Fuji Velvia 50 and Vignetting

This subject has already been mentioned in a thread in the Minolta section "Feint lines

at frame edge" but I'd like to cast the question to a wider audience.

 

I have been experiencing 'horrendous" vignetting unrelated to filters etc. while

shooting on FUJI Velvia 50 ASA, a notoriously contrasty stock anyway.

 

Having recently shot a test roll, I am curious to know the level of vignetting people

regard as acceptable. Stopping down to f22 to eliminate it seems a bit extreme.

 

This phenomenon, using Dynax 7 and 24-105 AF-D f3.5, has only been observed on

slide film. The test shows that the lens is unusable at the 24mm end at any aperture,

certainly on FUJI 50 anyway.

 

What has been your experience with slow transparency film?

 

P.S. - If people aren't already aware, there's an excellent primer on vignetting at:

 

http://www.vanwalree.com/optics/vignetting.html

This makes no sense to me what so ever. Vignetting is an optical/mechanical issue related to the way the light strikes the film. What film you're using is a non-issue.

 

Either you're using the wrong term to describe the problem you're having or you're experiencing issues related to your lens/camera combo that you failed to notice previously with print film--prob. b/c the lab cropped your prints somewhat and you didn't study the negatives.

 

If you take identical shots with Velvia and any other film of your choice with exactly the same filter/aperture/lens/focal length, scan the slide and scan the negative and post both of those images here and show me the vignetting then we can talk. I've shot several hundreds of rolls of velvia and never once had non-lens/filter related vignetting of any sort.

A contrasty, short-latitude film like Velvia will make vignetting more obvious, but it won't 'create' it on its own - that depends on the lens alone.

 

How much is acceptable depends on the image, of course - but it's probably at the bottom of my list of things to worry about.

 

OTOH I shoot super-wides (15/21 on RFs and 38 Biogon on 6x6) a lot - so I may just be used to it or work around it out of habit/instinct.

 

The only time I ever had 'trouble' with darkened corners was using a 1.4x converter on a Nikon 180 AFED. I got a really unexpected hot spot right in the middle of the frame - and since the background was an even white snow field - it looked really bad and took forever to burn/dodge away in the computer. Shot was on E100VS - similar characteristics to Velvia in this regard.

<i>A contrasty, short-latitude film like Velvia will make vignetting more obvious, but it won't 'create' it on its own - that depends on the lens alone</I><br><br>Yep.

Film cannot cause vignetting or light falloff, assuming the emulsion is evenly coated.

 

However films like Velvia, Tech Pan and others can emphasize optical problems already existing in a lens or light conditions already existing in the scene.

 

If your lens exhibits light falloff at the edges - entirely likely with any zoom at the wide end, especially wide open or nearly so - then, yes, Velvia will emphasize this more than would other films.

 

If the sky is naturally polarized, which occurs in blue skies at certain times of day, then, yes, Velvia will emphasize this. The effect of a naturally polarized sky is particularly exaggerated when using a polarizing filter in conjunction with a wide angle lens. The result is the familiar blue-black arc along the sky in so many photos of the American Southwest As Seen By Velvia And A 20mm Lens With A Polarizer.

Thanks for the replies. Most of us(!) agree that high-contrast stocks will exacerbate

any existing optical issue with the lens. (So much for "the film you're using is a non-

issue").

 

To hear that others HAVE experienced the phenomenon on slow film is reassuring.

 

I have always shot almost exclusively FUJI and recently changed camera systems (and

lenses) which has highlighted the issue.

 

I have just shot a set of tests, shooting on FUJI Velvia 50, Kodak Panther 100 and

Kodak Elitechrome 400, as soon as I get the rolls back I'll update.

 

As an aside, I think it more productive for those who HAVE had problems and may

have solved them to contribute than those who declare that they've never had a

problem. In that regard, I'm very happy for them but the fact is of little value to me!

There are four possible solutions, combinations possible:

<ol>

<li>Shoot with lower contrast film

<li>Shoot with smaller apertures

<li>Get a lens with less vignetting

<li>Get used to it

</ol>

Donal: I meant to add thanks for the link to the analysis of vignetting/light fall-off - an excellent essay. I've already used it as a link for another vignetting-question thread (Leica forum).

 

As to whether the lens/film combo you mention is "unusable" - again that probably depends on the picture or the photographer to some extent. Some people intentionally burn in the edges of their B&W prints to focus attention on the main subject ("Hand of God" burning, as we newspaper-types used to call it).

 

But to each his/her own....

A couple of years ago when I was looking to change from my old manual focus kit to whizzy new AF gear, I actually selected the Dynax 7 and 24-105. My first test roll, on Fuji Sensia, exhibited really bad vignetting from 24mm up to about 50mm and to at least f8. So bad, in fact, that I took the camera back to the shop.

 

They refused to accept there was a problem (wouldn't even look at the slides), but after much arguing they allowed me to exchange for the Nikon F80 with the 28-105 lens (my second choice at the time, but I'm glad I ended up with it).

 

The Minolta 24-105 gets good reviews, so I can only conclude that I got a bad sample. Your experience may suggest the same.