KODAK'S NEW EXTACHROMES

Over recent years, Kodak have been seen to come up with various strains of their long established colour positive material - Extachrome, and all it seems to compete for market share with the new and colourful Fuji brand. Those of us who have watched this progress, have in all honesty become a little sceptical and indeed cynical over yet another NEW version. First there were the EP's, then the major overreaction to Fuji's COLOUR - Panther, and now we are to believe that the new family of the 'E100', 'E100S' and the 'E100SW' are going to be vastly improved materials, with 'bright saturated colours', 'T- grain'technology giving a better 'blue response', 'fine grain' and 'very high sharpness', all adding up in Kodak's words to a 'greater visual snap'.

Well, depending on your'e preference for colour balance, whether your'e studio or location based, I'm here to tell you (as are the examples shown below) that Kodak have finally come up with a product that is not only flexible - (no appreciable lack of quality when pushed 2 stops, no reciprocity adjustments required down to 10 seconds), but one that actually for the first time adds up to something worth looking at!


Top left: Ektachrome E100S. Top right: Ektachrome E100SW.
Bottom left: Fujichrome Provia. Bottom right: Agfachrome RSX100

Both E100S and E100SW were tested against their main competitors Agfa 100 RSX and Fuji PROVIA. The stock was all 35mm and each test was processed at exactly the same time, under identical conditions. The test was carried out on location in the City of Norwich, and also in the studio using one Courtney Flash and 'Softbox'. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the test, was the fact that E100S was as neutral a material as one might reasonably expect to find. There was no descernable colour hue whatsoever - the tarmac roadway appears as a grey/black.



Top left: Ektachrome E100S, pushed 1. Top right: Ektachrome E100S, pushed 2.
Centre left: Ektachrome E100SW, pushed 1. Centre right: Ektachrome E100SW pushed 2
Bottom left: Fujichrome Provia pushed 2. Bottom right: Agfachrome RSX100 pushed 2
Looking at the same area of the same subject through the eyes of Provia and E100SW there is a marked warmth in this particular area. Not so very surprising you might say, as Provia is known to be slightly warm (although the manufacturer describes it as neutral), and the Kodak product is marketed as being such. But what is interesting is the nature of the 'warmth'. Provia displays a hint of magenta ie: blue/red - cold warmth, while the E100SW is most definitely red by around a factor of 10 -giving a more natural 'gold' warmth. Sadly RSX100 displayed it's predeliction for yellow, making both the tarmac and trees unnaturally 'sunny'. Push 1, and there is no obvious colour shift in any of the four materials, however, highlight separation in the 100RSX begins to break down, whereas both the Fuji and Kodak products retain strong definition. Push 2, and you might as well forget the 100RSX in the highlights, Provia is on the wane, but remarkably the Kodak product still displays the same characteristics and edge sharpness as when put through a 'normal' speed process. Into the studio, and the location tests are substantiated. There is however no doubt which material comes up trumps when it comes to clean and clear skin tones AND better definition and by implication better detail in the shadows - E100S wins hands down!

So at last, sceptics and cynics be relieved that this is where it's at - Kodak have finally (at the third time of asking!!) got it right. Oh, and by the way, storage performance is said to be 99 years - presumably they've got the tests to prove it!

David Gallant. June 1996. Return to Photon August 96 contents