Kodak Ektachrome E100 - 35mm Colour Reversal Film

They brought it back. The film community is still not over it.

Discontinued in 2012. Relaunched in 2018 after enough noise from enough photographers. Ektachrome E100 is proof that some dependencies are worth fighting for.

Kodak Ektachrome E100 35mm Film is an ISO 100 daylight-balanced colour transparency film and the only slide film currently in production by Kodak. Originally introduced in 1946 as a successor to Kodachrome, discontinued in 2012 as digital made slide film commercially unviable, and relaunched in 2018 following sustained pressure from the film community, Ektachrome E100 is a film with a story worth knowing. It produces images with ultra-fine grain, natural and moderately enhanced colour, exceptional sharpness, and the particular depth and luminosity that only slide film produces. It requires E-6 processing, not C-41. In stock now and shipping fast from the UK. DX coded, 36 exposures.

Important: Ektachrome E100 requires E-6 processing. Chemical Dependency Lab currently processes B&W and C-41 colour negative film only, though E-6 processing is in development and coming soon so watch this space. In the meantime, our friends at Not Quite North in Lincoln offer a mail-in E-6 slide processing service for both 24 and 36 exposure rolls. Find their E-6 service at not-quite-north.co.uk.

What Makes Kodak Ektachrome E100 35mm Film Habit-Forming

The Comeback Story Slide film was the professional standard for decades. Kodachrome and Ektachrome built careers, filled National Geographic, and defined how colour photography looked from the 1950s through the 1990s. Digital killed the market. Labs closed, film stocks disappeared, and E-6 processing became increasingly hard to find. When Kodak announced the return of Ektachrome in 2017, the response from the film community was extraordinary. The relaunch in 2018 mattered not just as a product but as a statement. Some films are worth bringing back. Ektachrome is one of them.

Slide Film: A Different Kind of Result Colour transparency film produces a positive image directly on the film rather than a negative. The result is viewed by transmitted light: projected, lightboxed, or scanned from the original positive. The colours have a luminosity and depth that colour negative film, however good, renders differently. Ektachrome's colour balance is natural and moderately enhanced rather than aggressively saturated, which places it closer to Fuji Provia than to Velvia in character. The result is images that look true to the scene while retaining a quality of light that experienced photographers recognise immediately.

Ultra-Fine Grain and Exceptional Sharpness Ektachrome E100 uses Kodak's T-GRAIN emulsion technology, producing grain so fine it is barely perceptible in 35mm at standard print sizes and virtually absent in medium format. Sharpness is exceptional, with scans at 40 megapixels revealing detail that makes the lens and scanner the limiting factors rather than the film. Reviewers consistently draw comparisons to Fuji Provia 100F in grain performance, with Ektachrome holding its own against the best slide films available.

Natural, Moderately Enhanced Colour The colour palette is neutral and accurate, with moderate enhancement that gives images presence without tipping into the bold saturation of Velvia. Blues are rendered with particular beauty, making it a long-standing favourite for landscape photographers. Skin tones are handled well in good light with accurate metering. The colour balance stays true under daylight conditions; under mixed or artificial light it will shift as any daylight-balanced film does.

Wide Dynamic Range for a Slide Film Slide film is generally less forgiving than colour negative film, and Ektachrome E100 is no exception: it will blow highlights and crush shadows if exposure is off, even by half a stop. That said, the dynamic range is considered wide for a transparency film, and the low D-min (clear base) contributes to brighter whites and cleaner scans than some comparable stocks. Careful metering is not optional; accurate metering is where Ektachrome rewards you.

Exposure: Meter Carefully and Expose for the Highlights This is the most important practical note for photographers new to slide film. Ektachrome E100 has no forgiveness for overexposure and limited tolerance for underexposure. High contrast scenes with bright highlights alongside deep shadows are genuinely challenging. A reliable metering system, an understanding of how to expose for slide film, and a willingness to bracket in demanding light are the practical prerequisites for getting the best from this film. Get the exposure right and the results are extraordinary. Get it wrong and the slide will show you exactly where.

Built for Scanning The T-GRAIN micro-structure was optimised for scanning applications, and the clear base means initial scans come through cleanly with good highlight detail. For photographers who want to scan their own slides, Ektachrome is one of the more cooperative transparency films to work with.

Refrigerated Storage Recommended Kodak recommends cold storage until use. Keep it in the fridge, shoot it in good light, and send it to an E-6 specialist promptly after exposure.

DX Coded, 36 Exposures DX coded for ISO 100 in automatic cameras. 36 exposures per roll.

Best For Ektachrome E100 earns its place for landscape, travel, portraiture in good light, and any photography where the depth and luminosity of slide film is the point rather than an incidental characteristic. It rewards photographers who meter carefully, understand slide film exposure, and want results that colour negative film produces differently. It is not a film for low light, fast-paced shooting, or photographers who prefer to fix exposure in post. Note that Ektachrome requires E-6 processing; while Chemical Dependency Lab develops C-41 and black and white, we've pointed you to Not Quite North above for E-6.

Perfect for: Landscape and travel photographers who want the slide film look, experienced shooters comfortable with demanding exposure requirements, photographers who want to project or lightbox their work, and anyone whose analogue dependency is ready for the film that the community fought to bring back.

Ektachrome E100 is not the easiest film to shoot, store, or develop. It demands accurate metering, specialist processing, and cold storage between purchase and use. In return it produces results with a quality of light and colour that experienced film photographers describe as unlike anything else currently available. That particular combination of difficulty and reward is a dependency of its own, and one that the film community felt strongly enough about to bring Ektachrome back from the dead.