Kodak Ektar 100 .
Kodak Ektar 100 is the colour negative film to reach for when you want the world to look a little bolder than it does in front of you. It is sharp, saturated and clean, with very fine grain and a crispness that suits landscapes, travel, architecture and still life. The Ektar name has been used by Kodak for decades, but the current 100-speed colour negative film was introduced in 2008.
Where Portra is gentle, Ektar has more bite. Blues are deeper, reds carry more weight and greens can feel almost chrome-like, which is why it is often compared with slide film.
That punch comes with a little less forgiveness. Ektar likes good light and careful metering. At ISO 100, it is not made for dim rooms or late evenings unless you have a tripod, but in bright daylight it can be exceptional. Expose it well and it rewards you with dense colour, smooth tonal transitions and a modern, almost glossy finish.
It is not the obvious choice for portraits. Skin tones can run warm or red if the light is unkind, though in the right conditions it can make people look vivid and cinematic.
For clear skies, road trips, sea views and saturated everyday colour, Ektar is hard to beat.
- + Landscape — vivid colour, maximum detail
- + Travel — colourful locations come to life
- + Large prints from 35mm — finest grain of any colour negative
- − People and portraiture — use Portra 160
- − Landscapes in fading light without a tripod — use Portra 400 or 800
- − Street photography — use a film with speed 400 and above
more from their film.
Ektar 100 has the finest grain of any colour negative film made — not just the finest at ISO 100, but across all speeds. At 35mm, this translates to grain that is invisible at standard 4×6 print sizes and remains fine at 8×10, only becoming noticeable at very large enlargements (16×20 and beyond). The flip side of this excellence is exposure precision: Ektar is not as forgiving as Portra. It rewards accurate metering and suits photographers who are comfortable with a spot or centre-weighted approach. Reciprocity is excellent — no correction is needed for exposures up to one second, making it workable in low indoor light at box speed without filter adjustments.
When pushed, Ektar becomes a different film. A one-stop push to EI 200 is documented and practical, adding modest contrast while maintaining reasonable grain. Beyond that — at two stops to EI 400 — grain increases substantially and contrast becomes very pronounced, which can work as a deliberate look but should not be used as a rescue technique. Pulling is not recommended: ISO 100 is already a slow film, and pulling C-41 produces minimal benefit with real cost to shadow detail. For scanning, Ektar is among the easiest colour negatives to work with — fine detail, distinct edges, and high acutance produce excellent digital transfers.
Allow the film to warm up for at least 1¼ hours after removing from refrigerator storage before opening the package, to avoid moisture condensation on the emulsion.
### 120
The same Ektar emulsion in 120 format benefits from the larger negative area, which further reduces apparent grain at any given print size. In 120, Ektar's grain is invisible at 4×6 and 8×10 print sizes with no qualification, and only begins to show at 16×20. This makes 120 Ektar genuinely suitable for very large-format work where 35mm would start to show grain structure. The same exposure discipline applies across formats: Ektar is not a latitude film, and the accuracy that 120 cameras often encourage makes the format a good match for this stock.
Push and pull behaviour is shared with 35mm. A one-stop push to EI 200 is the practical limit for most uses; two stops to EI 400 produces striking but heavy contrast and markedly larger grain, as reported by practitioners in 120. Scan performance is excellent — the high MTF and fine emulsion structure resolve well on both flatbed and dedicated 120 scanners.
Allow at least ¾ of an hour for warm-up from refrigerator temperature (2°C) before opening the package; half an hour is sufficient from 13°C cold storage.
### 4x5
At 4x5, Ektar's grain effectively disappears for all practical print sizes — PGI measurements show grain below the visual threshold at 4×6, 8×10, and 16×20 enlargements from a 4x5 negative. This format removes grain as a variable entirely and lets the film's other characteristics — vivid saturation, high acutance, and precise colour rendering — dominate the image quality conversation. Accurate exposure remains important: Ektar's moderate latitude means both highlights and shadows repay careful metering regardless of format. Load and unload sheet film holders in total darkness.
Push and pull behaviour is the same as smaller formats, though pushing sheet film introduces additional workflow complexity. A one-stop push is practical if needed; beyond that, the contrast and grain penalties apply as with roll film. For long-term storage, keep sheet boxes at 2–13°C and 30–35% relative humidity. Allow one hour for warm-up from cold storage before opening the box.