Silberra Color 100 – My 1st Thoughts

Originally I had decided not to post this article when the war against Ukraine first started out. It just didn’t feel right to me to promote a Russian film at the time. Years later, however, I doubt my thoughts on this film will have any effect on the turmoil going on. So here is my late, but maybe at least entertaining experience with trying Silberra Color 100 film.

A Couple Rolls of Silberra

Kelsey bought me several rolls of Russia’s color films Silberra 100 and 160 when they were first released a few years ago. It is a boutique film that isn’t easy to come by because the maker seems to be the only retailer now.

When Kosmo Foto spoke with Konstantin Shabarov, Silberra’s founder, he said “As most of Silberra films, this one is not available under any other brand at mass market. It was coated by special order and we hope to have a kind of exclusive rights for it since the next coating.” That wish came true.

Shooting Silberra

Kelsey and I set out to Tradition to shoot this roll on a really beautiful sunny morning. I get so happy when there are cold fronts here in Florida because it’s not often. I brought my Hasselblad 500 c/m with its 80mm lens and a tripod.

If you read my article Ektachrome Landscapes, these were taken that same day. I Brought the Ektachrome with me just in case there were any issues with the Silberra since it was my first time shooting it. Good thing I did.

First, I had trouble ripping open the silver packaging that housed the film.

Then, loading the roll didn’t feel right. The backing paper feels like construction paper, so right off I was thrown.

Next, I don’t know if something is wrong with my Hasselblad but I wound on and didn’t realize until I developed the roll that it rolled right through half the roll giving me only the first 6 frames I shot. I had more issues later with the Ektachrome, which you can read about in that article.

My Results

The bad: Some observations I had after developing the film was that the frames are spaced far apart. There are no numbers on the film or markings whatsoever, so I recommend writing notes where you’re roll began. The more over exposed this film is the greener the cast and the more under exposed the warmer the cast. The latitude of this film is OK, however, there isn’t much room for error .

The good: when exposed correctly, like the example below, the colors are nice. It reminds me of Portra 160. The shadows retain a good amount of info.

Final Thoughts

Honestly though, I don’t like my results. Others have gotten some really nice colors with this film. My location was very green, extremely sunny and just looks washed out. I almost didn’t bother to share my results, but I didn’t want to completely waste the roll. Besides, I strive to always be very honest with you all so you can make educated decisions for yourselves.

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I wanted to at least share my experience with you so that you can take my cautionary findings and keep them in mind if you should shoot this film yourself. Things to keep in mind like the packaging and the backing paper being delicate.

So what do you think of it? Have you tried Silberra yet? Do you want to see my results from the 160 film? Talk to me in the comments.

As always, stay motivated and keep shooting.

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