I’m always on the hunt for an affordable film that still delivers the quality and sharpness I need when shooting film for clients or trying out new cameras to see what they’re capable of. Kodak Pro Image 100 35 mm film is definitely one of those films that I keep going back to. If you’re looking for something that rides the perfect line between quality and price, you might want to try it out!
One of my favorite things to do is test out cameras that I find at thrift stores or that friends and family members find in their attics and basements. Sometimes though, I’m taking a risk by loading a camera that I’ve never used with a roll of film, considering that the camera might not even work! Because of that, I don’t want to shoot through a whole roll of expensive film just to find out that the images didn’t turn out and I wasted money on film. Kodak Pro Image 100 is a perfect mid-range film that offers amazing quality for a middle of the road price. It’s not as crazy expensive at Kodak Portra 160, 400 or 800, but it isn’t quite as cheap as Kodak Gold 200 or Kodak Ultra Max 400. Both of those films are great if you’re looking for something standard, but I find the Kodak Pro Image 100 to come across as a little more professional with realistic color tones and lovely sharpness.
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For some reason, it took me a while to get around to shooting with Kodak Pro Image 100. I just always gravitated towards Kodak Portra because many of my favorite photographers used it and it has excellent skin tones and gorgeous greens and blues. A lot of the cheaper films are unreliable with color saturation and often end up with excess orange, yellow, green or blue tones that can be difficult to remove during editing. But Kodak Portra offers the perfect amount of saturation that doesn’t look flat but also doesn’t look overly bright and unnatural. I have a full blog post about Kodak Portra 400 if you’re interested in seeing some sample photos! Eventually though, I got tired of spending so much money on film! While I still purchase Kodak Portra 160 and 400 fairly often, I reached a point where I needed to try out some more affordable film to see if it could keep up. And lately, I’ve made it a goal to try out every film stock out there! It’s been a fun adventure so far and my refrigerator is currently stocked full of 35 mm and 120 film that I’ll be testing out soon!
Overall, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well Kodak Pro Image 100 handles colors and light. I realized while I was editing the photos for this post, that I barely needed to adjust any color temperatures or remove excess saturation at all! The colors are accurate and natural, if not a little bright for my taste. However, this film is perfect for testing out old film cameras because it has an ISO of 100 which allows me to determine just how sharp a camera lens is. And when I’m shooting 35 mm rolls just for fun, it’s nice to have those bright pops of color when the photos are somewhat simple. I typically just walk around town and photograph trees, flowers, landscapes and portraits of my pets and my husband when I’m testing out a camera, so it makes a difference in the excitement level of the image when it’s brighter with a little extra contrast. Kodak Portra is better for fashion, portraits, and weddings because of the stunning colors and skin tones, as well as the way it handles highlights and shadows, but Kodak Pro Image 100 is just more fun and silly. It’s great for candid, lifestyle photography or day trips to the beach. It really makes flowers and foliage pop without over-saturating, which is a major feat for such an affordable film. Lately, I’ve been preferring Kodak Pro Image 100 over Kodak Gold 200 or Kodak Ultra Max 400 because Kodak Gold is often a bit too warm for my taste, unless I’m photographing at the beach, and I find Kodak Ultra Max 400 to have some unnatural-looking blue and green tones. As I’ve mentioned, Kodak Pro Image 100 is just the perfect in-between film that isn’t insanely expensive, doesn’t require a lot of editing and color adjustment, and truly captures a moment as you see it. While I wouldn’t say it’s the most magical, stunning, exciting film out there, it’s a straight-forward, approachable film that won’t break the bank. I just wish Kodak would make a 120 version of this film because I could really use a mid-range price tag on some medium format film!
WHERE TO BUY KODAK PRO IMAGE 100 FILM
B&H Photo
Amazon
If you’re looking for more 35 mm film stocks to try, make sure to read my blog post, The 5 Best & Affordable Black and White Film Stocks or The Best Color Film for 35 mm Cameras.
For the photos I’ve included below, I used a Minolta Maxxum STsi 35 mm camera and a Samsung Evoca Zoom 115. These are both super fun and affordable 35 mm film cameras. I also have a YouTube video about the Minolta Maxxum STsi here and a video about the Samsung Evoca Zoom 115 here!
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If you have any questions, I’m always happy to help! You can contact me here, or leave a comment below! Thanks so much for stopping by! You can also check out my B&H Photo storefront & Amazon Storefront for more camera/film recommendations. :) Have a magical day!
<3 Myles Katherine
