My friends at Kodak invited me to beta test the new Kodak Gold 200 in 120 film (medium format) a few weeks before the March 21 launch of the new film stock. If you follow me (@tonywodarck) you know I’m a Portra lover through and through. So to get my hands on Kodak Gold and test a film stock I really never use was incredible. When I was invited to be a film tester, I had no idea who else was on the invite list. It wasn’t until launch day that I realized some of my all-time favorite photographers were part of this huge launch. Photographers like Willem Verbeeck, Braedon Flynn of Film Supply Club, Nat Meier of Softboifilms, Vuhlandes, Jay Cid, Wendy Laurel and a few more. It was honestly a huge honor to be part of such a historic launch. Anyways, let’s get in to the good stuff.
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Image courtesy of Kodak Professional
CAMERAS USED TO TEST
I tested the film using my Pentax 67 and a freshly acquired Fuji GA645. I wanted the control and massive negatives of the Pentax and wanted 16 frames and see how it handled auto-exposure of the Fuji.
LOCATIONS
Every business day, I drive up and down PCH from Dana Point to Newport Beach through Laguna Beach along PCH. I stare at all these beautiful scenes at sunrise and sunset and watch how the light hits these different spots. For a few weeks, I pulled over and shot a few frames to capture the magic that can so easily be taken for granted.
Photos: Tony Wodarck (Off PCH in Southern California)
KODAK GOLD 200 Review
Okay, let’s get in to the good stuff. My first impression when I got my scans back from Goodman Film Lab was, WOW! These look amazing. They had the Kodak colors similar to Portra but a tad more muted and true to life. They also had this incredible added warmth (hence the name GOLD). I loved how it gave all these beautiful scenes just that added bit of nostalgia, warmth and interest.
Photo: Tony Wodarck - Large example of my favorite image captured on Kodak Gold 120 - Fuji GA645.
COLORS
Surprisingly vibrant, true to life, great natural skin tones and that added warmth I mentioned above.
Photos: Tony Wodarck - Examples of skin tone colors (unedited lab scans from Goodman Film Lab).
Photo: Tony Wodarck - Example of colors.
DYNAMIC RANGE / LATTITUDE / FLEXIBILITY
Okay, this is where we get a bit nerdy. I’m sure there are charts and graphs and more technical terms for all of this but I’ll speak in basic terms, because that’s all I know. Like I said, I shoot mainly Portra which is Kodak’s professional grade film. Specifically 400 iso. Portra is so flexible, it can handle a wide range of light from bright brights to dark shadows. Kodak Gold shined in the bright sun. When it had plenty of light it looked sooo good. When it got to sunset, it was still super pretty, especially with the added warmth, but I seemed to lose a bit of the beautiful sunset colors in some of these frames. Colors I know would’ve been more pronounced in Portra. Overall, the flexibility of the film impressed me, but was a bit less than Portra.
Photos: Tony Wodarck - Examples of sunset colors.
Photo: Tony Wodarck - Example of dynamic range
RATING THE FILM
I rated the film mostly at 200. For future rolls, I’d love to try 100, since I do like overexposing Portra a half a stop or so. I prefer how it handles the highlights and gives that extra info in the shadows. I would recommend trying a roll at 200 first (just being careful of the shadows, cause they can get muddy quicker than Portra).
GRAIN
It’s got the grain. It’s pretty. It’s more than Portra, but in a really nice, film vibes kinda way.
Photo: Tony Wodarck - Example of grain structure, shown as a basic scan from Goodman Lab at 100%.
DO YOU NEED IT?
Yes. You most definitely should give it a try. I’m gonna stock up and shoot it some more to continue to test it’s flexibility and really get comfortable with it, but I see it having a strong place in my rotation. With the reduced cost compared to Portra and it’s wonderful colors, I imagine I’ll be shooting a lot more of it for personal work, and adding it in to my professional work when the scene calls for some extra warmth. All in all, this is a film I’m going to be using a lot more of.
GOT QUESTIONS?
YOUTUBE BTS OF SHOOTING KODAK GOLD IN 120
MORE FREE EDUCATION
A first look at Kodak Gold 200 in 120 Medium Format!