Amateur E6 Films

<p>I've been away from photo.net for a very long time dealing with family issues and would like to pick up where I left off years ago with photography.I shoot mostly outdoors under natural light handheld with a 35 mm film only SLR.I was shocked to see many of my favorite 35 mm E6 emulsions are no longer with us,especially the amateur versions like Kodak Elite.The pro film has almost doubled in price but I can live with that if the quality justifies the price.I see a few vendors are still selling Elite but I'm concerned that it is end of the run stuff and is short dated or has been sitting around in warehouses or possibly buy backs from big box stores that are unloading it at a discount to the big name film retailers.I'm also concerned about the overall condition of Kodak and wonder if this is a good time to try some Fuji film along with my favorite Kodak films.I always liked the amateur film because it had a long shelf life and did not need to be shot quickly once out of the fridge.How do the pro films hold up in this respect?I plan to start shooting with my Canon Elan IIe then move backward to my full manual Canon F1N where I will have more fine exposure control.Film will be scanned at home on my trusty but slow Canon FS 4000 US film scanner.Any suggestions on films,scanning,and processing would be helpfull.The world sure has changed a lot in just a few years but my heart is still with film and I'm comfortable with what has always worked well for me. </p>

<p>Douglas,</p>

<p>Welcome back.</p>

<p>The film industry has gone through quite a few changes over the last several years. Old time standards like Kodachrome are gone. Even Fuji Astia, my favorite slide film, has been discontinued.</p>

<p>I think it is a good idea to try a selection of both Kodak and Fuji films every couple of years. That way you know what is currently available, what you like the best, and what you can use as a backup in case your favorite film is unavailable or discontinued.</p>

<p>I would suggest you get a copy of the Freestyle catalog. They have a great selection and receiving their catalog always gives me a boost whenever I see the many film is dying battles we see on this forum.</p>

<p>http://www.freestylephoto.biz/index.php</p>

<p>B&H Photo and Adorama are still good choices too.</p>

<p>I recently bought a Canon Elan IIe to replace the one I had sold. It was under $40. In 1996 when I bought my original model it was $400. </p>

<p>I am glad your Canon FS 4000 still works. My Canon FS 2700 finally bit the dust several years ago. I wondered about replacing it and then decided to get a Nikon Coolscan before they were discontinued. I am so glad I did. I generally use Nikon Scan software, which does you no good, but I also use Vuescan with other scanners. Vuescan is available at a good price and you can download a trial version.</p>

<p>http://www.hamrick.com/</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi Douglas,<br>

Your choice of Fuji E6 would be Velvia for an ultra saturated look or Provia for more muted colours. Judging by the cameras you mention above I suspect that you use good coated lenses. I love Velvia 100 (not the F) version when paired with uncoated lenses. Saying that, I love the saturated look for my street style shooting.<br>

Is the FS4000 a flatbed scanner? What software are you hoping to use? I recommend Vuescan Pro edition. I personally have low expectation. I shoot for fun and I scan for fun. A lot of folks here would say that you should forget the scanning part unless you have a dedicated film scanner.</p>

<p>It is very difficult to find "amateur" E-6 films around my area. I just gave up and started using pro films for all my dinkin' around shots, unless I use Kodak Ektar color neg film. I do really like Provia though.</p>

<p>The consumer market for slide film is pretty much gone, it's all photo hobbyists and artists at this point. Even the commercial uses are slight, which is why the older EPN, EPR, and EPP were discontinued. (EPN was a mainstay of catalog photography.)<br>

There's precious little difference between Elite Chrome and the E100 Ektachrome professional films. The latter, bought from a reliable seller, are quite certain to be fresh and stored refrigerated. Be sure you can get good E-6 processing -- it's getting hard to find as well.<br>

If you're scanning, also consider Ektar 100. Much of the look of E100VS, but with more dynamic range, and more places to get it C-41 processed.</p>

<p>Starvy,<br>

The Canon FS 4000US is a dedicated film scanner and does a fairly decent job especially with colors.Unfortunately it is very slow to scan.I always wished Canon had not given up on film scanners and released a updated version for folks who were familiar with Canon software and hardware.Many of us older photographers have thousands of slides we need to scan someday but can not afford to pay someone else to do it for us.</p>

<p>Kodak E100G is another good film. I prefer it over Provia.</p>

Agfaphoto (i. e. Lupus Imaging in Germany, licensee of the Agfaphoto brand name, but not affiliated with Agfa Gevaert AG) sells a "CT Precisa 100" slide film which is now manufactured and packaged by Fuji. The film contained is Trebi 100C or Provia 100F (the first the discontinued amateur version of the latter) sold at a very reasonable price.

<p>I am a Kodak employee; I used to be part of the R&D and commercialization of Kodak E-6 films. I also used to shoot the Kodak Elite E-6 films for my own use.<br>

Not sure that anyone sells an amateur version of E-6 films anymore.... I think both Fuji and Kodak have consolidated their amateur and pro slide lineups.<br>

As I recall, the difference between the amateur and pro Kodak E-6 films was not the chemistry (with the exception of incorporated warming dyes), but how we applied "windage" to the different formulations to accomodate the different use habits of the photographer. We assumed pros would be able to refrigerate film stocks until shortly before using and would process within days or hours after exposure. Amateur film stocks had their sensitometry adjusted to accomodate longer periods of room temperature storage before use and a longer interim period between exposure and processing. We also assumed pros would require less variability between different emulsion batches of film as they would be more likely to directly compare similar shots made on different emulsions of a film type, while the amateur films would generally only be viewed "single stimulus", or one emulsion at a time. This is why refrigeration of pro film stocks was recommended -- to keep an emulsion's sensitometry within that specification and reduce the chances of it aging to the point where it was noticeably different from a different emulsion batch. <br>

So, you should feel free to shoot the current pro Ekatchrome films the same way you did your older Elite stocks. If you can't or don't want to store your unused film in the refrigerator or freezer, room temperature storage is fine, but try and avoid high temperature and humidity for prolonged times. And then try and process relatively promptly (weeks). E100G has nice, moderately saturated color with good skin tones and neutrals, nice grain and sharpness. E100VS has enhanced color saturation (<strong>v</strong>ery <strong>s</strong>aturated) and is very sharp with good grain; a nice choice for nature/landscapes. I hope you will give these a try and enjoy them as much as you did the older Elite films.</p>

<p>Hello Douglas,</p>

<p>welcome back!<br>

There are enough options for slide photography on the highest possible level.<br>

Amateur films: Kodak Elitechrome 100 ExtraColor (it's still in production, excellent film by the way) and AgfaPhoto CT 100 Precisa, which is made by Fuji now. I can confirm Heinz Anderle's statement that this film is either Provia 100F or the japanese amateur version of Provia 100F: Trebi 100.<br>

Excellent film at an extremely low price, about only 3€ here in Europe (cheaper than most CN films).</p>

<p>If you like Kodak Elitechrome 100 you will definitely like Kodak E100G, which is even a bit better: A bit better, more neutral colors. And a bit higher dynamic range.<br>

E100G significantly surpass Ektar 100 in sharpness, resolution and fineness of grain.<br>

E100VS has higher saturation and higher contrast. Grain, sharpness and resolution are very good, but not as good as E100G.<br>

Despite its higher saturation E100VS and EliteChrome 100 ExtraColor (which is the amateur version of this film) have very good, natural skin tones. Much better compared to Fujis Velvias in this respect.</p>

<p>Provia 100F and 400X are excellnt films, too. Concerning detail rendition (sharpness, resolution, grain) Provia 100F and E100G are on the same level.<br>

E100G has a bit more warmer colors in direct comparison.<br>

Provia 400X is an awesome film: Natural, but vivid colors with a bit more saturation than 100F, excellent skin tones. Sharpness is on par with ISO 100 films, grain is very fine for a ISO 400 film.<br>

Excellent results pushed @800, and very good results @1600. Therefore a very versatile film.</p>

<p>Development: There are enough quality labs offering mail order service. Its a reliable and convenient option.</p>

<p>For best quality use slide projection and a good slide loupe (Schneider, Rodenstock) on a light table. So you get the full power of the slides with best sharpness, highest resolution, finest grain and best brillance.<br>

Slides are designed for projection.<br>

With scanning you always loose quality. Significantly lower resolution, grain is enhanced by scanner noise.</p>

<p>And slide projection is the most cost efficient way to get huge, brillant pictures: If you project on a 1m x 1,5m screen this huge picture cost you less than a buck.<br>

A print of that size cost you more than 100 bucks.</p>

<p>Hi Douglas</p>

<p>With the recent economic downturn, the price of film has shot up considerably. In the UK I get mine offshore from7dayshop.com which was tax free - I could get Fuji film for under £5 a roll with free postage.</p>

<p>However, I think the British Government may have closed that loophole on VAT and with the rise in the cost of raw materials it's now more closer to £7 per roll. I can tell you that even new stock from eBay is now more expensive than 7dayshop.com.</p>

<p>So, I buy less film and take more care with my shots.</p>

<p>I miss Kodak's EPP 100 film - it was far better colour wise than 100G IMHO or Provia 100's. I still like 100VS which is now cheaper than Fuji films at 7dayshop.com. However, can I also recommend Kodak 100EBX - the consumer version of 100VS? It is warmer than VS and it's whites are proper whites, not with the hues that Velvia 50 has. It's a great film. My supplier (7dayshop) are doing a 5 pack at £15.99. Grain on EBX is fine and its a great film to use in high contrast situations and the 'golden-hour' in landscapes. Both VS and EBX are superb films to use in dull lighting - especially in landscapes in Autumn using warming filters, with or without a tripod.</p>

<p>I still like Velvia 50 and have some in my freezer. Velvia 100 does not convince me at all. In fact, I actually like Velvia 100F better - particularly well-behaved in high contrast siutations - I'm hoping to get some when my budget allows.</p>

<p>It's sad that there's less choice in E6 film than before but given the advance of digital it is understandable and it's better to have fewer E6 films than none at all. I also use B & W (Ilford) but cannot bring myself to use colour print film - if I had to I always felt that Fuji's 100 Reala or 160 rated films were far better than Kodaks. I've tried Kodak's 100 Ektar film. If that's all there was, then I would give up colour photography altogether!!</p>

<p>Try some EBX if you want to stick with Kodak - together with a good lab, you might be surprised.</p>

<p>regards,</p>

<p>mark</p>

<p>Thanks gentlemen for the numerous responses!It appears Kodak E100G and Fuji Provia 100 would be a good starting point to replace my old favorite Elite.I'm not a big fan of supersaturated films and was disappointed years ago when Agfa went down the tubes and took RSX 100 with them too.It is also too bad that most film are no longer offered in 24 exposure rolls for less intense projects.The upside is that there are still plenty of E6 offerings and obviously some very serious people supporting it.I agree that it doesn't get any better for the ultimate in quality by remaining with E6 film.Many things have changed over recent years but it appears film photography will remain in place for many more years if people don't let it slip away and then wonder how it all happened.I just don't see any viable replacement for the unique qualities of this product.I guess the lesson to be learned is shoot with more care,spend a little more money, and understand that the world has not come to a end because less people are shooting E6.It was before my time but I'll bet they said the same thing when quality color films started to replace a lot of the consumer grade B&W films.Thanks again.</p>