for 2025, and it's about film - imagine that!  In the fall I picked up a roll of Candido 200 C-41 film from my local camera store, Ball Photo.  I hadn't read anything about it previously, and finally gave it a try in mid-November.  Before I delve into what I shot, and my comments about the film, let's see who "Candido" is.

Candido is a Portugal-based seller of  repackaged  ECN-2 films.  Their aim is to offer lower-cost color negative film, which is a noble thing, but perhaps the cost is only lower in Portugal.  They have attractive, simple designs for their packaging, and offer three films - 200, 400, and 800 ISO.  All are Kodak Vision 3 films with the remjet removed, ala Cinestill.  I've see older Reddit posts about the Candido 200 in 24 exp. cassettes, which may have kept the cost per roll down, but by the time you add in processing, it's actually more expensive per frame.  The packaging states that it's "designed in London, packaged in China."  Film is of course, from the USA.  So, I'm not sure how the Portugal/London/China/USA thing came about, but I do know that some Chinese companies have figured out how to remove the remjet from the ECN-2 films, and perhaps that's the crucial part of all of this.  

If you have been using Cinestill -branded color  films, you have been using ECN-2 films that are typically rated at a 2/3 stop higher than the native ISO of the particular Vision 3 film with remjet.  Now, I don't agree that removing the remjet makes the film more sensitive - that's Cinestill's claim, for what it's worth.

The Candido 200 color film is Eastman 5213 -Vision 3 200T ECN-2 film with the remjet removed.  Now, it's strange that they don't suggest a warming filter with this film, since it needs one for the proper color balance.  However, I just shot it as if it were a normal color fil, like most of the people would  that buy this film. Note that it is in a metal cassette, which is nice to see.

I loaded my Nikon N80 with the roll of Candido 200, and shot the entire roll while on an afternoon meetup with the Asheville Camera Club in downtown Asheville on November 17.  I eventually dropped it off at Ball Photo in Asheville to get it developed.  Here is the sheet of negatives:

Here are some examples from the roll... no adjustments or corrections.

The images look pretty good, and I did not see residual remjet spots in the scans, which is a good thing.  If you are selling this as a C-41 film, then that has to be done well.  The Vision 3 200T film is one that I have shot quite a bit of, and it's fine-grained.  Colors look good, and I can make them warmer post-scan, if necessary.  You can see halation in the images with bright lights. 

I paid more for this roll of film than I have for Ektar 100, so for me, it's not really a cheaper alternative to say, Gold 200 or Fuji 200, which are good every-day films. Is this film worth it?  I suppose it depends on where you live, and what access you have to color film stocks.  As a re-packaged film, there are other brands out there for less money, so do your research.  

Anyhow, 2025 is here, so get out there and shoot some film.

Coming soon... FPP's 620 Color!

Back in October, I received some rolls of film to test for the Film Photography Project.  Two were from  a batch of color film rolled onto 620 spools by a vendor for the FPP.  What's not to like?  How many of us have cameras that use 620 film?  Back when I was testing various models for my guide to medium format toy cameras, (Monochrome Mania No. 3 - now out of print), I respooled a bunch of b&w film.  My fingers got cramps doing it.  Aside from a few cameras that really deserve my respooling efforts, I haven't used 620 all that much lately.  However, COLOR on 620 is pretty hard to resist.  My favorite low-fi 620 cameras have been the Kodak Brownie Reflex 20 (pictured below) and the Kodak Brownie Twin 20.  Both cameras are quite similar feature-wise, and a lot of fun to use.  I loaded the FPP 620 Color Beta Test 2023 into the Reflex 20, and shot the roll locally and while on my trip to Dutchess County, NY at the end of October.

When I went to unload the finished roll from the camera, it slipped from my hand and I had to re-roll the backing paper a bit to tighten it, so I probably introduced some edge light leaks, which showed up when I got the developed film back from Ball Photo in Asheville.

Anyhow, I love the results overall, and the Film Photography Project's new 620 film is for now, a "beta" film, yet to be officially released.  Keep your eye on their announcements for this film.  It's certainly going to be a welcome addition for anyone wanting to use a 620 camera!

One Roll Review - Elektra 100

One thing that’s really become apparent in the past few years is the rebranding of film stocks from various sellers. For example, you’ll find Fomapan 100 rebranded as no less than 8 different films.  In the color film world, it's generally been rebranding of Kodak ECN-2 films - some with the remjet removed, such as with Cinestill and Reflx Lab. However, some recent introductions have been a great surprise, and have introduced films that I did not previously know about.  Such is the case of Kodak’s Aerocolor IV, an aerial surveillance film that has a primary purpose in aerial mapping and photogrammetry applications, and the film’s low-grain, high color accuracy, and lack of an orange mask makes it a unique C-41 film that has been languishing in the shadows until very recently.

So, enter SantaColor 100, and Flic Film Elektra 100 - both of which are 35mm 36 exposure cassettes of the Aerocolor IV (NOT Aerochrome — that was a false-color IR film). Only the Flic Film tells us what the film actually is.  From what I have read, one can only buy the Aerocolor IV film in 5” x 500 ft lengths - which of course, is going to be quite pricey especially considering that one would likely have to have any film cut to 35mm and sprocketed afterwards.

From the Kodak Data Sheet (dated October 2009):

“KODAK AEROCOLOR IV Negative Film 2460 is a medium-speed, very fine-grain color negative aerial film. This film has a wide exposure latitude and is specifically designed for processing to a color negative only. Since this film does not have integral color masking, direct interpretation can be made from the negative. Objects are recorded in colors complementary to their natural colors.

The ESTAR Base provides flexibility, moisture resistance, high tear resistance, and excellent dimensional stability. KODAK AEROCOLOR IV Negative Film 2460 has an abrasion-resistant emulsion, an antihalation undercoat, and a dyed-gel backing.

The hardened emulsion permits high-temperature, rapid processing in roller-transport processors, such as the KODAK Aerial Color Processor, Model 1611, and the KODAK EKTACHROME RT Processor, Model 1811, with Quick-Change, using Process AN-6. This process consists of selected KODAK EA-5 Chemicals and AN-6 Chemicals. Processing can be easily tailored to optimize contrast for specific applications.

This film is also compatible with Process C-41. It can be processed in existing C-41 processors using either KODAK FLEXICOLOR Developer or KODAK Developer Replenisher, Process AN-6.”

Additionally, the film has an integral UV-absorbing layer so that UV filters are not needed.  However, since the film is on an Estar base, it should be loaded into the camera under dim conditions to avoid light-piping. 

Okay, what about the Elektra 100?

I bought my rolls from Ultrafine Online, one of my three favorite places to shop for film and developing chemistry.

The film comes in a black canister, so that it’s not going to be light-piping along the film base from the exposed leader.  Load the film into your camera indoors, if possible.  The ISO is set at 100 - leave it at 100 for the best results.  I loaded my film into my Nikon FM2N  and then went to Spruce Pine, NC for an afternoon of photography with my buddy, Graham Young.  Most of the time I used the 50mm f/2 Nikkor, though in a few instances, I used my 200mmm f/4 Nikkor to isolate a window scene.

I had the film developed at Ball Photo in Asheville, and scanned the negatives on my Epson V700 scanner.

I have to say, this is a fantastic film.  It has no curl, lies flat in the scanner, and the color rendition is excellent.  It’s supposed to be very low grain, and it certainly is.  There’s no orange mask, but the scanning was perfect.  Here are some samples from that roll.

mural, Haywood St, West Asheville

Tastee Diner, West Asheville

Spruce Pine, NC as are the rest that follow

It’s not an inexpensive film at 12.95/roll, but it’s also not as expensive as some other color emulsions.  At this price, and considering the quality of the images, I think it’s a bargain. I have another roll that I’m saving for some colorful subjects, and I now know what the film is capable of.  Kodak — you really ought to make this film available for 120 and 35mm cameras. 

For more information from Kodak:

Information on available sizes and minimum order quantities of this film is available on the web at www.kodak.com/go/aerial. You can also write or contact:

Aerial Imaging

Eastman Kodak Company

343 State Street Rochester,NewYork 14650-0505 aerial@kodak.com

One Roll Review - Orwo Wolfen NC500

I recently shot a roll of this new release (2022) from Orwo, and while it’s certainly not a complete test of this film, I thought that I’d share my results from it. Orwo NC500 is a C-41 color film rated at ISO 400. There is no orange mask that one usually associates with C-41 films, so I have to assume that this film was originally designed for cine use. There is no remjet layer.

According to Orwo, "At the core of our new color film lies a unique chemical formula based on the wonderful and legendary Agfa stock last used in the Oscar-winning film ‘Out of Africa.’ Famous for their greens, desaturated shadows, and enhanced grains, these are all aspects that we are embracing for our new addition. With WOLFEN NC500, we are not trying to imitate current stocks available on the market, we are creating an alternative, something with different characteristics and a different palette." In other words, don’t expect results that you might get from a typical C-41 color film. Think more along the lines of using something like a Lomography film such as their Metropolis C-41 film. 

It makes sense to put something out on the market that’s a color C-41 film, but not the same as every other film, and the NC500 is truly that. It’s got a unique palette that emphasizes the greens, and as I found with my photographs was perfectly suited for woodland images. Since I wasn’t testing this on more colorful subjects, such as strolling along all the street art in the Asheville River Arts District, I can’t comment on how it renders that type of scene. However, given that I shot it while in South Carolina in early May, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Not wanting to bias the results in any way, I had the film developed at my local film lab, Ball Photo, in Asheville.

A few examples, all shot with my Nikon F3HP, and 28mm and 35mm Nikkors...

As you can see, it’s a different film than something like Fuji Superia. Tones are muted, the shadows quite nice, and the images I got from it are quite lovely. To me, the only reason that I might not use this more often is the price. At $16/roll, it's pricey. I don’t shoot a lot of color anyways, but it’s good to have a film that stands out as different from the rest. Scanning the film was easy on my Epson V700, and the film lies relatively flat. I usually do my post-processing in Corel Paintshop Pro, and I did very little with these images. 

Some people might really appreciate the “retro” look of this film, and it does have sort of a faded snapshot look to it. My view is that once you know a film’s characteristics, you can tailor your choice of shots to that film’s strengths, and in doing so, you can create images that match your expectations. However, you need to try these unique films for yourself, so that you become familiar with them. It’s an interesting film, for sure, that does not fall into the super-saturated category that many have come to expect.