Fuji Reala 100 was a print film made by Fujifilm, a film similar to its Superia 100 film but aimed at a pro market. It was a perfect film for sunny weather and summer travel, low in grain and with bright but not too saturated colours. Fujifilm, in their wisdom, decided to retire it – in 35mm in 2010, and this year in 120 format.
There’s still a few bricks of Reala to be had off eBay; as it’s a slow-speed film it takes a lot longer for the film to lose its contrast. It’s worth picking some up while you still can.
One of the first times I used Reala was to shoot US singer/songwriter Josh Rouse‘s publicity pics for his 2006 album Subtitulo shooting in a south London studio.
Reala works really well with studio lights, but using the natural light streaming in from a window allowed me to shoot handheld on a big and bulky Kiev 60 medium format camera brought a cooler, clearer look some of the pics.. Reala’s not a portrait film like Kodak’s Portra range, but it does do good job in making sure the reds tones in skin don’t become overpowering. You can see a load of great portraits taken on Reala by other photographers here.
Reala comes into its own in strong sun and with lenses that boost contrast. It’s a perfect film for LOMO cameras, as some of the pics below, taken on the LOMO LC-Wide, might show.
See more Fuji Reala pictures on my Flickr.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
