Here are the heartfelt pictures of Om Setyo's graduation!
Om Setyo is the father of my highschool friend, Izzati! When she asked if I could be there on her father's graduation (for the nth time), of course I couldn't say no. It was a delight, and an honor!
Kanya grew up in a neighborhood around the local market, and CJ lives hundred miles away in another part of the globe. Yet somehow a trick of fate had them meet one another, to live a future together.
I distinctly remember during my childhood days, while other kids were crazy over Wall’s Paddle Pop Rainbow, I was a sucker for Trico. It was my instant pick from the local shop every time I tagged along my parents when they went for groceries.
Yep. That’s how I see Kodak Ultramax.
As a 400 ISO film, produced by Kodak, most of the time Ultramax was overlooked because of another line of Kodak’s 400 ISO film, Portra 400. We all know how film photographers worship Portra so much, but as a part of professional film line, we cannot bat an eye on how costly it is, although, the price does come with a godlike quality film photographers starved upon.
Being a consumer-grade film, with 400 ISO giving it a wider versatility, and the fact that it is found abundantly in e-commerce, I was a total sucker for Ultramax, and here’s why.
Two words that stands out on Kodak Ultramax: sharp. vivid.
I have used this film in a variety of cameras - from pocket cameras to rangefinder and SLRs, and I must say: This film is adequately sharp!
Taking Ultramax for street photography under sufficient amount of light, on high aperture lens, results in really breathtaking photos. It has strong saturation, medium contrast, and renders the colors red and blue in a way that it almost gives off a punchy right-in-your-face, especially when you rate it at box speed.
Given its high ISO, it is more versatile and handles low light pretty well.
Now, another thing worthy to take note of: its dynamic range. Needless to say, when exposed properly, with just the right amount of light, the dynamic range of this film is surprising.
Leica Mini 3 (Summar Lens) - Noritsu Lab Scan (Soup n Film, Jakarta). It was merely a pocket sized camera, yet it produced such impeccable shades of the clouds in the sky.
Voigtlander Bessa R - Canon LTM 50/1.8. Frontier scan (Seni Abadi, Bandung). Look at the beautiful, breathtaking sunbeam.
Taking Ultramax for a morning stroll or golden-hour photowalk, given its warm characteristic, results in a more pronounced yellow. This should be taken into consideration especially when you’re taking portrait photos during those hours.
When used on a overcast day, the colors falls flat and the shadow area appears muddy. I tend to overexpose my films, rating 400 ISO at 200 and sometimes at 100, etc. However, I found myself struggling with the exposure latitude of Ultramax,
Another thing worth noting is that, under harsh light, this film struggles a bit as the highlight would easily blown out.
Leica Mini 3 (Summar Lens) - Noritsu Lab Scan (Soup n Film, Jakarta).
Nikon F3HP - Nikkor 35/2 AIS. Rated at 200. Scanned on Frontier. (Seni Abadi, Bandung)
Personal Thought:
How do I feel about Kodak Ultramax?
It’s kinda hard to tell. Personally, this is a film that I really loved, since it was one of the first films I used during my very early days of film photography. Generally speaking, the results are great. However, even with a whole bunch of rolls I’ve spent with Ultramax, I’m still struggling with the idea of when is the perfect time to use Ultramax?
Some say it’s perfect for street photography, some say it’s an all-rounder film, ready for the get-go. But I’m not really sure if Ultramax falls under any particular category. It is a versatile film, readily available as well.
I used to LOVE this film so much, but if I have the choice, I would go with Xtra 400. Regardless, if there’s only Ultramax available in my fridge, I would still go out on photowalks with an Ultramax.
And that, is how I see my good old friend Trico. My friends would reminisce the times they had with that sick looking Paddle Pop Rainbow, but my childhood days were always Trico. Now that we’re adults (DAMN), they’ve outgrown Paddle Pop but I could never walk away from Trico.
However, if my parents called, I’d definitely ask for Cornetto.
What would be the equivalent of Paddle Pop Rainbow in film stock universe, you ask?
Probably the Agfa Vista.
I don’t know why I’m talking about ice creams.
Verdict:
In Indonesia, as of December 2020, Kodak Ultramax 400 is readily available in IDR115.000 - 130.000.
Having similar price range and ISO with Fujifilm’s consumer grade Xtra 400, we can’t help not to compare these two. The film grain is less apparent compared to Xtra 400, with impeccable sharpness, punchy contrast and saturated colors. As expected from a Kodak manufacturer, the warm tones of this film is definitely its signature look. Definitely an all-rounder film stock!
I just realized that this is the film stock I used the most this year.
Fujifilm has been a very intriguing manufacturer in terms of marketing its films. In Japan, there are 4 Fujifilm film stocks in 400 ASA only, namely Superia Xtra 400, Industrial 400, Premium 400, and the professional use Pro400H. While in any other parts of the globe, it’s only available in Superia Xtra 400 only. This review will only talk about the more commercially available, Superia Xtra 400.
I’ve tried using this film stock in both SLRs and pocket cameras, in decent light conditions and indoors with insufficient light, both with or without the help of a built-in flash. As a consumer grade film, this film has a lot to offer. Having the signature “Fujifilm look” - pastel green colors with magenta-ish tint is what I experienced as the signature look of this film.
Nikon F3HP - Nikkor 35/2 AIS (Noritsu lab scan). I noticed how in the last photo, the white walls and the grey pavements appear more magenta than it appears in real life.
From my experience in shooting portraits, this magenta tint becomes very dramatic when shooting with lighter skin tones. Overexposing it by 1 stop makes it less apparent, however, you just can’t notice how magenta the skin turns out.
When shooting in subdued light and underexposing this film stock, the shadows appears green with noticeable grains.
Rollei Prego Micron (Frontier SP3000 and Noritsu lab scan). Look how green! And red!
Nikon F3HP - Nikkor 35/2 AIS (Noritsu lab scan). I shot this on an overcast morning while shooting it in box speed. Notice the red pavements and the muddy shadow area.
Overexposing the film by 1-2 stops is where this film really shines. The dynamic range of this film, I must say, is impeccable. Highlights don’t blow out easily, with shadows still retaining details. In terms of sharpness, this film may not be superior, but do have in mind that Xtra 400, is of course, a consumer grade film. I find this film really suitable for everyday use, being a fast film making it versatile for most occasions. When shooting greeneries, this film really shines.
Rollei Prego Micron (Noritsu lab scan). Highlights definitely don’t blow out, while still retains the details of this picture.
Verdict:
In Indonesia, as of December 2020, Fujicolor Superia Xtra 400 is readily available in IDR110.000 - 130.000.
Compared to other consumer-grade 400 ISO films, I must say the film grain from Xtra 400 appears coarser than Ultramax 400 or Lomography 400, resulting in a more “vintage-like” look to it. The fact that this film doesn’t shy away from grain and the color palette it serves might suit your liking. I found the signature look really appealing, however, I may not use it for portrait photography. As for any other occasions, this film is good to go. Fujicolor Xtra 400 really shines when it is overexposed, and that is how I treat this film every time I use it!
