Film Reviews
Kodak MAX 400 ISO Print Film
Grain
The grain is clearly visible in all areas when the photo is enlarged, but it isn't bad for a 400-ISO film. Blue skies, or clear, flat areas like the exhaust haze below, tend to show the grain the most.
2400 DPI sky scan (grain sample)
Colour
(Green cast)
Contrast - Low
Low contrast allows for good shadow detail. However, when combined with unsaturated colours, it gives results that lack punch. There is a noticeable green cast that negatively affects yellows in particular. The cast does not affect dark and light tones in the same manner, which makes digital colour correction challenging.
This photo received no exposure or colour correction when scanned.
Sharpness
This is a cropped 2400 DPI scan from the image above.
Sharpness of Kodak MAX 400 is decent but not outstanding. In this sample, the details on the locomotives are relatively well-defined.
Overall
Kodak MAX 400 delivers good results at print size, where the grain is not evident. It works well in all lighting conditions and is tolerant of incorrect exposure. Overall results are hindered by a green cast and low contrast. This was my standard film up to 2003.
Long-term Stability
This film strip was re-scanned in November 2009, 6 1/2 years after the photos were taken. Although the green cast had shifted slightly towards yellow, the change was small. The green cast was strong to begin with, so it took some work to correct it digitally.