Film for Southwest trip?

I'll be visiting the southwest at the end of April, and was

wondering if anyone had recommendations for the best film. Is Velvia

too much and too contrasty? Is Provia 100F a better choice?

 

On the print side, will Reala work well?

Any film can look nice in the right conditions. If you're shooting portraits in mid-day sun, forget about Velvia. However, for landscapes on a flat day, it can look really nice. I'm driving over to Olympic National Park tomorrow to shoot there for a week, all with 120 Provia 100F. To decide which film works best for YOU, you've got to test them side-by-side in a number of different situations.

 

Oh, and read the film section of the photo.net static content. There's some good information there.

Both the slide films you mention can produce excellent results

and I've used both successfully in SW USA. There is no doubt

that there are conditions in which Velvia is just "too much" and

other occasions on which Provia 100F can look dull and blueish.

At the end of the day it's hard for anyone else to know what your

preferences are. Be careful using when using a polariser with

velvia with bright blue skies- there'll be a tendency for skies to

become unnaturally dark, even black. Half polarising is good

policy.

 

There's a good argument for taking both films, and learning

about the conditions in which you prefer one vs the other.

 

Reala should work very well .

Personally, I wouldn't even consider Velvia for the Southwest, except for very special subjects. Velvia does best with foliage and green subjects, and that's the OPPOSITE of the desert, LOL! Most of the rocks and landscape has a reddish hue there. I would definitely go with Kodak E100SW, which is a warm film that does a great job with the palette you will find there. There is a new replacement for E100SW, E100GX, which has as fine a grain as Provia but the warmth of the older SW. I now shoot this as my "standard" film in 120 rolls and will use it for most of my 4x5 shots too. Provia is rarely a "wrong" choice, but for the Southwest the E100GX is so superior I wouldn't even bother taking it along. I've always felt that E100SW was probably the most overlooked film out there, and Velvia the most overused.

 

Kent in SD

I was just going to say that I shoot Velvia and Provia and then the thought

came, take a digital camera. ( ^ : I think as per noted that you just have to

pick per the situation and be aware of color temps. The SW is a nice rec

having shot it, and even think about taking some E100 VS. Since I like to

handhold alot, or use a monopod, I prefer the higher speeds.

David,

 

You have received some really good answers. If you will

anticipate shooting in areas of high contrast (ie. Antelope

canyon) I highly recommend a print film like reala since it can

capture the extreme range of light better than slide film.

I used Velvia in the SW and found it to work very nice. THe problem with the Kodak films is that they don't work as well for me in harsh light, which is often in the desert. As a rule I use E100VS in controled light like overcast or when I need the extra stop, but if the light is harsh at all stick with Velvia. I never was very fond of Provia for some reason. VS works fine also for your sunrise/sunset shots. I never liked SW because I could never predict what it was going to do. Sometimes it was nice and other times it went too warm, way too warm. A friend onced asked it I had forgot and left my B&W orange filter on when I shot some elk at sunrise in the Rockies with the SW. Attached is a pic of Delicate Arch shot with Velvia 120. Can't help you with print film, never use it.<div></div>

Velvia works well in many situations but can be too contrasty for others. E100VS is sure to make your life miserable if you're not careful about when/how you use it.

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I normally prefer lower contrast films (mostly Provia F, sometimes Agfa RSX-II). You can always add contrast and saturation later, but if you start out with high contrast - you can never re-add the detail.

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Print film has its advantages and disadvantages. I value my light table and loupe too much to use it.<br>

Slot canyons can be done with slide films if you're careful with exposure and plan your timing. This is Agfa RSX-II 100:

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<center><img src="http://scenicwild.com/npn/c000240.jpg"></center>

<br><br>

I would recommend Provia F, a set of warming filters (81A, 81B, and 812), and some experimentation.

<br><br>

Guy<br>

<a href="http://scenicwild.com">Scenic Wild</a>

...and one other thing, I'd be careful with print film in Antelope Canyon because the exposures can get very long there and some print films don't like that at all. I used VS and it worked great (another area where Kodak wins, exposures longer than 4 seconds)

Thanks to all for all the excellent advice! It sounds like I'll be taking a mix of films. Digital isn't an option, since my digicam, a Canon G2, just can't match film in any way, shape, or form. And it doesn't have the range of focal lengths that my film camera does.

 

On to The Wave...

Don't overlook Astia. It has less contrast and a nice, pastel palette that

sometimes really works out here in the SW

Chip

If you are going to the wave please wear running shoes and NOT boots.Boots and hard sole shoes crush the ridges in the sandstone and mark it.Also when walking to various points in the wave dont take the easiest line,choose a path that will not damage the fragile sandstone.I saw idiots there just running straight down formations and breaking off ridges in the process.It is easy to get lost on your way there-the last half is unmarked trail-actually it is not even a trail.

It's hard to believe that someone would go to the time and trouble to visit The Wave, and then not appreciate the delicacy of the formation, but I believe it. What a shame.

 

I guess I'll use a mix of Velvia and Provia, films I'm familiar with. I know many have suggested experimenting, but that's not possible. I live in New England, and it's still snowing, there's no greenery, and there isn't, and never will be, anything like the southwest. Experimentation while I'm out there isn't possible, since I'll only be in some of these places for the day. I guess I'll rely on experience and good sense.

 

Thanks again to all who offered good advice.

I think you'll be just fine with your choices. When I went, I took Velvia and Sensia 100 and was more than happy with my results. I pretty much used Velvia for early morning/sunrise and late day/sunset shots and the Sensia for any shooting I did during the more contrasty hours. My girlfreind used Fuji print (either Reala or Superia 100 & 400) and got some great-looking pics.

 

The suggestion regarding polarizing is a very important one -- you'll find that if you polarize too much, the sky will turn very dark blue.

 

One of the best things I did was to get a couple rolls of film developed to see the results after a few days of shooting. After I got them back I decided to go easy on the polarizing filter.

 

Not on the topic of film, but one other suggestion is to make sure you always cover your camera/lenses when not in use (ziplock bag or something similar) -- you'll get dust/sand/etc. in every nook & cranny possible especially if you hike, bike, or jeep off the beaten path.

 

Wish I was going! Enjoy!!!

Dave,

 

I've been living and photographing in the four corners for 10 years now. I've migrated to Velvia with no filtration and rated at 40 ISO. As others have stated, polarization really darkens the sky and shadows. The 81 series can cause some of the rocks to go yellow and the Tiffen 812 can cause sunsets to shift orange.

I've not used the Kodak films as they appear to shift toward magenta.

 

Good luck<div></div>