Impresa 50/ Fuji Frontier

I posted here last week in the general, unarchived forum, asking

for advice about processing Impresa 50 on a Fuji Frontier

system. Got a roll back today. Rated it at ISO 32. My

impression? It looks washed out and exactly the same as NPS

and NPC have looked on the same Frontier system. Negatives

look dense and saturated, but scans and prints look washed

out. There is also a smoky haze in some of the shots--same

results I got with NPS. Images I'm posting here: one shot in

overcast daylight, another shot indoors with flash. Used Contax

G1, 35/2 planar. I recently returned a GR1V I bought because of

these same results--thinking something was wrong with the

lens. My my my. Scott Eaton--help. Last roll of Impresa that I

shot around 2 years ago was processed on a regular system at

a pro lab in NY. Results were much sharper and far more

saturated--a little too bluish/magenta-ish, as I mentioned in the

post last week--but frankly far more interesting than the results I

got on the Frontier system.

Sorry, don't see how to post images attached to this question.

They're uploaded to my folded: one is called "Sam," the other

"Tasha." Thanks.

If the prints in your folder are good examples of the results, I don't know if I'd call them washed out. They look like what most people would expect to get returned to them.

 

Where are you getting them processed? The operator has a lot of control over what kind of colors you're getting, so if you're not pleased either try another lab with a Frontier, or try and get to know one of the operators. As far as sharpness goes, I've yet to see a print come off a Frontier that isn't as sharp or sharper than one off of an optical printer...again, maybe a new Frontier operator is in order?

Nice skin tones, especially in the Tasha picture, which I would not

have expected from Impresa.

I guess I'm missing something here because the images look clean, sharp, saturated, and have good skin tones.

 

Try a different Frontier lab for reference, or a better Kodak shop.

Yes, Scott, clear, sharp, saturated--and no different from NPC or

NPS on the same machine. If I were to post some of the shots

with these other films you'd see the similarity. Anyway, you're

right--I can't complain--they're not bad, per se, but I desired a

little more punch than what's there. I've gotten results with

Impresa elsewhere that look like Ilfochromes of Velvia.

Oh, I gotcha.

 

I can't help you on the sharpness issue since I've never seen a mini-lab print that's as sharp as a well maintained Frontier. Maybe it's just because the ones in my area are mostly pro based that I haven't found a bad one.

 

As for saturation, well, Impresa is not a very strongly saturated film to begin with, and I hope I've been clear on that. Contrast wise it should match NPC, but the Fuji film should beat it in terms of color saturation. The Konica film should make NPC look third class in an 8x10 print because of it's much finer grain structure.

 

I have the same problem with non Frontier labs and Impresa as well. Cool shifted prints, but otherwise exceptional on Kodak papers like Royal and Duralife. Double-check the back of your prints just to make sure your Fuji shop isn't using Kodak paper. They just don't mix on a Fuji Frontier.

 

What's really throwing up a flag here is it seems you are also not seeing a whole lot of difference between NPC and NPS as well. These two films are like Jack Daniel's and Chardonnay if I may be so creative, especially in terms of contrast. NPS may be the flattest print film on the market while NPC is among the harshest. You've got me scratching my head if you can't tell obvious differences in your Frontier prints, especially with skin tones that often get murdered with NPC.

Scott,

Take a look at the portfolio again; there's another shot of Tasha,

taken three years ago, with NPC, processed at Adorama in NY.

Crisp, punchy, full of contrast, and, well, it's a 4x6, sharp: done

not on a Frontier however. By the way, I did a few rolls of Gold

100 on a Frontier at another New York lab last summer and I

was blown away by the results on Kodak paper.

Scott,

Take a look at the portfolio again; there's another shot of Tasha,

taken three years ago, with NPC, processed at Adorama in NY.

Crisp, punchy, full of contrast, and, well, it's a 4x6, sharp: done

not on a Frontier however. By the way, I did a few rolls of Gold

100 on a Frontier at another New York lab last summer and I

was blown away by the results on Kodak paper. Sorry, what do

you mean when you say NPC is harsher?

I find the older picture of Tasha too high-contrast, resulting in harsh skin-tone transitions.

Maybe so, Bill, but that extra contrast that supposedly

differentiates NPC from NPS is what I like in certain

cases--although in some, as Scott has said here and in other

threads, the skin tones are a nightmare: either a chalky white or

a brassy peach. Here they're bordering on peach, but not too

much...