Kodak ColorPlus (35mm) Review & Photos

Kodak ColorPlus is a budget 35mm that is a great all-around stock for everyday use. With a box speed of ISO 200, it is perfect for capturing sunny holiday scenes and outdoor family photos. Colours are vibrant but still look true-to-life in most shooting conditions.

ColorPlus offers excellent versatility for its price, making it perfect for beginners and thrifty snappers!

Kodak ColorPlus has a lineage that can be traced back to the 1970s. A vintage emulsion reminiscent of a bygone era, with glorious nostalgic warm tones.

Key Features Of Kodak ColorPlus

Pros

• Good all-round film for general use, for amateur use
• Lovely warm tones, giving a vintage feel
• Cheaper than Gold, and looks almost identical

Cons

• Images feel a little “flat”
• Warm tones may not suit some subjects or tastes
• Shadows often lack detail, when compared to professional films
• Can be hard to get hold of!

Kodak ColorPlus has a nostalgic look, and these vintage vibes are a result of the film’s interesting history that goes way back in the 1970s! Kodak released a film called Kodacolor II in 1972; an ISO 80 film developed Kodak “Flexicolor” chemicals (later called C-41, now standard color-negative chemistry). Initially produced in 110 format for the Kodak Pocket Instamatic camera, and later in 35mm and 120 formats in ISO100. Subsequently, Kodak HR disc film appeared on the scene in 1982, which featured an experimental new version of film that was rated at ISO 200.

This film is quite similar to Kodak Gold, another film that has roots in the 1970s and Kodacolor II. Kodak ColorPlus was retained as a budget film offering, more closely related to the older emulsions. Kodak Gold arose in 1987 as an improved emulsion based on the later Kodacolor VR film, which in turn arose from the same Kodak HR disc film.

In fact, if you check out the roll artwork in the above image you will see it still bears a retro design and the name Kodacolor emblazoned on it. The more modern trade name, ColourPlus, only features on the box art!

Shooting the Beautiful desert vistas of Jordan

This was the first colour 35mm film stock I ever shot! The affordable price drew me in as a novice film shooter. My parents always shot Kodak when I was a kid. The brand popped into my mind, synonymous with sunny family holiday snaps from my childhood.

With a week of roaming the desert and wandering around Petra on my itinerary, I thought some nice Kodak would be the perfect fit.

For these photos, I used my beloved Zenit-E and a Helios-44 (58mm) lens.

My Impressions of Kodak ColorPlus

Well, I definitely love the warm tones and vintage vibes! The colours are vibrant but fairly true to life as promised (that is, with the slight shift to warmer colours that go hand-in-hand with most Kodak film).

As a result of the warm tones, there is a muting of blues and a yellow shift in greens. Likewise, shadows have an orange tint in most cases. Also, reds are a little oversaturated for the same reason.

I also noticed that images do feel a little “flat” at times, but maybe that is just to my own eyes (I prefer a little more contrast and punch!).

It is well noted that shooting high-contrast scenes that are also very warm, such as sunsets or sunrises, produces harsh results. I can definitely vouch for this one; my sunset shots are indeed very orange!

Example Photos I Have Taken on Kodak ColorPlus

Here are the shots of Jordan on Kodak ColorPlus. The last 3 photos are of some places in England, including Liverpool and an abandoned factory not far from my home. Enjoy!