Kodak Ektachrome Panther 400 (35 mm) – Release the Panther

I know the tagline is cheesy, but it caught your attention – so it’s just perfect (evil laughter). And in my quest to squeeze every Kodak film into cameras and the best out of it on film, it certainly caught my attention too, when I first discovered,that not only Apple gets their inspiration from the zoo when branding their products. So may I present, the new find from the photographic animal farm: the slide film that was called Kodak Ektachrome Panther 400:

And lets cut to the chase, why?
Thank you for asking! And here we go. My research came up with the following results. The panther is an upgrade to the Elitechrome EBX. At a time when Kodak was under pressure in terms of performance from the freshly released Fuji Velvia in the early 1990’s, Kodak came up with the Panther. It approached a rather professional background.

Word on the street is, that the 100 iso Panther was a new emulsion, but the 200 and 400 were copycats of the ordinary Ektachromes of this sensitivity. There are also rumors, that the panther became a crouching tiger and it morphed in the then new Elite Chrome. Isn’t that exciting news, my friends? It seems like a neanderthal, whose DNA slipped into a photographic Homo Elite Chrome Sapiens. I will leave it with that.

I personally like the film very, very much. Especially for panoramic crossed images. For very wide shots it’s very significant, what film you use, when crossing it. There are often large fields of sky or other light structures. If you cross it, for instance with a Kodak EBX or ED you might drastically overexpose those areas. There won’t be any clouds or birds visible, which is a pity.

The Ektachrome Panther 400 puts a very earthly colour veil over the exposure and damps any overexposure. The colours may be the opposite of extreme, but still very unique to be enjoyed. It is also an all weather killer. You can use it with low light and in bright sunshine, when you expose it right. So it’s an everyday choice. At least for me.

On top I like this film, because it documents travels with my dear Lomo amici Vicuna, Katoun and Satomi, whose trails I followed on different continents, strange places, and times. One of the connecting dots is the Kodak Ektachrome Panther.

written by wil6ka on 2013-07-15 #gear #mountain #island #castle #australia #slide #review #winter #trip #austria #cross #panoramic #los-angeles #katoun #vicuna #kodak #satomi #french-polynesia