It’s rare to see a film announcement in 2022, but Kodak is doing just that with the launch of Kodak Gold 200 in the 120 roll format. Characterized by its warm, saturated colors, fine grain, and everyday versatility, Kodak Gold 200 is perhaps best known for its ubiquity as a 35mm film found everywhere from B&H to your local grocery store to a pharmacy on the other side of the world. Now available in 120 format, this film gives photographers a chance to try a new, larger format while keeping the same familiarity and approachability of Gold 200.
Kodak writes that this film presents “a great opportunity for aspiring photographers looking to make the jump from 35mm to medium format photography.” It’s a more affordable option than Portra and Ektar, sure, but Kodak Gold 200 is also an excellent choice for any photographer looking to shoot in a casual and fun manner. It’s a film that likely everyone has used at some point in their photography career, whether it was the film your parents used to record your childhood, the film from the disposable camera you picked up at the corner store, or the more budget-friendly option when purchasing a few rolls for vacation. By having an “entry-level” film available in 120 format, the barrier is removed between amateur and professional, and a new range of classic medium format cameras—everything from the classic Hasselblad 500C/M to the more modern Mamiya 7 II to the humble Holga toy camera— suddenly becomes more interesting. Despite its entry-level billing, Gold 200 is a respectable and versatile offering with pleasing rendering and high sharpness; it’s an excellent companion to Kodak’s other color negative films.
First introduced for the Brownie No. 2 camera, the 120 format itself is now 120 years old. According to Kodak, however, it’s still a highly popular and current film format. For the uninitiated, 120 film, compared to 35mm film, is a significantly larger film format, offering lower grain, higher sharpness, and generally clearer image quality, even with its ability to enlarge print sizes. It’s still a roll film format too, meaning it’s easy to handle and carry while out shooting.
Are you excited to see Kodak Gold 200 in the 120 format? Are you already a Kodak Gold shooter looking to get into medium format film? Let us know your thoughts on Kodak’s latest release in the Comments section, below.
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