flash and film

I would like some advise please on what film to use. I am an amature

photographer (mainly landscape etc) and have been asked by friends to be

the "unofficial photographer" at their wedding. I will be using my Minolta

Dynax7 with 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 and Minolta 5600 flash. They will be having pro

shots taken by a pro, so mine will be candid photos. They will be buying the

film for me, so was wondering what type of film to get. It will be both day,

indoor and night.

 

Thanks for any response

Maybe try something a bit different by shooting B&W (Kodak BW400CN or Ilford XP2 Super).

I would recommend Kodak Portra 400NC. If you want to print some as B&W, you have that option.

 

Be sure to touch base with the pro on the day of and make sure you work out the details on how both of you are going to be photographing the same event together. If the pro has any requests, try to follow them as best as you are able.

Unless you need a fast film use Fuji realla it has no faults

I'm not familian with your flash. Could you please tell me the guide number? Unless it is a very weak flash, I'd go with Portra 160NC. It is tops with skintones, at least with the predominantly caucasian skin-types I encounter. If you prefer the Fuji pallette (I personally think it has too much of a blue-green bias, making it better suited for landscapes than portraiture) go with their 160 film. I think a 100 is too slow for wedding work, and Reala is not designed with portraiture in line like Portra and Pro Fuji stocks are.

 

The reason I recommend 160 over 400 is because of grain. Grain really does become a factor in 35mm. You can pull a solid 12 megapixels out of 400 or even 800 film in my opinion, but grain is more evident at 8x10 than the noise from even a 6MP DSLR at high ISOs, so you have to be careful if these prints are going to be made past 8x10. I'd be comfortable printing up to 11x14 with any of the 160 speed films, and could probably get away with a decent 16x20 as well. Any other questions, feel free to ask, and good luck!

 

Regards,

 

~Karl Borowski

Just another opinion. The Portra is great for formals, but you're not doing the formals. I would load up with some Fuji H400 (or 400 Pro, or whatever they are calling it now - it used to be NPH400). Very versatile.

 

Better coloration for candids - JMO, of course. Cheers.

The Fuji NPH (Pro-H) is my standard wedding film. I rate it at 320, and get beautiful results. The grain is very fine too. The 400 speed films of today, are much better than the stuff that we grew up using. The Pro-H and the Kodak equivalent are designed and made for wedding-portraiture, etc.

 

Russ<div></div>

Like I said, it is definitely a matter of personal preference between Kodak and Fuji :-) Just a

side note, NPH is now Pro 400H, I believe the 160 is called Pro 160C. There are low- and

high contrast versions of the film. You want the low-contrast one. Regardless of whether or

not you are doing the formals, I think these films render flesh-tones the best of any imaging

option available today, so you aren't going to get as nice of results using a consumer film or

Reala.

I am going to be doing the formal photography at a wedding soon - and I understand your concerns.

 

I am using a Pentax KX with a: 3.5/28mm, 1.8/55mm, and 3.5/135mm. Also a Walzflex with 3.5/75mm builtin.

 

The films I am using: Ilford FP4 plus 35mm (for versatility, tonality, and grain) at DIN 22 (ASA 125) on the KX, and Fujicolor Superia 100 (120/60mm) at DIN 21 (ASA 100), for the same reasons as FP4.

 

I personally would always use medium format or large format for color shots at weddings... just personal preference.

 

My flashes are a Sunpak Auto SR22, and a Vivitar Thyristor.

 

Just my opinion on what an optimal loadout would be :)

<p>Duncan,</p>

 

<p>Don't let anyone here scare you off, you can get quality results with your equipment. I have done eleven (IIRC) weddings now with a Dynax 7 and Fuji Pro400H (formerly NPH). My main flash is now a Quantum QFlash T but I used to use a Sigma similar to your Minolta. It is worthwhile, especially for candids, to get a flash bracket that will raise the flash up high and rotate for portrait-format shots. It prevents redeye and helps shadows to fall unobtrusively behind the subject. Alternatively, use the wireless function and hold the flash above your head - just make sure it is pointing the right way!</p>

 

<p>It's a shame you haven't got a faster lens, sometimes when I'm asked to do candids (or not asked at all!) I shoot mainly B&W available light. My main lenses do f/2.8 though. I like using Fuji Neopan 1600 for that.</p>

 

<p>I won't clutter up this thread with any images but feel free to take a look at my site <a href="http://mattneighbour.com">http://mattneighbour.com</a> to see what you can do with Minolta 35mm.</p>

 

<p>Regards,</p>

 

<p>Matt</p>

Since your lens isn't very fast go with a 400 speed film. You'll probably get better exposures if you rate it at ISO 250 instead of the "official" 400 unless you're really sure of your camera and auto flash. Many cameras and flashes tend to underexpose a bit. With mixed lighting situations where you might be shooting indoors and out, flash, tungsten (regular household bulbs) and possibly even flourescent, amateur color film seems to do better than pro, which is targeted more towards controlled lighting. Get some 4-packs of Kodacolor Gold or the Fuji at a place like K-Mart or the drugstore, whichever has the best sale price this week. Just try not to mix Kodak and Fuji on the same job. Don't worry if the Kodak film says "Made in China". They still make it in the USA also, but I can't see the difference. Kodak owns the factory.