Yosemite - Velvia + polarizer?

Hi everyone,

 

I'm spending the next weekend at Yosemite -- pretty excited since I'm from the

East Coast and this'll probably be my only trip to Yosemite for a long time

(only temporarily displaced to CA). SLR-wise I only brought my little Minolta

Maxxum 5 with the 28-80 kit lens, though. I figure I need at least a polarizer,

but I've been reading around and opnions range from really negative reviews of a

polarizer paired with Velvia (black sky?), to positive ones, to some people

saying that Velvia doesn't require a polarizing filter at all. Any clarification

on this point?

 

In addition, I'm not sure going Velvia 100 this weekend would be the best idea,

since it's been about 18 months since I've used Velvia 50 (before I went

digital), and while I appreciated Velvia, the fantastic results were kind of hit

or miss. As you can imagine I'm a little antsy about my limited time @

Yosemite, and hence would hate to spoil it by coming home to disappointingly

over/underexposed shots. So I'm thinking that some other film would be a wee

more forgiving. Any recommendations on good general landscape film (slide/neg)

and whether I'd need a polarizer?

 

Keep in mind I'm a college student so my wallet is relatively thin...

 

Thanks for any help!

 

Jessica

My recommendation is if you want deep blue skies use a polarizer AND Velvia. Check books by John Shaw and similar nature photographers. You'll find that a polarizer is close to standard for almost every shot. The polarizer controls the direction of the light waves and that's not something that any film does. In doing that it also elimiantes many reflections -- not just major reflections on water but little reflections on leaves and grass and rocks, etc. In David Middleton's nature class at Maine Photographic Workshops last year, he showed sample slides with and without polarizer -- both shot on Velvia -- and you could clearly see the difference. So I wouldn't count on Velvia alone.

As your exposure has to be spot on every time with slide, I'd suggest taking Velvia and use it with the p/filter when you want to in situations where you know the exposure to be correct. For more tricky subjects (such as areas of extreme highlight and shadow) swap over to negative if you don't think your metering will yield the results you want. At least with colour neg you get two bites of the cherry!

 

You could even pick up a used compact before you go - digital has killed the price of these, so they're cheep and cheerful, but there are lots of good ones out there - and keep that loaded with colour negative. If you want to polarize it, hold the filter up to the sun and turn it until you have the desired effect and hold it over the lens...

I have used both Velvia 50 and Velvia 100 in Yosemite. Most of the time I would suggest not

using a polarizer. It will over do the color with the sky, etc. looking unreal. I would use it on

ocasion to bring out brighter color when desired. It may be useful if you get up to Tuolumne

Meadows where there is lots of granite. It ia a good tool to have in the camera bag along with

a warming filter since the sky if you get into the high country is very blue although if you use

scan the slides, use photoshop and print digitaly this can be corricted. Have fun. I was raised

their and go back at least 2 or 3 time a year and always hope for better photos.

With Velvia 50 and a polarizer, you're basically shooting at ISO 25... is that going to be fast enough? (especially considering that your kit lens probably isn't very fast to begin with)

 

If your only reason for wanting a polarizer is because you want deep blue skies, Velvia 50 by itself is usually just fine. Kodak E100VS is also very good in the deep blue skies department, as are Velvia 100 and Velvia 100F to a somewhat lesser extent.

I have been fortunate in living 8 Miles from the South Boundry of Yosemite for 30 years, so I get lots of photo ops. I was there Monday and the falls are still flowing very full. I use color negative in a Pentax Super Program. In the valley I use only A Tiffen Haze 1 UV filter. I always carry a polarizer Filter and used it for only one, from the Wawona tunnel. I use it more above the valley. Today the Tioga Road 120 was to open at 8AM. Highway 140 is closed between Mariposa and the park because of a bad rockslide. Highways 41 and 120 are open. On a weekend get to the gate early. Your timing is great because there are a lot of scheduled burns later in the summer. Read that smoke! Best of luck, Bob

Go with Velvia 50, not 100. The 100 burns out easily. Also get some Kodakl 400 Ultra Color at walmart for $12/3 rolls. Shoot both. Pick up an Olymus Stylus 100Wide frome ebay for $35 or so. 28-100 zoom, great optics, and keep in the pocket loaded with the 400UC. Olympus Auctions sells these regularly. Also the Stylus 150 is good too, but only 38mm at the wide end. Or order a Stylus Epic from BH Photo for $79.

Get your prints and slides too!

Why not go with Fuji Provia 100F w/ Cir-PL. Velvia w/ a Cir-PL might be over-kill.

 

If you want C-41 w/ Cir-PL how about Kodak 100UC

I rarely if ever use a polarizer but then I make my images either early in the AM or late in the day. If I do, I make sure to shoot with and without. I strongly discourage using Velvia 100 for sunset situations - your reds will be over the top. I use Velvia 100F and of course really like the old velvia 50.

 

www.yosemitecollection.com

I just got back from some shooting in Peru.

 

Velvia + Polarizer is a good combo. When the sky has been darkend with the polarizer so as to have it match the contrast of the ground, the colors tended to be not so saturated, which then meant that Velvia would add saturation back in.

 

Velvia doesn't need the color-saturation-enhancing ability of the polarizer. But it still can benefit from the sky-darkening ability of the polarizer.

 

I was scared because I kept using the polarizer, but it turns out that my polarizer shots were the ones that turned out the best and most evenly exposed, and many of the "ok, I'm going to stop using the polarizer for a bit" shots would end up badly exposed.

 

I shuffled in some rolls of Provia 100 and Tri-X for variety. YMMV.

Talking of stupid cheap compacts, I saw today at a car boot sale a Nikon AF somethingorother with a 40mm lens and manual wind for the equivalent of $4. Does it work? Yes. Shot a roll of old Kodak Gold 200 I had in the car at time time, had it printed over lunch... spot on exposure every time.

 

Very happy.

I am in California and have been to Yosemite more than a dozen times. You may want to bring some low contrast films with you. Velvia 50 will not work well for high contrast scenes in Yosemite during summer. It's very sunny already in Yosemite. Tioga Pass was just opened yesterday. You won't regret it to bring some low contrast negatives as well. Are you aware that HWY 140 is closed? It probably will remain closed for the entire summer. The slide of hillside rocks is pretty huge and nasty.

Jessica,

 

The advice that Velvia 50 plus a polarizer yields a 25 speed film is wrong: It's about ISO 10 to 12, since you lose *TWO* (2 to 2-1/3rd) stops with a circular polarizer, which is needed with an SLR camera.

 

Don't forget, when you rotate the polarizer ring, you will see the tone of the sky change, so the advice you see above whether to use one or not probably actually varied on the angle it landed on! :)

 

I stumbled across a nice, short article on using a circular polarizing filter, where the (writing) style succinctly lays out both the how and where a polarizer helps, and hinders the shot. Visualize Dover with those large expanses of empty aluminum bleachers, windshields; and and the various angles of light throughout the day while you read through "The Polarizing Filter" at:

http://www.takegreatpictures.com/HOME/Columns/Tips_-_Techniques/Details/params/object/9560/default.aspx

 

In any case, bracket -1/2 - 0 - +1/2 stops and you'll get three slightly different (but still usable) shots: Pick the best one.

 

If you have a tripod, or even a monopod, you can shoot the Velvia 50 with a polarizer. On the other hand, if you don't have a way to steady the camera, stick with Kodak E100VS or Elite Chrome Extra Color (EBX); or Velvia 100... But avoid Velvia 100F like the plague, as it mangles blue skies badly.

 

Happy shooting!

"YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming -- A woman lost her footing after stepping over a retaining wall to take a photograph and went over a cliff, falling 500 feet to her death in a canyon, Yellowstone National Park officials said. The 52-year-old woman was visiting the park with her husband and two children."

 

http://tinyurl.com/m792p

 

How appropriate that it's in the "Color Slide" category, too! [Which I didn't notice until I hit "Post!"]

I read a book once from an author I have forgot his name, but he basically, said that he did not buy the best glass money could buy only to put a filter on the end of it. HE said you should only use a filter if you can verbally argue that it is nessesary for the shot.

 

I seldom shoot with filters. PL filters can get you into trouble with too dark and un natural skys. It can help a weak sky but it is better in my book to wait for better tone in the sky the natural way, by the sun's position.

 

my .02

 

Dave

Keep in mind that Velvia is not very good in bright sun--it tends lose shadow detail, creating very black, dense shadows. Use Velvia for "Golden Hour" photos early morning and evenings before sunset. For midday shots you may be better off with a negative film like Kodak 400Uc or Fuji Provia or Sensia slide film.

thanks everyone! I'll try my best.