Having shot a roll of Kentmere 100, I was keen to see how its sibling, the Kentmere 400, would perform. Using the same camera (Olympus mju ii), I tested this stock out mainly in bright daylight and dusk.
In my Kentmere 100 review, I write about how the stock does such a stellar job of controlling highlights, especially in bright conditions, and the 400-speed stock is similar in many ways. It is quite astounding, in fact, to see a graduated sky with a fair deal of texture on these daytime shots, all the while not sacrificing much shadow detail at all. Once again the comparisons to digital (and perhaps other less highlight-friendly film stocks) are worth a mention here, as I personally prefer retaining that highlight detail.
Move away from those bright daylight scenes and it does a pretty decent job in contrasty situations too, creating a mood that you wouldn’t expect from a film stock of this budget-bargain price.
One final observation of this stock is that it seemed ever-s0-slightly ‘grittier’ (perhaps grainer?) than its slower-speed sibling. Not by a lot, but more on a pixel-peeping level, as you would be hard-pressed to find any significant differences between the 100 and 400 in well-lit conditions. That said, I like the 400, but prefer the slightly softer look of the Kentmere 100.
Take a look at the gallery below and let me know – do you agree?
