Unknowndivide may earn a commission from purchases made through links in this post.
Most color negative films are designed to flatter people. Kodak Ektar 100 is designed to flatter the world. It has very fine grain, crisp detail and punchy, saturated color, and it turns a blue sky, a red barn or a field of green into something close to a postcard. If you shoot landscapes, travel or bright city scenes on film, Ektar is one of the most rewarding stocks you can load.
What Kodak Ektar 100 is
Ektar 100 is a professional color negative film from Kodak. It is rated at a speed of 100 on the scale set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which makes it a slow film best suited to good light. Kodak describes the Ektar 100 as the finest grain color negative film available today, with ultra vivid color, exceptional sharpness and enhanced color saturation.
It comes in 35mm rolls of 36 exposures, in 120 rolls for medium format cameras and in 4x5 sheet film for large format. Like other color negative films, it is developed in the standard C-41 process, so any lab that handles color film can process it. Our guide to developing color film at home covers the process if you want to do it yourself.
Why it is cool
- Grain: Ektar's grain is so fine that 35mm scans can look almost like medium format, and 120 frames hold huge amounts of detail.
- Color: Blues, reds and greens come out rich and saturated, closer to the look many people associate with slide film.
- Sharpness: Edges are crisp, which suits architecture, landscapes and product photography.
- Range: As a negative film it handles bright scenes with more latitude than slide film, so highlights are easier to hold.
Kodak lists nature, travel, outdoor, fashion, product and commercial photography as its ideal uses, and that matches how most photographers use it.
How to shoot Ektar 100
Ektar rewards careful exposure. It is less forgiving of underexposure than consumer films, and thin negatives can turn muddy, with odd color shifts in the shadows. Many photographers rate it at its box speed of 100 or slightly slower, around 80, and meter for the shadows to make sure they get enough light. Overexposing by a stop is usually safer than underexposing.
Because it is slow, it is happiest in daylight. On a bright day you can shoot handheld at reasonable shutter speeds. In shade, at dusk or indoors, you will want a tripod, a fast lens or a faster film. If you plan to shoot in low light, our explainer on push processing film covers how to stretch a film's speed, though Ektar is rarely the right stock for that.
A note on skin tones
Ektar's saturation can make skin look ruddy or orange, especially in warm light. That is not a flaw so much as a design choice, and some photographers love it for bold fashion work. For everyday portraits, though, Kodak Portra 400 is designed for natural skin tones and is the safer choice, and the rest of Kodak's professional film range offers other looks. Our guide to Kodak Portra 400 explains why so many portrait and wedding photographers rely on it.
Ektar 100 vs Gold 200 and Portra
Think of the three Kodak color negatives as different tools. Ektar is the sharp, saturated specialist for landscapes and detail. Portra is the natural, forgiving portrait film. Gold 200 is the affordable everyday film with warm color and plenty of latitude, which we cover in our guide to Kodak Gold 200 film. If you are choosing a format to shoot Ektar in, our explainer on 35mm vs 120 film shows how much extra detail the larger negative gives you.
Who it suits
Ektar suits landscape and travel photographers, anyone shooting architecture or street scenes in strong light, and product photographers who want clean, vivid color. It is a great film to bring on a road trip or a summer holiday. It is less suited to beginners still learning to meter, low light shooting or portraits where natural skin matters most.
Storage and scanning
Kodak recommends storing Ektar at 55°F or lower, though it is not required. A refrigerator is fine for unopened rolls. When scanning, ask your lab for a neutral scan if colors look too strong. Ektar's saturation can be pushed too far by aggressive scanner settings, and a light touch keeps the look natural.
Where to buy
For more film stocks, cameras and darkroom guides, explore our Leica and film photography hub.
