Santacolor100 was introduced via a crowdfunding campain run by the guys from Kamerastore.com in Finland and is actually respooled Kodak Aerocolor 125 air surveillance film (not to be mistaken for the Aerochrome, more on that later). This is one of the few affordable color negative films these days, so of course I had to give it a try.
Processing (C-41) and scanning was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany, the pictures in this article are from one roll of film.
Most of the “new” films that surface these days are usually on the “experimental” side of things, meaning low resolution, high grain and unnatural colors. There seems to be a market for that, but personally I see little appeal in those films.
With this Santacolor100/Aerocolor125 I actually also didn’t have high expectations, but I was positively surprised.
Due to the name “Aerocolor” this film might be mistaken for the famous “Aerochrome”. While both are originally air surveillance films they are completely different, unlike the Aerochrome this one won’t turn your green foliage into something red.
This film does have fine grain and a pretty good reproduction of colors. The red is a bit too strong for my taste – especially when it comes to skin tones – but that can also be adjusted in post to some degree.
Now there is one problem I have with this film, and this is a problem I have with so many of these new options. The lowest price I have seen this film going for is 13.50 € for one roll. Once more this is more than Kodak Gold 200. And while I am not saying that Kodak Gold 200 is my most favorite film stock (it isn’t) I don’t really see anything here that would make me buy this Santacolor 100 for more money than Gold 200.
If you fell in love with the colors from this film you might have a different opinion on that though.
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Thank you!
No, I do not like the colors.
To much reds and it looks as if the palette is missing a lot of colors. Not much contrast.
Looks a bit like my old diapositives where colors were lost over time…
I’ve shot quite a few rolls with this now in 35mm and 120 (and even 220, one of the few films available in that format these days). Based on that experience this film looks best shot in overcast conditions or indirect light; the colors are much more saturated and contrast is better. Bright sunlight tends to bring out the orange/red cast. Also this film is very susceptible to light piping; I usually load and unload it in the dark otherwise the first few frames can be almost entirely orange. I sometimes shoot it at ISO 80, which reduces the grain even further, at the risk of blowing out brighter highlights.
Completely agree with these comments!
Thanks Bastian.
Fun fact: the extra saturation in the red channel is a result of Aerocolor being designed as an aerial reconnaissance film. It is needed to counteract the blue atmospheric haze when shooting at 20+ thousand feet. The marketing language advertises “30nm-longer red sensitivity than previous aerial films for increased haze penetration and foliage reproduction, as well as increased green saturation.” Could be useful for overcast days.
And the lack of an orange mask, unusual for color negative film, may make it easier to scan at home (but some automated film scanners/software expecting an orange mask may have difficulty). It seems Bastian’s lab handled it with no trouble.
That explanation makes a lot of sense.
Is this not mentioned on the box?
Strange.
The reds are indeed strong in the skin tones… But your pictures are great anyway !
Thanks!
Congrats on the baby!
Love reading all the articles and this series is extra fun.
Thanks!
Well, I guess “Santa” color makes a lot more sense. It was in the name the whole time. I have 5 rolls of this sitting in my fridge, and might have lean into and to do some Christmas themed shots.
Love the pictures per usual. I’d be curious to see how it performs at long range shots of trees, foliage, etc given how it might render greens and counteract blue haze. Also, I really love that shot of the tops of all the roofs. Where are these shots taken? There are some hints that it is Spain I think?
Most of them in Malcesine, Italy.
Very mediterranean though, so easy to mistake for Spain 🙂