How To Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 by Melissa Summers

How to Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 - Shoot It With Film
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Kodak Ektar 100 Overview: Ektar 100 is a bold and colorful film, perfect for bright sun. It is best rated at box speed and metered for the mid tones.

With too much overexposure, you’ll see a red or orange color shift in skin tones. Ektar handles pushing well for some extra bold colors, especially if you are not contending with skin tones.

Find it on Amazon here: Kodak Ektar 100 in 35mm and Kodak Ektar 100 in 120

Kodak Ektar 100 Film Review by Melissa Summers

This is my first year of really diving into film, so I have been experimenting with a lot of different stocks.  Kodak Ektar 100 has been one of my favorites.  I love the clarity and punchy colors that come alive on Ektar.

At first I was a bit hesitant. As a digital shooter, I feared using a film in bright sunlight. I was used to waiting for overcast days and nice spots of open shade. 

While Ektar will allow you to shoot in those situations, I find that some of the best color results from this film stock come right out in the bright sunshine. My first try with Ektar was over the summer on a trip to the beach:

How to Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 - Shoot It With Film
How to Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 - Shoot It With Film
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What To Expect From Ektar 100

I consider Ektar my “going on an adventure” film because of the bright colors and playful style it lends to my photos. 

My primary use for this film is documenting weekend outings. These are usually local expeditions near my home, but I occasionally make a trip to a nearby city or countryside to capture some architecture or still life.

I can always count on Ektar for its fine grain and beautiful pops of color. This makes it an ideal film landscapes, architecture, and anything outside on a bright sunny day.

Since it does lean towards saturated colors, portraits can be a little trickier with this film. If not metered carefully, skin tones can look reddish or orange and a bit too saturated.

How to Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 - Shoot It With Film
How to Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 - Shoot It With Film

How To Meter And Shoot Ektar 100

The absolute best results with Ektar typically come from setting the ISO/ASA at 100 (box speed), metering for the midtones, and developing normally. 

As we mentioned earlier, skin tones and portraits can be tricky with Ektar and under these conditions the film must be evenly metered at box speed to get the tones right or else you will get reddish look on the skin. 

I shoot 35mm film with a Nikon F100, and I use the internal spot meter to make sure it is balanced or just slightly overexposed. I have had good results over exposing as long as it is not a face/portrait.

How to Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 - Shoot It With Film
How to Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 - Shoot It With Film

I have also been experimenting with rating Ektar at 400 and push +2 stops in developing. The results are some amazing colors plus some fun contrast:

How to Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 - Shoot It With Film
How to Shoot Kodak Ektar 100 - Shoot It With Film

Ektar often struggle indoors, so, in these winter months, if I have Ektar loaded in my camera, I don’t get to shoot indoors much. This film does much better outside on bright, sunny days.

Ektar is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a film that is fun, a little bit quirky, and colorful.

Thank you so much, Melissa! You can find more of Melissa’s work on Instagram. If you have questions about Kodak Ektar 100 film, leave them below in the comments!

Check out all of our film reviews here, and if you want to pick up some Ektar 100, find it on Amazon here!

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Blog Comments

Really nice photos & makes me want to shoot Ektar more! What lab did you use for processing & scanning? I think that can make a big difference with Ektar, in my experience. Thanks!

Thank you! All of my photos were processed and scanned at Biggs Camera, which is a camera shop lab in Charlotte,NC Scanned with Noritsu and I made some minor edits in Lightroom

I’m excited to try out some Ektar this summer. I also have an F100 and I’d love to get more specifics on how you use the spot meter to get your exposure. What are you putting the spot meter on? On faces? On what should be a midtone? Any help you can provide would be great!! Thanks!

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