Kodak Ektar 100 is a colour negative film in 10.2×12.7 cm (4×5 inch), 10 sheets to the box, ISO 100, C-41 process. A medium-speed film with heightened colour saturation and slightly more contrast than the rest of Kodak's colour line.
How the picture looks
Its headline achievement is grain: this is Kodak's finest-grained colour negative film for C-41. Colour is saturated and ringing, with pronounced blues and reds. The supplier is candid about the other side, though: in sharpness and resolution Ektar trails Portra 160, Fujicolor 100, Provia 100F, Velvia and Ektachrome E100, and its exposure latitude is markedly narrower than Portra's.
What to shoot on it
Landscape, architecture, product work — anywhere you want bright, clean, postcard colour and the light is under control. It suits portraiture less well: the extra saturation and contrast do not flatter skin, and Portra exists for that.
How to shoot it
This film is demanding about exposure — the supplier explicitly recommends metering precisely. The narrower latitude means a one-stop error already shows, and overexposure eats the very saturation the film is bought for. Use an incident meter rather than a reflected reading, and do not trust your eye. Sheet film is loaded into holders (double-sided, two sheets each) in complete darkness — you need a darkroom or a roomy changing bag. One sheet is one frame, and that changes how you shoot: exposure is worked out in advance, composition is built on the ground glass, and every frame costs time. The box holds 10 sheets — roughly €14.60 a frame.
Processing and scanning
Standard C-41 — but confirm in advance that your lab processes sheet film: not every machine takes 4×5, and the work is done by hand or in a dedicated tank. Scan sheets on a flatbed with a 4×5 holder, or send them out for a drum scan.
How it compares
Portra 400 in the same format gives more latitude, softer colour and better skin — at the cost of coarser grain. Provia 100F, as the supplier itself notes, is often the sensible alternative in 4×5: higher sharpness and resolution, slightly finer grain. Ektar is bought for its colour and its grain, not for versatility.
