Introduction
In my previous articles, I explored two of the most classic and iconic black-and-white films: Kodak Tri-X and Ilford HP5 Plus. Now I turn my eye to a classic colour negative stock — Kodak ColorPlus 200.
This film is said to be based on an older emulsion technology, one tracing back to the 1970s and 1980s (Kodacolor II / Kodacolor VR). That actually makes it older than Kodak Gold, which many already consider to have a vintage look. So this one should offer an even more vintage feel. Let’s have a look at the images.
I tested this film in a Nikon F80 with Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
The photos in this article all come from a single roll of Kodak ColorPlus 200 (135-24), I ended up with 25 frames from the 24-exposure roll, and I’ve included all of them (the whole roll) in this article. The film was shot at ISO 200 and developed by bildskanning.com in Sweden. I digitised the negatives by photographing them and converting them into positives in Lightroom.
For this installment, I chose a theme that matches the film’s vintage character — a classic car event. In fact, it’s the same event I photographed on Kodak Tri-X for my black-and-white images.
Colour Comparison
First, let’s see how the colors from this film stock look by checking a reference image. Both shots were taken under the same lighting conditions — one with a digital Nikon Zf, the other on film with an analogue camera.
I initially hoped to use the same color temperature and tint settings in Lightroom or Photoshop for a “true” side-by-side comparison. That turned out to be a bit naive. The orange cast from the color negative film base threw things off completely, so I ended up using the color eyedropper on the gray area in the background of both images to balance them to a neutral gray.
The first image shows how it looks after “scanning” and a standard negative-to-positive conversion, white balance corrected for the neutral gray. The second image is the same analogue shot as the first, but with roughly the same edit I applied to the other images from this roll; the third is from the digital camera (white balance corrected for white).
A direct comparison of the negative’s raw scan to the digital reference image immediately reveals two key characteristics of the film: The image from the negative has a significantly lower contrast and a more muted colour palette. Additionally, the whites are shifted towards blue.
When the scan is digitally colour-corrected—specifically by setting a neutral white point—we observe a distinct colour shift: the mid-tones and grays take on a noticeable warmer tint, while the yellows, reds, and oranges are pushed further toward orange hues. The blues do not seem to have any visible impact.
The Classic Car Race/Show
The event is a mix of a classic car race, an exhibition of beautifully maintained old-timers proudly presented by their owners, a family-friendly happening with activities for children, and a laid-back picnic venue with food trucks — and plenty more going on besides.
First, I snapped a couple of frames of the race itself, or actually of a couple of the cars in the race.
With digital photography, you can see in an instant if the image matches what you envisioned, simply by glancing at the display on the back of the camera. With film, there’s no such certainty — you press the shutter and trust your instincts, hoping the light and timing are kind. Photographing fast-moving vehicles at close range is a delicate dance with chance, each frame a negotiation of shutter speed, aperture, and the sweep of panning, all trying to capture the blur and depth-of-field the mind imagines. Later, it became clear that some of the shots had worked, though in the moment, uncertainty lingered, thick as the morning fog. To steady the hands and the mind, attention shifted to a few stationary cars — quiet shapes in the soft morning light, beneath a cloudy sky that seemed to hold its breath, waiting for clarity.
Concurs de Charme
The event also featured a competition which, to me, was more interesting than the race: the Concours de Charme. In this competition, the overall charm and style of the entire presentation are judged based on three main criteria:
- The Car’s Character: This includes its restoration quality, unique charm, and story.
- Period Attire and Harmony: The driver and passengers must dress in clothing that is period-correct for the year of the car, creating a sense of harmony between the vehicle and its occupants.
- Theatrical Presentation: The crew is encouraged to bring time-appropriate accessories to enhance the overall impression.
But the one I loved most of all was a much more recent car. This guy’s family owned a BMW in the early ’70s, when he was a child, and they used it to travel all across Europe. The car was sold before he moved out of his parents’ house in his early teens. Decades later, in his fifties, he found a similar car on the used market—it even had almost the same colour. He called his mother to ask if she remembered the old registration number. She didn’t, but as people did back then, she had kept some old papers. And guess what? To his astonishment, he discovered it was the exact same car. He bought it, restored it inside and out, repainted it to match its original look, and now brings his whole family to events like this—complete with period-correct clothes and accessories—recreating his cherished childhood memories.
The guy with his family and their BMW took first place. The WWII Jeep and its crew came in second, and the American car with its team finished third.
Conclusion
Kodak ColorPlus 200 has a distinctly vintage character, with tones leaning toward the warmer side. You can shift the colours toward a more neutral balance, but doing so often pushes the whites toward a bluish cast. Personally, for a vintage look, I prefer a warmer, slightly yellow image with clean whites and a soft, classic feel, rather than a neutral rendering with cool, unnatural blue-tinted whites. If you’re after a classic 1970s look—with matching grain, contrast, and colour palette—this film is made for you. Otherwise, you’re probably better off exploring other film stocks.
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More Images
Further Reading
- What camera gear and accessories do I use most frequently?
- Analogue Photography – Part 1: A Personal Journey into Film Photography 1/2
- Analogue Photography: A Personal Journey – Part 2 – Embracing Colours
- REVIEW: Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 50mm f/2.9 V – Soap Bubble Bokeh Treasure or Garbage?
- Analogue Adventures landing page
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Martin
Latest posts by Martin (see all)
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Hi Martin, hate to say it but these do not look correctly converted. Removing the orange mask is mathematically not a linear process, so just setting a global grey point doesn’t do the trick.
If you got those professionally scanned or converted them using specialized software like Smartconvert or NLP the results would look much better, with less of a color cast.
If you want to do it manually, I suggest following this guide (it is still hard though, imo using specialized software is the better approach):
https://www.alexburkephoto.com/blog/2019/10/16/manual-inversion-of-color-negative-film
Cheers
Felix
Nice subjects, but the colour is not right. You can make a negative colour anyway you want. A slight deviation, blue, neutral, warm… Negative is not a reference. The colour for these can be adjusted by eye, these are too blue, cyan. I really enjoyed the photos though – thank you!