Kodak E100GX for extremely fine grain with a bit more warmth.
Written: Oct 08 '03 (Updated Mar 21 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Almost grainless, warmer color rendition than E100G, beautiful skin tones, excellent saturation.
Cons: A little pricey, but worth the cost.
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended for professional photographers (and anyone else) who want an extremely fine grained film with a warmer color rendition and well-saturated, but not over-saturated, colors.
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| jvandegr's Full Review: Kodak E100GX 100 135-36 (20 Pack), 100 ASA (855687... |
For reference, I am primarily a nature photographer shooting with Nikon prime lenses at high elevations. Accordingly, this review is based mostly on photography with these conditions.
Features of E100GX and E100G
(Please note: this section of my E100GX review is essentially identical to the same section in my E100G review because these films share so many of the same features)
Ektachrome 100GX, part of Kodak's professional slide film series, is the replacement for E100SW. It is available in 35mm, 120, 220, and long roll sizes, as well as sheets. In 35mm, it is only available in 36 exposure rolls. On my manual Nikon, I always get at least 38 or 39 exposures from these rolls.
Both E100GX and E100G (the neutral color version of GX) feature Kodak's T-GRAIN emulsion crystals. This specific type of emulsion is what makes for the extremely fine grain of these films. Kodak claims an RMS value of 8 for both E100GX and G. This ties Fujifilm's Provia for unsurpassed granularity, save Fujifilm's newer Astia, which the manufacturer claims is RMS 7.
Under ideal conditions (cool, dark, and dry), Kodak claims that E100GX and G will have an archival life of at least 80 years. In other words, we can expect our Ektachrome slides to last as long (or longer) than Kodachrome. As a reviewer, it's considerably difficult to test such a claim - I'd like to say, "we will see," but I guess only my children will see. Unless Kodak develops photographer archival materials :-)
Reciprocity is very good. Based on the manufacturer's specifications, no speed correction or color correction is required except for exposures longer than 10 seconds or shorter than 1/10,000.
Color performance
Between Kodak's E100G and E100VS lies E100GX, in terms of color saturation. As I mentioned in my review of E100G, color saturation is very good even though it is a neutral film. The same applies to E100GX, which is intended to be a warmer version of E100G with more enhanced color saturation. If you are one of those photographers who finds that E100VS has too much saturation but needs more than E100G, you'll probably find that E100GX is just right ("this porridge is too cold, this porridge is too hot..."). Of course, this begs the question, how warm is it? After shooting a couple rolls, it seems to be right down the middle for me. I'm purchasing more over the next couple weeks and I will update this review promptly if I can qualify this further.
Grain performance
As far as I can tell under a cheap 10X loupe (need to get a better one - any suggestions?), E100GX has the same grain size characteristics as E100G. Kodak promotes this latest T-GRAIN emulsion as "almost undetectable." As I mentioned in my E100G review, after shooting several rolls, I have to agree. For most properly made enlargements, I do not see any grain. Even under a 10X loupe, I really have to pay attention to see the grain. On a 16 X 20 inch print, grain is detectable, but is consistent and well-controlled, which makes it usually unnoticeable. Compared to its predecessor (E100SW), grain is considerably finer.
Other characteristics
Tonal range is considerable, and has lower contrast than other Kodak slide films I've used. Shadow detail seems better than the old version of this film, E100SW. I have not yet tested the push capabilities of E100GX or G.
Recommended:
Yes
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