After a successful week with Kodak Vision3 500T, I was looking forward to trying out its 250D version, known for its excellent exposure latitude and colour rendition. I went out in search of bright colours and some good light.
So far the two (of three) Kodak Vision 3 varieties I have shot have been fantastic (500T and this week's 250D), with the 50D version left to try soon. Kodak Vision 3 is motion picture film, used for some well known films such as Star wars (Episode VIII), Wolf of Wall Street, and the Imitation Game. These films have been spooled into 35mm rolls by the good folks over at Nick & Trick photographic services.
Here is a summary by Kodak:
KODAK VISION3 Films continue to raise the bar with the newest member of the platform – KODAK VISION3 250D Color Negative Film. We’ve incorporated the remarkable performance of KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film in a medium-speed, daylight-balanced emulsion – providing filmmakers a tool to add to their creative palettes.
Thanks to KODAK VISION3 Film technology, VISION3 250D Film offers outstanding performance in the extremes of exposure — including increased highlight latitude, so you can move faster on the set and pull more detail out of the highlights in post. You’ll also see reduced grain in shadows, so you can push the boundaries of underexposure and still get outstanding results.
What’s more, VISION3 250D Film works seamlessly in digital post, so you can employ a workflow that combines the best of both worlds for exceptional efficiency and image quality. Combine all that with film’s amazing resolution and proven, long-term archival capabilities and you’ve got a state-of-the-art image capture medium that others can only aspire to. Why try to emulate film when you can have the real thing? Film. No Compromise.
I had no theme in mind this week other than going out in search for some good light and bright colours. They say this film has up to 5 stops (+/-) exposure latitude, meaning you can get a good shot even if massively under or over exposed. Whilst I had bright conditions to work with, I did have some situations with high dynamic range, so I was looking forward to seeing how the film handled these.
One of the many river boat cruises that go through Frankfurt in the summer enroute to the Rhine and beyond. Lovely blues in this shot.
Really nice colours and light in this shot of Niamh.
A lone sculler.
This film has some excellent clarity and sharpness to it.
Actually I am surprised this shot came out at all given how bright it was. I took this on purpose to test the film and it performed quite well considering the brightness of the sun on the water.
Nicely framed shot of the ECB building.
One of my favourite shots - look at that light!
Really impressive how clear and bright the graffiti colours are on the bridge column. One of my favourite shots of the roll!
I never understood why people row at midday (or in this case I think at 2 p.m.) on a hot summer's day...but it makes for some good photography subjects so that is fine by me!
A really great shot, look at those puddles! And this shot is cropped, really impressive.
Typical summer's day in Frankfurt, people enjoying drinks on a makeshift barge.
It is a really good skyline to photograph, in case you haven't already noticed! Exactly what I intended when I planned this shot.
Look at the brightness of those colours, of the different shades of green! Another of the many bridges crossing the river Main in Frankfurt, with a great view of the skyline.
More water sports on the River Main.
Every now and then a real mammoth of a ship comes along, so long it won't fit in the shot. Also one of my favourite shots of the roll! Really great clarity.
Alone and lost?
There is something beautiful about the simplicity of clouds just before sunset - what a great shot!
Overall impressions
As you can see I am very impressed with this film, perhaps more so than its 500T variety. To say the colours "pop" is an understatement, and I cannot wait to print some of these shots, the colours will literally jump off the page!
Obviously this being motion picture film, you are going to expect it to be good, but it is really very, very good. It is most certainly a film I can highly recommend, and one I will definitely be buying more of. I would like to try this is other light situations, even indoors. It would be good to use it for some portrait photography also, I think it works quite well for skin tones.
Easily one of my favourite rolls of the project, so clearly the Kodak Vision 3 series of films is onto something good! I also like the fact that these are not that easy to come by, as if shooting film wasn't special enough, this makes it even more so.
Another week down and rushing towards Week 52! More cool films to come including JCH 400, Cinestill 50, and Fujifilm Acros 100 - with some really cool locations too! As they say, stay tuned for more!
Thanks for stopping by,
Neil
