SantaColor 100
SantaColor 100 Colour Negative Film
SantaColor 100 launched as an IndieGoGo Crowdfunding campaign in summer 2021 and was a smash hit, with over $200 000 in funding to get the first batch started. Since then, we have produced over 20 000 rolls of film and have plans to produce another 20 000 rolls of film in 2023.
The film is now in regular sale at our own store, Kamerastore.com as well as with various retailers around the world.
What is the Film Like?
The film is a fine-grain, colour negative film compatible with the C41 process, yielding results with punchy reds and lush greens. It is more saturated than the Kodak Portra series, but less saturated and with a longer contrast curve than Kodak Ektar 100.
The film is also compatible with the RA4 printing process when an additional colour filter is used, roughly equivalent to the orange base of other colour negative films. The film is flexible and can be pushed to 800 ISO with only minor loss of colour accuracy and minor increase in grain. Shot at 400 ISO and pushed +2 stops in development, the film exhibits accurate colours and an almost grainless look, typically associated with films like Kodak Ektar 100 or Kodak Portra 160.
Below you can see a set of examples shot by the staff of Santa Film. Read more about the technical details of the film below.
Technical Details
Name: SantaColor 100
The film material is made in the USA and hand-spooled into reused canisters in Finland at the facilities of Kamerastore.com
Film type: Colour negative, air surveillance derived
Film speed: 100 ISO
Colours: Highly colour accurate with slightly increased red sensitivity. When scanned, typically on the warmer side and sometimes on the redder side.
Grain: Very fine, but made to create very sharp pictures as it is an air surveillance film
Exposure latitude: Wide, with acceptable results from 25 ISO to 800 ISO (with pulling and pushing)
Manufacturing: Freshly made in 2022, in the USA and hand spooled in Finland
DX coding: No, but most cameras with DX readers default to ISO 100 - the film is therefore totally useable in Point and shoot cameras.
Processing and scanning:
Process: Normal C41, can also be cross processed in E6 for relatively nice positives (exposed at 100 ISO)
Compatible with Minilabs and other industrial processing: Yes
Base: Mostly clear, slightly orange base. Not directly compatible with the RA4 process
Due to the thinner, clearer base, we recommend you load the film indoors, and definitely not in direct sunlight as this might lead to light leaks on the first frames
Scanning: Due to the clearer base, some scanners are confused by the film and give a very red image. This is easily correct when home scanning or when done by a good lab.
RA4 Printing: The clear film base requires an additional filter to be compatible with the RA4 process. The easiest way of doing this is to process a strip of unexposed C41 colour negative film and use that as an additional filter to yield normal printing results.
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