It’s been a while but I’m back! Went on a little hiatus mostly due to other priorities and also because of my depleting stock of 35mm film. I had a few rolls left and had been picky on when to shoot them. A couple of those rolls are some Kodak Ultramax 400 – a budget friendly iso 400 color film. With summer ending in the Philippines and some last minute beach trips, it’s the perfect time to enjoy this film.
In my fairly short time shooting film, I haven’t shot much Kodak. I mostly shot with Fujifilm because they are a bit cheaper. I’ve also shot expired film to test new film cameras, but I’m now leaning toward using fresh film instead. Back to Kodak Ultramax 400, the first thing I’ve noticed is that it has a warmer tone compared to Fujifilm’s cooler, greenish look. Unfortunately, most days during this trip were gloomy, and I think the warmer tone of Kodak would’ve stood out more in sunnier conditions. Still, I’m very pleased with how it renders the photos here.
The main advantage of using an iso 400 film is that it is versatile. The Kodak Ultramax 400 performs well in bright sunlight, gloomy weather, and even low-light situations. Giving you a still fairly decent shutter speed to shoot hand held. Honestly, aside from color tone, there’s not a huge difference between Fujifilm 400 and Kodak Ultramax 400. Both offer wide exposure latitude, sharp images, and clean, pleasing grain.
In the end, it all boils down to personal preference. Do you prefer the warmer tones in your photos? Then the Kodak Ultramax 400 film is the one for you. Price is also a factor as Kodak tends to be slightly more expensive than Fujifilm. Though both film stock are considered budget films. Now that I’m past my obsession of collecting film cameras, I’m excited to try more film stocks, including premium ones like Kodak Portra. But for now, I’m really enjoying the nostalgic feeling these budget films give me.
Once again, thank you for reading my blog and hopefully I get back into some momentum and keep writing more. Don’t forget to follow me on my socials to get more updates. Salamat!
King 