Kodak Ektachrome E100 in 120 is a colour slide film that comes out of processing as a finished positive: a transparency you can view on a light box, project or scan with no inversion. A 6×6 or 6×7 slide is a pleasure of its own — a large, bright frame with extremely fine grain.
About the film
Kodak brought Ektachrome back in 2018, after several years with no colour reversal film in the range at all. According to Kodak, E100 has extremely fine grain (RMS 8), a low D-min for cleaner, brighter whites, moderately enhanced saturation, a neutral colour balance and a low-contrast tone scale. It is balanced for daylight or electronic flash.
Why 120
In 120 Kodak coats E100 on a 3.94 mil ESTAR polyester base — clearer and more dimensionally stable than the acetate base of the 135 version. For scanning and large prints that is a real advantage: the frame lies flat and detail holds to the edges.
What it suits
Landscape, travel, architecture, product work, daylight portraits — anything where accurate colour and clean whites matter. A finished slide is its own colour reference, so it is easier to scan than a colour negative.
Practical notes
- Slide film is strict about exposure: Kodak puts the latitude at only about ±½ stop. Meter for the highlights and err towards slight underexposure rather than over.
- Keep the film sealed in a fridge at 13 °C or lower, and let it warm to room temperature before opening.
- It needs E-6 processing, not C-41. Scan it on a transmission scanner in slide mode only.
I do E-6 processing and scanning in my own lab. The same film in 135: Kodak Ektachrome E100 135/36.
Specification
- Format: 120
- Speed: ISO 100, daylight
- Type: colour reversal (slide)
- Grain: RMS 8
- Base: 3.94 mil ESTAR
- Process: E-6
