Film-Camera Reviews

I bought one of these 2 Camera packs a few years ago. They were easy to use, the Flash worked everytime. The results produced nice Colorful Clear shots.
I recommend these to anyone heading out with friends.
Not sure if Kodak still manufacture these camera's though.

Everytime I am tempted to go to a higher film speed, I look back at the slides this film has given me over the decades and stick with this film. And, that is part of it. The film is archival and holds up over the decades. The film has exceedingly fine grain (and as I am archiving my slides by scanning them at 4000 dpi, it enlarges perfectly.) As more and more switch to digital, it is getting harder and harder to find this film, but seeking it out is worth it for those of us who know that film still currently outperforms digital with the proper camera. Waiting for the film to return from processing is worth the wait and I utilize Kodak processing. I utilize a heavy camera which lends stability to hand held shots and I plan to continue to use this film far into the future. It still is the standard against which to compare all other films. I have Kodachrome slides taken over 30 years ago, and the color is still sharp and crisp.

With the cancellation in 2001 of KODACHROME 25, KODAK now offers KODACHROME slide film in only two speeds: 64 and 200. KODACHROME 64 is, in my opinion the one slide film by which all others should be judged.

Unlike other slide films that are developed using E-6 processing and which contain all the color dyes within the film, KODACHROME film stock is actually a black and white film to which the colors are added during developing. This is a much more time consuming, tedious and expensive process, but one that delivers much more natural colors, finer grain and deeper contrast. Using the K-14 process also means that you will have to send all KODACHROME slide film to a national lab. Consequently, it will take about a week or slightly more to get your slides back. But rest assured, the wait is more than worth it!

One of the other intangible benefits of using KODACHROME slide film is that retains archival storage abilities. There are slides available for viewing that were taken in the early 1930s, when KODAK first released this emulsion that look as if they were shot yesterday. There is no noticeable color shifting, bleeding or loss of color or contrast.

KODACHROME slide film has long been known for its natural nd lifelike colors. Unlike slide film from FUJI, which is known for super-saturated and eye-popping bright colors, KODACHROME delivers faithful images of what the photographer saw through their viewfinder at the moment they clicked the shutter.

In addition, lesser slide films, but especially those from FUJI have been known to color shift while in storage. This takes place even when the photographer made every effort to properly store his/her slides.

Because this is a moderately slow speed film, it is best suited for bright daylight. Many professional photographers use this film for landscape and scenic photos and for shots that will be enlarged, such as in full page photos for books and magazines. This is a very fine grain film and that is why pros use it so frequently - they need to be able to ensure that the colors transition crisply and faithfully from the slide to the page of the book or magazine. And the fine grain is also helpful should you want to enlarge the image to poster size and beyond.

Unfortunately for the average consumer who shoots slide film, KODACHROME is not readily available through major retail outlets. A truly professional film, it is generally only available at camera stores and stores that support and cater to professional photographers. At the store in Parsippany, NJ where I have most of my lab work done and where I have bought almost all of my Nikon cameras and lenses, even they don't sell KODACHROME. The reason? They don't get enough customers asking for it.

Instead, they sell some of the EKTACHROME line of Kodak slide films as well as Fuji's Provia, Velvia and Sensia films. They also offer Agfa professional slide films. Consequently, I have to hunt aroun d for this film or order it online from such places as B&H Photo and Video in NYC.

As inconvenient as finding it and having it developed can be, I still LOVE THIS FILM!!! It is my belief that KOPDACHROME 64 offers the finest grained and sharpest images available anywhere today in the photographic world.

Friends and strangers wwho have watched me work with my NIKON F100 often ask me when I'll switch to digital and give up on film. I look at them and smile and tell them that I'll switch to digital when that medium offers me the sharpness, contrast, depth and overall pleasing color saturation of KODACHROME 25. Since KODAK discontinued that film in 2001 and its resolving characteristics were in the 30-35 megapixel range and there isn't a digital camera available anywhere with that degree of resolution, I'll be shooting film for a long time to come.

Shooting slides isn't for everybody. Slide film is much less forgiving of exposure errors than equivalent speed print films. But slides are more realistic and they are sharper and clearer. That is why KODACHROME 64 appeals to purists who like to receive exact duplicates of what they saw when they composed their pictures.

Competing slide films don't really come close to matching this wonderful long-lived KODAK product. Kodak has stumbled with other films, most noticeably with KODAK MAX 400 and 800, but with KODACHROME 64, they have created an enduring masterpiece.

An incredible film for nature and scenic photos. Color reproduction is extremely accurate and images are pin-sharp. The color dyes are not in the emulsion of the film as with other slide films but are added during developing and as a result are much more permanent. Have viewed Kodachromes from 50 years ago that look like they just came back from the lab. The colors just don't fade nearly as fast as other slide and negative films. They have to be sent away to a national lab for developing which takes a week or so but is very much worth it. Most large photofinishing companies and professional labs are set up to send this film out for you. Highest recommendation!

This film has great color reproduction and performance. I would give this film 5 stars except for the fact that Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400 provides similar performance for a cheaper price.

I am not a professional photographer. I just happen to be a grandson of one. I use a fully manual Canon TX SLR for my work. So far I've shot 5 rolls of this stuff. Every time there has been something wrong with the camera/me/lighting. Every time I got a usable, and sometimes, great print. This film has a huge exposure latitute (you can really screw up and still get an image) When I show these prints to others, they look at me funny and say, "This is ISO 400?" It has REALLY fine grain. And because it's ISO 400, you can use it for almost anything (I got usable prints after shooting a soccer game: My camera was set at ISO 100 and there were light leaks in the camera door). It's a great film, although I'm told the Royal Gold it replaces is still better. Pick up a pack of this and see what you get. You'll be amazed.

I have not been a huge fan of 400-speed film in the past. It could be that I'm not a professional photographer and therefore have not been using it properly (I have been using it primarily in shade and somewhat low-light situations, both in my point-and-shoot and SLR), but no matter how I've tried to use it, I've always found it to be grainier than I would have liked it to be, regardless of the brand I selected. I decided to try this film on a whim, as I knew I would be taking some pictures in a situation where the Kodak 200 Gold just wasn't going to cut it (fairly subdued light action shots, no flash allowed), and lo and behold, this film did the trick. Granted, I was using a fast 50mm lens with the f-stop generally set between 1.4 and 2.0, so I had speed on my side, but what really impressed me was that this film showed virtually no grain. I really had to look for it in some poorly exposed images. Also, the colors were very true to the setting.

The most recent role of this film I shot in the Rushmore Cave in South Dakota. As you might imagine, it was pretty dark in there, with ambient light coming from strategically placed lightbulbs here and there. I loaded this film by accident, instead intending to load a roll of 800 I had (I will review the Fuji 800 (NPZ, I believe) I used at another time - the best 800 I've ever used). However, after I discovered I loaded the wrong film I decided to give it a try, especially considering that the mid-roll rewind on my camera had failed me a few hours prior. So I went into the cave with this film loaded and the same Canon 50mm 1.4 lens I mentioned before hoping to be lucky and get something out of the pictures. It ended up being a most auspicious mistake, and those pictures are amongst my favorite of the whole trip. I took a few pictures using a flash, but I wanted to try to make the most of the ambient light. I was amazed to get back these crisp, clear photos with colors so warm and vibrant, and again, very true to life. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if the photo lab pushed the film or not. I did not ask them to. So if you try this film in a very dim/dark situation, you may want to experiment and ask your lab to push a role or two, and process a role or two as they normally would. Somewhere you will find a result which is most pleasing.

I have yet to try this film with a point-and-shoot, but I expect it would produce excellent results, as well. Finally, for those of you who like to shoot 200-speed film, Kodak's new High Definition 200 is excellent, as well. I am now using it as my general purpose film, and even favor it over Kodak's 100 Gold. When Amazon starts carrying it, I will be reviewing it, too.

I grabbed a roll of 800 speed film by mistake once and have avoided it like the plague ever since that day. For regular photography 800 speed is a waste and causes the photographer to give up a lot of detail and color in their pictures. I used a roll for a trip to Las Vegas and regret it to this day because of the colorless grainy pictures I got with that roll. On the same trip under the same lighting with the sme camera, my pictures using both 200 and 400 speed film are much clearer and have a lto more saturation of color and detail. Under specific circumstances this film could be useful, but skill with a camera and aperture/shutter speed settings will do the same on a good camera with lower speed film and make better pictures.

... I would dare to say the photo-finishing lab has a lot to do with the results you see. I was horrified by one lab I tried recently. Incompetence in the lab can totally ruin your prized shots. As always, it's best to shoot a test roll or two and make sure you don't photograph anything you can't reshoot later. Test a new lab the same way, with photos that can be redone.
Keep this film cool. Refrigerate unopened rolls and let them aclimate before using. Try to load your camera in as much darkness as you can achieve. Process this film as soon as you can, after shooting. Leaving the film sitting around or in heat will cause the dyes to deteriorate. If you need to travel by air, ask for a hand-inspection at the airport. Don't pack this film in checked luggage. It is more sensitive to X-Ray equipment than an average film.
This film actually has a better grain index (48) than Kodak's professional negative film (Portra - index 50) at a 4.4 magnification, ISO 800. (I haven't seen any other index value data from Kodak for this film, so I can't comment about larger print sizes.)
If you need a fast color film for poor lighting conditions or for action photos, this is a good film. It is not as good in controlled lighting situations as the Portra or Supra or even Royal Gold films at lower ISO ratings. If you need the speed and don't intend to enlarge beyond 5x, this film is perfect. If you need to enlarge beyond that, the grain becomes more and more apparent. In photography, as in every other endeavor, choose the right tool for the job. Film is a very important tool for serious photography. Don't depend on just one type of film.

I have used this film for years--with both my older point and shoot Cannon 135 Zoom and my current Nikon N65. The fact that it is a higher speed film makes it very versatile for all types of situations I shoot in--indoors, outdoors, low light, beach photography, fast-action sporting events, etc. I have not had a problem with graininess but I have not blown pictures up past 11x14 size. I have shot approximately 200+ rolls with this film and my lab has never had to color-correct my film. I wonder if some people who use this film and have had problems with graininess have more of a problem with their camera or photo processing lab than it is with the film. This film can be used in all types of situations and I will keep using it with confidence!