Provia 100F for Sunsets/Sunrises?

[mikea]

I've never used Provia 100F, so I've used Velvia, 100VS and 100speed

Ektachrome. Velvia is a bit too slow and contrasty for me, so i was

wondering if 100F is good for sunsets & sunrise. Or should i stick

with Kodak 100VS, (i will be also getting pictures of nature and some

other assorted shots on the same roll).

[hal_bissinger]

I greatly prefer Provia 100F to 100VS for this application. If you like Velvia give Provia a try.

[miles_hecker]

In most situations I shoot sunsets/sunrises with Provia 100F.

It has 1 f-stop more range in the shadows than Velvia or 100VS.

You can raise it's color saturation easily in Photoshop by about 20 units if you want it to look Velvia like without the contrast.

 

See http://www.wyofoto.com/Assiniboine.htm

 

This was shot with Provia, the forground is actually that green.

It had rained for 2 weeks prior to this shot.

[robert_potts1]

I prefer vs for shooting sunset or dusk because I can't make up my own colors in a computer. Both velvia and vs have more intense color than 100F. You might want to try a graduated filter to handle the contrast. I use vs only for shooting sunset and dusk shots for vivid hues that are like using an enhancing filter. I think the contrast adds punch, so I like it. When I turn my back on the sun to shoot, then I prefer 100F.

[brian_kennedy]

A roll of 100F is cheap and your preference will be yours alone, so IMO you can't beat testing it for yourself.

 

That said, a one-stop gain when you have a very slow SS to begin with doesn't get you too far during low light sunrises or sunsets, so the difference in speed shouldn't be a huge concern. OTOH, if you think Velvia is too contrasty, then that's a reason to try Provia. There is a slight difference in color saturation and contrast. I've shot plenty of sunsets/sunrises with both, and have a slight preference for Velvia in those conditions. But I usually don't bother to change mid-roll if I have 100F in the camera, since both produce fine results.

 

I don't care for 100VS or EBX, but that's a personal preference.

[brian_kennedy]

BTW, great shot, Miles!

[ShunCheung]

Except for rare occasions, I have pretty much stopped using Ektachrome altogether. The VS is a poor ISO 100 imitiation of Velvia and can have very inconsistent and IMO ugly colors. (Haven said that, I did buy one roll of VS and will give it one more try. I have used several rolls of VS a couple of years back and I wasn't very happy with it.)

 

I frequently include the sun in the frame for sunrise/sunset shots. If that is the case, ISO 50 is more than sufficient and I'd stick with Velvia. Provia 100F is cooler and IMO is not very suitable for warm sunrise/sunset shots, but in these days colors can be modified in Photoshop.

[ethanmeleg]

I like the results of Provia 100F for sunrise/sunsets - works well for me. Check out the photo(shorebird silhouette against sunset) on my opening web page - shot with 100F.

www.ethanmeleg.com

 

Happy shooting!

[lee_shively]

Sunset colors are pretty much WOW! no matter what you use. Provia 100F has great grain (virtually none) and would make for some big enlargements. I personally no longer use Provia 100F as a general purpose film as I did when when it was fairly new on the market. I've found it to be rather cool biased compared to E100VS and Elite Chrome 100 Extra Color (which, to my eyes, are neutral) and Velvia (which is warm).

 

Provia 100F is less contrasty than Velvia or the Kodak films but it still has some punched-up contrast as well as saturation. For lower contrast, I like Sensia 100. It's not blown-out color saturation but it still looks good. If you like E100VS I don't see any reason to change. I like it, too, and probably use it and the Elite Chrome more than any other film.

[christian deichert]

Provia does allow one more stop in shadows, but from my experience these shadows are very likely to turn out blue. For this reason, I use E100VS exclusively in sunrise and sunset situations, and depend on a neutral density graduated filter to help perserve shadow details.