Making slides from Kodak Aerocolor IV (Santacolor 100, elektra 100, REFLX LAB Pro 100)

I love shooting color slides. But slide film is expensive today. Development is also expensive at most labs (Though, I do develop my E-6 film myself using this kit from Bellini Foto. You can find this kit for a bit less than 45€ at most photography online stores in Europe, and it has a capacity of 9 rolls of 135-36)

I like shooting slides for the sake of making slides that can be projected. Not specifically for the color rendering and contrast. Though, I am in love with Fuji Velvia 100, a film that I really hope they will continue to make.

To shoot slides more casually, I was very curious about an unconventional option. There are a few color negative film around that do not have the usual orange mask. They are all the same emulsion: Kodak Aerocolor IV

What is Aerocolor?

Kodak Aerocolor IV 2460 is sold a a “medium-speed, very fine-grain color negative aerial film”. What is aerial film?

Aerial photography seems to use cameras taking ver large spools of film. You can see the size of the packaging and of this film in this video from Mat Marrash . The spools are 9.5" in width!

Kodak still make a color film for this format, called Aerocolor IV.

A number of companies have been apparently obtaining rolls and rolls of this stuff, and re-finishing it as 135 or 120 film (or even larger formats). As far as I am aware the 3 most popular being

• KameraStore SantaColor 100
• FlicFilm Elektra 100
• REFLX Lab Pro 100

The actual ISO rating of aerocolor is a bit more complex to determine, as it is technically measured in a different scale than our usual camera film speed. It is also design for a development process called “AN-6”. The film is rated for an “ISO A 80” speed. It seems that used as a negative film, most agree that EI 100 is recommended.

However, Kodak also give information for processing this film in C-41. In this configuration, they even state that contrast can be adjusted by developing the film further. Which is actually an interesting option too.

However, we’re not discussing shooting this stuff as a color negative and making prints here, I want to make slides that are ready to project.

Why crossprocess Aerocolor?

One of the interesting characteristics of Kodak Aerocolor is that it is not using the same dye couplers than usual color negative film is. The residual undeveloped dye couplers do not serve as an orange compensation mask.

This means that it is possible to make a slide where the whitest higlight will throw white light on the projection screen, not orange light.

Color rendering

If you shoot one of these rolls and elect to process it in E-6 chemistry, you will obtain color positive images.