Analog.Cafe › Film and Darkroom › 12 min read by Dmitri. Published on November 3, 2025. Kodak Kodacolor 100 is a newly released film from Kodak, announced in early October 2025. In this article, I discuss the significance of this new film and compare Kodacolor to its rumored counterpart: Kodak Pro Image 100. As the title suggests, I’m indicating that Kodak Kodacolor 100 is not identical to Kodak Pro Image 100 — although the differences are minimal. Therefore, if you're weighing your options between the two films, either choice should work well for you. Nevertheless, I believe one of these films can produce warm colors with a more natural saturation, a nuance that may not be immediately noticeable, but once recognized, it becomes evident. I surveyed several photographers and non-photographers to verify using the graphic above (which displays two rows of sample squares from each film) — they all confirmed that there is one specific distinction.
In this article, I will present what I believe is the Internet's most comprehensive comparison that uncovers the subtle yet significant differences between these films, differences that might not be clear without precise control over scene setup, props, lighting, exposure, development, and scanning software. I'll also briefly touch on why editing software may struggle to completely eliminate such fine distinctions.
In this article: Why does Kodak produce several ISO 100 films? Overview and methods of the experiment. Side-by-side examination of bracketed exposures (studio). Reasons editing may not eradicate these color differences. Side-by-side comparison: daylight (outdoor). Edge markings. Storage and stability. Which film is superior? Support this blog and access premium features with GOLD memberships! Kodak Kodacolor 100 (with adjustments for Color Balance and Hue/Saturation to match Kodak Pro Image 100). I will explain the rationale for these adjustments later.
Why does Kodak offer multiple ISO 100 films? Kodak has a complex business history and continues to be a multifaceted operation today. In last week’s newsletter, I highlighted Kodacolor and provided a brief history of Kodak, detailing the company’s recent investing efforts in film production and distribution. An earlier article where I contrasted Kodacolor 200 with ColorPlus and Gold—both ISO 200 films by Kodak—delves deeper into the Kodacolor brand.
The Analog.Cafe Podcast, Season 1 Episode 3, “Kodak Panic 2025 Review,” features a discussion regarding the financial aspects of Kodak’s operations, which is essential for understanding the overall picture of the Kodacolor brand. In summary, Kodak manufactures more films than those typically available in stores, and Kodacolor 100 represents its latest attempt to incorporate some films it usually sells to third parties for rebranding into its own lineup.
Experiment overview and methods. Factors like lenses, exposure, lighting, textures, colors, development, scanning, and film inversion can significantly influence the resulting image. When contrasting drastically different films, such as Harman Phoenix and ORWO NC200, careful management of these variables may not be needed to observe differences. However, since Kodacolor 100 and Pro Image 100 are already visually similar in several comparisons shared online, to ensure reliability in these tests, I meticulously controlled all the variables:
- Scene: A static indoor setup featuring a reference card, a portrait attribute, and various props.
- Light: Amaran F21x 5700K with diffusion.
- Exposure: Nikon FE with Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 AI-S for Kodacolor 100 and Nikon F2 (using the same lens) for Pro Image 100; 𝒇3.5 1/60 (metered for middle grey) alongside underexposure (-2) and overexposure (+2) brackets.
- Development: Arista C-41 chemicals, using the same tank.
- Scanning: All film was scanned as digital negatives using Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 500ED with VueScan.
- Inversion: I utilized film Q (an app for inverting negatives without compromising their characteristics). Manual white balance adjustments using reference greyscale masks were applied for scenes with artificial lighting.
I also conducted various attempts to make the films appear identical to determine if it was achievable and to what extent.
Side-by-side: bracketed exposures (studio). I enjoy testing film in real-world scenarios; often, that provides a sufficient understanding of how it translates light into images and what makes it distinctive. Manufacturers’ spec sheets typically contain information about grain size, color sensitivity, and dynamic range. However, there is no datasheet available for Kodacolor 100 (Pro Image’s datasheet can be found here), and given the similarities of the emulsions, many assume they are the same.
At the start of this experiment, I was uncertain whether the two films were identical. Kodak has stated that Kodacolor is a brand that packages films
Kodak Kodacolor 100 is a newly introduced film by Kodak, which was announced in early October 2025. Well, sort of. In this article, I will discuss the significance of this new product and draw a comparison between Kodacolor and its speculated counterpart: Kodak Pro Image 100.