Worldwide Release: Kodak Ektachrome 100 Film in 120!
Film shooters, Christmas has come a little early this year!
After an extremely successful relaunch of the popular slide film Ektachrome 100 in 35 mm format last year, Kodak Alaris has just announced the release of the E100 film in medium and large formats.
Last year, I had the honor of being selected as one of six beta testers worldwide for the E100 35 mm slide film. This year, I was the only one asked to join the beta team again to test the E100 film, but this time in 120 medium format. What an honor!
The difference between 35 mm and 120 E100 film
Both the 35 mm stock and the 120 stock are gorgeous, vibrant film stocks with fine grain. The great thing about 120 is that you can shoot it with medium format cameras, which is something that medium format photographers have been dying for! The E100 in 35mm is beautiful, but to be honest, I find larger format films to be more professional because the images can be printed any size without losing any detail.
The large format of E100 means that it’s a bigger slide, so this film stock has a finer grain. This shows up in photos as a rich and smooth texture, and the larger format means a more intense depth of field. Trust me when I say this film stock is GORGEOUS.
You can see just how HUGE the image size is from using this film stock.
Light is key when shooting medium and large format film
The reason Kodak Alaris asked me to beta test another new release is that no matter the film stock, models, or backdrops I use, there is one thing that is consistent every single time: the lighting.
I use one light and one light modifier to create the same, natural-looking light for every portrait. This holds true for both the Ektachrome 100 35 mm release last year and this newest release of 120.
For this beta test, we gathered a group of models at my studio after dark. Knowing how gorgeous the 35 mm captures color, the main goal of this shoot was to play up the punchy, primary colors and to use lighting to create interesting portraits. Even though this shoot was done in my studio after dark (you can see how dark it was in the behind the scenes photos below!), thanks to studio lighting I was able to create beautiful, rich, and well-lit images.
How to meter for Kodak E100 120 mm film
Film photographers who are used to shooting C41 color film are probably in the habit of metering for the shadows to get a proper exposure. When you meter for the shadows, you’re making sure the darkest part of your image is properly exposed, which creates a dense negative.
However, Ektachrome, like all slide films, is extremely sensitive to light and handles more like a digital sensor. You can easily overexpose this film and lose detail, so to guard against that, this film requires you to meter for the highlights.
Just rate it at box speed (ISO 100), meter for your highlights, and you’ll be set!
Having Ektachrome film in 120 is a game changer
Kodak Ektachrome is really unlike any color film out there.
This film is able to capture what’s in front of the camera so realistically, plus with a beautiful saturation and a fine grain that’s very kind to skin. E100 in 120 is a remarkable film stock for any portrait photographer, fashion photographer, or landscape photographer!
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