Travis Estell

✕

Fuji Natura 1600

Gear & Tools

Travis Estell August 22, 2022

Over the years, I’ve put several rolls of Fuji Natura 1600 through my cameras. This film stock was unique due to its high 1600 ISO rating, rare for a color negative film, which allowed it to be shot more easily in low light situations. It also had a pleasantly grainy look, adding just a bit of grittiness to photos, and rendered the color green beautifully.

According to Photo Thinking, Fuji had three different brand names for the same line of film — Superia, Natura, and Press — with the only difference being that Press was the “pro” brand and was refrigerated for all stages of manufacturing and distribution. The Natura brand was used in Japan, where Fuji also produced a Natura line of cameras, while the Superia brand was used elsewhere. In 2008, the entire Press line was discontinued. In 2016, Superia 1600 was discontinued, leaving only the 200 and 400 varieties in production. That left Natura 1600 as the only remaining 1600 ISO color negative film being produced, until it too was discontinued in 2018.


Below are a few of my favorite shots taken on this film stock (both the Natura and Superia branded varieties):

Crow’s Nest [Canon AE-1 / Fuji Natura 1600]
12th Street in Cincinnati’s Pendleton neighborhood [Canon AE-1 / Fuji Natura 1600]
Evan Williams Experience [Hasselblad Xpan II / Fuji Natura 1600]
John at Arnold’s [Hasselblad Xpan II / Fuji Natura 1600]
Random shots from the Pacific Northwest [Canon AE-1 / Fuji Superia 1600]
Trader’s World [Hasselblad Xpan II / Fuji Superia 1600]
Inn at Irwin Gardens [Hasselblad Xpan II / Fuji Superia 1600]
Around Greater Cincinnati [Canon AE-1 / Fuji Natura 1600]
Elk Creek band practice Space [Hasselblad Xpan II / Fuji Natura 1600]
Garden Bowl [Hasselblad Xpan II / Fuji Natura 1600]
Venice Skate Park [Hasselblad Xpan II / Fuji Natura 1600]
Rainy day in Manhattan [Hasselblad Xpan II / Fuji Natura 1600]
It’s Your Thing [Canon AE-1 / Fuji Natura 1600]

With the ongoing resurgence of film photography, it remains to be seen whether Fuji or Kodak will bring back a high-ISO color negative film stock, but it seems unlikely. I’ve only got one roll of Fuji Natura 1600 left in my fridge, and with resellers now charging as much as $50 per now-expired roll, I probably won’t be buying more. For low light situations, I’ll be sticking to black-and-white or experimenting with pushing Kodak Portra 800.

Previous Article

Meta35

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My Photography, Elsewhere

  • 500px
  • Flickr
  • Glass
  • Grainery
  • Instagram
  • Newgrain

More Social Media

  • Last.fm
  • Mastodon
  • Pinboard

More to Read

  • Meta35

    Meta35

    May 6, 2022
  • Over-the-Rhine Transformation

    Over-the-Rhine Transformation

    July 1, 2021
  • Cincinnati on Film (2019)

    Cincinnati on Film (2019)

    December 10, 2020
  • American Road Trip (2018)

    American Road Trip (2018)

    April 29, 2020
  • Hasselblad Xpan II

    Hasselblad Xpan II

    April 29, 2020

Photo Series

  • Over-the-Rhine Transformation

    Over-the-Rhine Transformation

    July 1, 2021
  • Cincinnati on Film (2019)

    Cincinnati on Film (2019)

    December 10, 2020
  • American Road Trip (2018)

    American Road Trip (2018)

    April 29, 2020

Gear & Tools

  • Meta35

    Meta35

    May 6, 2022
  • Hasselblad Xpan II

    Hasselblad Xpan II

    April 29, 2020

Social Media

  • 500px
  • Flickr
  • Glass
  • Grainery
  • Instagram
  • Newgrain
Arba WordPress Theme by XstreamThemes.