In praise of Kodak HD 200
Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 8:48 pmEver since the untimely end of Kodak Royal Gold 25 (an amazing film I miss sorely), I have been looking for a replacement favourite.
I still haven't found one. If you can recommend something anywhere near as good, please do so.
I have, on the other hand, been overwhelmingly impressed by Kodak HD 200, from the time that I first started using it a couple of years back. Crystal clear, with good colour saturation, and sharp as broken glass. It absolutely drinks light, and saturates aggressively, whilst being incredibly forgiving in low light conditions.
For a cheap non-pro film, I think it does a really great job. It has become my stock film now.
In the shots which follow, I want to show you what I mean. Note that my judgment is subjective of course, and may not be the same as yours. Comments on the photos are appreciated, but I'm not looking for compliments - these aren't my best shots, they're simply shots I'm using to give examples of what I think is great about this film.
I love the way it forgives you in low light. This is 2IFC in HK, taken at 300mm from the yacht club across the bay, on a wet and rainy day with almost no light:
For perspective, this is the view at 75mm:
I love the way it saturates:
I love how sharp it is when you get it outside and throw some serious light at it:
I love how gently it treats skin:
I still haven't found one. If you can recommend something anywhere near as good, please do so.
I have, on the other hand, been overwhelmingly impressed by Kodak HD 200, from the time that I first started using it a couple of years back. Crystal clear, with good colour saturation, and sharp as broken glass. It absolutely drinks light, and saturates aggressively, whilst being incredibly forgiving in low light conditions.
For a cheap non-pro film, I think it does a really great job. It has become my stock film now.
In the shots which follow, I want to show you what I mean. Note that my judgment is subjective of course, and may not be the same as yours. Comments on the photos are appreciated, but I'm not looking for compliments - these aren't my best shots, they're simply shots I'm using to give examples of what I think is great about this film.
I love the way it forgives you in low light. This is 2IFC in HK, taken at 300mm from the yacht club across the bay, on a wet and rainy day with almost no light:
For perspective, this is the view at 75mm:
I love the way it saturates:
I love how sharp it is when you get it outside and throw some serious light at it:
I love how gently it treats skin: