Generations of hobby photographers have been documenting their lives and surroundings with Kodak colour film for over 80 years. Billions of negatives have been produced since the adventure began in 1942. In all these small frames, everyday and spectacular moments exist side by side, recreated with the characteristic colour palette from the American company Eastman Kodak. If we were to comb through this endless collection of photographic imprints, we'd likely conclude that holiday memories have been among the most important to capture on film rolls.
Gran Canaria captured on Kodak Gold 200. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.
Kodak's negative colour films certainly have something distinctive about them. Perhaps a bit difficult to describe objectively, but the photos often have a warm, delightful glow, unlike films from other manufacturers.
Like previous generations of hobby photographers, many today face the question: Which film should I choose to preserve my summer holiday memories? For me, the answer is quite clear: Kodak Gold 200. This film hit the market as 35mm film (135 format) in 2007, and in April 2022, it also became available in 120 format (for medium format cameras). With the combination of good product quality and moderate price, you can capture many holiday memories without being disappointed with the results when the film is developed.
Gran Canaria captured on Kodak Gold 200. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.
Retro mood
After using Kodak Gold 200 in my 35mm cameras for many years, it was a great joy when this film became available again in 120 format. This allowed me to use my medium format cameras to take photos with this beautiful classic from Kodak. This film provides an attractive supplement to Kodak Ektar 100 and the films in the Kodak Portra series. It has a colour rendition that differs somewhat from these. Ektar 100 is the first choice if you like saturated colours and super fine grain structure and sharpness. Technically, Ektar 100 is the "best" colour film on the market. Gold 200 has (as the name suggests) twice the sensitivity of Ektar 100. The colours are warmer, a bit more “retro,” and not as technically accurate as Ektar 100. This can also be seen in comparison with Portra 160 and 400. Many analogue photographers today are looking for a “vintage” look, and Gold 200 should be the first choice. For me, having photographed with Kodak colour film since the mid-1980s, Gold 200 has the classic and recognisable "Kodak look" that I first experienced when I put a roll of Kodak film in my camera in 1982. Gold 200 has more visible grain than Ektar 100 and Portra 160/400 (which appear practically grain-free when producing images from 120 film). Thus, the analogue feel is more pronounced compared to, for example, Ektar 100, which can seem a bit "clinical." Compared to Portra 160 and Portra 400, Gold 200 has somewhat higher colour saturation, which can be beneficial in certain situations.
Gran Canaria captured on Kodak Gold 200. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.
What advantages does Gold 200 have?
The film has a sensitivity index of ISO 200, which means that in many situations, you can take handheld photos with a medium format camera. At the same time, you avoid grain in highlights, which can be the case with films of higher ISO. Naturally, one might wish for such a film with ISO 400 (like Kodak Ultramax 400), but then you would experience a noticeable increase in grain compared to Gold 200. However, Ultramax 400 would be a good option for 35mm photography when you need film with higher sensitivity than Gold 200 can offer. It’s easy to think that a reasonably priced “amateur film” like Gold 200 offers significantly lower image quality than professional films like Ektar and Portra. It’s true that these films have somewhat higher sharpness and finer grain than Gold 200. Yet, Gold 200 delivers fine-grained and very sharp images and is also suitable for professional shoots, especially when seeking that classic Kodak look. Many photographers also prefer images to have a visible grain structure for such a purpose, and Gold 200 would be a good choice.
To indicate how visible the grain of a film is, a “Print Grain Index” is used. If you enlarge a 24x36mm negative taken with Gold 200 to 10x15 cm (4.4x enlargement), it will result in a Print Grain Index of 44. The same for Portra 160 would be 28. For Portra 400, the index would be 37. This means that Gold 200 has somewhat more pronounced grain than Portra 400. Kodak’s ISO 400 film aimed at hobby photographers is Ultramax 400, which has a Print Grain Index of 46, marginally more visible grain than Gold 200. If you find Gold 200 too grainy for your liking, you can choose to use a medium format camera.
Gran Canaria captured on Kodak Gold 200. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.
What applications is Gold 200 suitable for?
With Gold 200 in your camera, you can enjoy photographing almost anything and achieve good results. I have personally used it for portraits, documentary photography, architecture, and landscapes – and the film meets my expectations every time. Skin tones are rendered with a slight warm tint, which suits my taste. It is not as neutral in palette as, for example, Kodak Portra 160, but this can also be seen as an advantage.
High quality at a moderate price
One advantage of Gold 200 worth mentioning is that it is sold at a price significantly lower than Kodak's Ektar and Portra films. This makes it an attractive option for analogue photographers who must constantly consider the cost of materials. Although Gold 200 is not developed to the same standards as the professional series films, you can still expect high image quality and stable product quality.
I recommend normal exposure for Gold 200 (i.e., ISO 200). Negative colour film can usually tolerate a fair amount of overexposure (up to 3 stops) without the highlights blowing out. Underexposure, on the other hand, should be avoided. With underexposure, you are likely to experience reduced shadow details. This loss of detail in the darkest areas of the subject is irreversible, and the colours in the midtones often become unnatural and have low saturation.
Gold 200 is developed using the standard C41 process, which is offered by all commercial labs. After the film is developed, you can take your negatives into a darkroom for colour enlargements or digitise them with a scanner or camera for further digital post-processing. Most labs also offer scanning of the negatives.
The images presented with this article were taken with Kodak Gold 200/120 on Gran Canaria. All photos were taken with a Mamiya 6MF camera (in 6x6 format) and Sekor 50/4 (wide-angle lens) and 75/3.5 (standard lens).
Gran Canaria captured on Kodak Gold 200. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.
Facts about Kodak Gold 200
Film type: Negative colour film
Process: C41
Launched: 2007 (135 format) and 2022 (120 format)
Available formats: 135 and 120
Technical datasheet: Kodak Gold 200 Datasheet
Alternatives
Kodak Ektar 100: More neutral colours, higher sharpness, and finer grain. Lower sensitivity.
Kodak Portra 160: More neutral colours, weaker colour saturation, higher sharpness, and finer grain. Slightly lower sensitivity.
Kodak Portra 400: More neutral colours, weaker colour saturation, higher sharpness, and finer grain. Higher sensitivity.
Kodak Ultramax 400: Slightly cooler colour reproduction, similar saturation, marginally more visible grain. Higher sensitivity.
Bjørn Joachimsen is a photographer, course instructor, and consultant in photography and graphic production. He has more than 25 years of experience as a photographer and graphic designer and has extensive expertise in most photographic genres. He works with both digital and film capture. He is especially known for his black and white images photographed with an 8x10-inch large format camera. Bjørn conducts workshops in Norway, Sweden, Poland, Austria, Croatia, and Spain.
The author of the article is a photographer and ambassador for Focus Nordic.
Focus Nordic is the importer and distributor of Kodak products discussed in this article.
Gran Canaria captured on Kodak Gold 200. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.