What’s the difference between Fuji and Kodak films?

We get this question a lot from new photographers who are just starting to experiment with different film stock. They want to know, is there really a noticeable difference between a 35mm color negative made by Fujifilm vs. Kodak.

The answer – absolutely.‍



Before we dive into the nitty gritty, a couple of important disclaimers. Both Fujifilm and Kodak films are going to give you fantastic images and both are beloved by many professional photographers. We also work with both film stocks and their respective companies quite extensively, so we’ve seen the ins and outs of each.‍



The common rule of thumb is that Kodak has more pronounced warm colors such as reds and yellows, and Fuji tends toward cooler colors such as blues and greens. Our experience shows that this is accurate in a very broad and general sense. However, the true differences you’ll experience are far more nuanced than that.



Kodak’s aim with their film stock (and their photographic paper) has always been to provide the most accurate to life coloration as possible. Fuji’s film (and their photographic paper as well) give photographers an “enhanced” version of real life. Fuji aims to give photographers a cooler more stylistic image. You can picture the difference between the screen on an Apple device when the “True Tone” is turned on vs. turned off. There are times when both are appropriate.



The best thing you can do as a photographer is to try a wide variety of films to find what you like and what fits your style and subject matter the best.