Film for wildlife

<p>Hi,<br>

I've just used up my last roll of Provia 400X, which I had been using for shooting wildlife with my telephoto lenses.<br>

Now that it is discontinued I am not sure what to do. I've tried pushing Velvia 100 to 400 in the past and was not happy with the high contrast and grain that resulted.<br>

So my question is..<br>

Has anyone used Portra 400 for wildlife (including birds) shooting? If so, were you happy with the results?<br>

It would be awesome if someone could post a sample image or point me in the direction of one.</p>

<p>Thanks.<br>

-Nick</p>

<p>What format are we talking? if 35mm Portra is OK. I though see plenty of Provia 400X in 35mm and 120 on the internet at reasonable prices.</p>

Yes, 35mm.

<p>If you're digitizing your images then you'll get far superior results using Portra 400 in my opinion. The latest C41 emulsions are superb and they scan so much better than slides. Not only that, they are very forgiving on exposure.</p>

I digitize some of my shots but really enjoy viewing the transparencies on a light box.

<p>I like Portra 400 for general family pictures and portraits but I personally prefer slides "on the lightbox" for my landscapes and wildlife. These days of course the options are limited. Unless the light is really flat I would forget the 2-stop push of Velvia 100 or Provia 100F to 400 and just push either of them one stop to 200 (using Velvia in dull, flat situations and Provia when the light is relatively good). Provia 100F especially looks good pushed one stop to 200.</p>

<p>When I shoot digital I get spoiled by the high ISOs but in truth there were some pretty amazing wildlife images made back when the fastest quality color options were in the sub-ISO 200 range.</p>

<p>Nick, I have the same issue. Here is a shot of a deer on Portra 400:

Al</p>

<p>Al,<br>

Thanks for posting that sample image. The colors certainly aren't as vivid as Provia 400X but it does looks better than the results I got with a 2x push to velvia 100.</p>

<p>Stephen,<br>

I agree that some fantastic shots were made before high ISO slide films were usably good. The problem for me is that I regularly use a 1.7x or 2x teleconverter on my 300mm F/4. If I could shoot at F/4, ISO 100 would be OK. The problem is when I have to shoot at F/6.3 or F/8</p>

<p>Sounds like you need a 300mm f/2.8 :-)</p>

<p>I've been dreaming of a 600mm F/4 since I was 12.</p>

<p>At least you can remember when you were 12.</p>

 

What Larry said is certainly true. Lots

of it is still around. I have no idea how

long supplies will last, though.

 

So here's the thing. If you prefer slides,

then negs are not going to cut it. You

may as well shoot digital. And that

wouldn't be a bad thing - lenses don't

need to be super fast. And if you

choose a mirrorless system, lens

choice is wider.

 

But back to slide film. You know,

maybe this is a long shot, but you

could use negative film and dupe the

frames you like with an interpositive

stock.

 

Interpositive film such as Kodak 2383 -

used for movies - is itself a negative

film. So dupes of negs will be positives.

However, they are tuned to movie film,

not still film. The good news is that

interpositive films don't have Remjet

(Remjet is usually only for camera

stocks). However, despite that, it might

not be compatible with C-41.

 

Another advantage is that negative

films can be successfully pushed to

high ISOs such as 6400. But to make

the duping process easy, you'd want to

get exposure right and use a consistent

ISO for the whole roll. A way around

this is to bracket the dupe film for every

shot. But now we're getting into areas

where I have no experience.

 

I have not duplicated any kind of film

before so I can't offer much help there.

Sounds like a good idea, anyway.

 

Kodak's information on 2383:

 

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/Produc

ts/Distribution_And_Exhibition/2383.ht

m

<p> The first run of new slide film in Italy starts next month ISO 100 at first but if people buy it we may be able to get faster. A new smaller run machine is the secret. Jes but looking at them yourself is not as good as it used to be in a world where we do what we are doing now.</p>

<p>It's my view that wildlife as beautiful as it is, or they are, require as much acuity as possible. Sharpness, color fidelity, and yes, saturation to celebrate the amazing colors and textures to bring to as close to us as possible something we'll never posses, or shouldn't. </p><div></div>

<p>I didn't realize that Provia 400X was still available online. I guess I will order some and worry about this later.</p>