Help with film, and travelling USA

Hi all,

 

I am embarking in late August on a 5 week tour of the USA and as a

photography enthusiast I am naturally going to shoot a LOT of film. I

will be visiting a range of locations from cities (NYC, Washington,

New Orleans, Las Vegas, San Francisco) to wilderness (Rockies,

Monument Valley, Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, Yosemite).

 

Traditionally I have almost exclusively used Reala 100 due to the

fact that I don't have a film scanner (as yet) and my local lab will

cost effectively scan this film for me. For the trip, however, I

would prefer to shoot slide film, as I will be getting a scanner and

printer shortly, and I understand that slide film is easier to colour

balance. I have shot some velvia (about 3 rolls) and loved it, and

will use it for my scenic work, but I am looking for a general

photography film to supplement the Velvia because I understand that

it has less latitude than other E6 films, and in high contrast

circumstances (eg - midday, cities etc) I don't want to have to be

bracketing shots to guarantee good results. Should I get a 100 speed

slide film (as I would prefer) or stick with Reala? Naturally I will

be test shooting any suggested films before going.

 

Also, I plan to do some very low light photography (nighttime

landscapes) requiring looooonnnnnggg exposure times. Do any slide

films handle exposure times greater than 1 - 2 minutes better than

others? I heard that velvia has colour shift in long exposures.

 

I shoot primes only and enlarge to 16 x 24 regularly, so fine grain

is important to me.

 

On another issue, I also need a recommendation on a good fast film to

supplement the slides for handheld photography at nighttime in places

where tripod use is impossible or difficult (eg. down Bourbon St with

my buddy drinking beer). An excellent 400 speed film would be

acceptable, however a great 800 or faster to supplement it in

certain circumstances would be a bonus. Naturally, these are unlikely

to be enlarged greater than 8 x 10.

 

Finally, if there are any "must see" places along my route (as

detailed above) please feel free to let me know. For example, what

should I make sure I see around DC, New Orleans etc?

 

All help would be appreciated!

 

Best regards,

 

Antony Hands

I use Sensia 100 as a general purpose film. It has some

of the widest latitude of any slide film, and neutral, but

pleasant colors, particularly with people. Reciprocity

characteristics of the newer films such as Provia 100F, 400F,

or EVS are better than that of older films, Velvia being possibly

the worse. If Provia 400F is not fast enough, use negative,

something like Ektapress. You are covering so much territory

that it is difficult to give location advice, but for ideas about

wilderness, check this

<a href = "http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/">photo gallery of

US National Parks</a>

Thanks Quang-Tuan Luong, for your quick response. Is Provia 400F comparable to a 400 speed negative film in terms of grain? I have not used it (about US$14 a roll here) but would happily consider it for the trip if it is comparable to a good 400 speed neg emulsion.

 

Cheers, Antony

Provia 400 is a good film: very fine grain, great color, and it can be pushed to 1600.

 

Provia 100F is even better: you can push to 400 if necessary; it is very sharp; and it has excellent reciprocity characteristics: 2 minutes without filtration or exposure compensation.

 

However, if you are not used to shooting slide film, I would caution against starting out on such a trip without trying them out first.

 

In DC there is no shortage of picture-taking opportunities. The spring time is the best place (IMHO) to be there because the cherry blossoms are out on the Mall and the weather isn't oppressively hot. Washington DC in August is not a pleasant place to be unless you like high-heat and high-humidity. Getting around Washington is pretty easy: the Metro runs out to National Airport and can have you downtown in about twenty minutes (if that.)

 

You must be a glutton for humidity, because New Orleans is pretty damp at that time of year as well.

 

Finally, putting on my moderator's hat, it would be better if you not cross-post essentially the same question in multiple forums.

 

Enjoy your trip.

Are you driving? Take the Natchez Trace through Mississippi on your way to New Orleans. You can stip in at L.V. Hull's house in Kosciusko Mississippi, an outsider artist who has painted every stitch of her house multi-colors, planted shoes in the garden and glued plastic items to anything else. Quite something. Also there is a grocery store in Vicksburg similarly eccentrically done. Vicksburg itself is nice photographing. Tupelo is where Elvis was born and a repro of his boyhood shack is standing there. In Arizona, visit Flagstaff. Climb Mt. Humphrey if you have time - 12,000 ft. volcano. See if you can get to Rodan crater, a meteor spot. Not going to Canyon de Chelly? Consider it. Condors on the Vermillion Cliffs near the Grand Canyon. So much - it is only a huge country. more more more

I've used Velvia without probs on 1-2 min exposures and I break the rules and very seldom bracket exposures. Provia 100F would be a very good bet, and if you can push that to 200 or beyond that woudl eb better than Provia 400F which personally I find quite grainy. I'd prefer NPZ 800 film instead which is remarkably fine grained for an 800 film. Reala is a lovely film so if you have a very contrasty scene - maybe 6 stops or more difference across it, switch to the Reala - it copes far better than Provia with wide contrast scenes. Use the Velvia wherever poss for the landscapes - it can't be beaten IMHO!

You may also look at the new velvia 100. I have gotten some great results from that as well. However the Provia 100f is also very nice.

Don't change your film habits before travelling, you'll end up with a film you don't know. Especially switching from print film to slide film sounds like a recipe for disaster (uh, for blown-out highlights).

 

On the fast (print) film side, I really like Fuji 800. On the faster side, some people say that Konica 1600 is slightly better than Fuji 1600, but I haven't tested either of them.

Astia is also a good slide film to use. I bought 100 rolls for a good price and have been pleased with the results. See the Essays section on my web site www.NotYetAtEase.com to get some idea of the results. Enjoy your trip here. All best.