Fujichrome choices

[Renato Tonelli]

Someone PLEASE set me straight: I will be photographing landscapes and

and close-ups of flowers (4x5 , 120 and 35mm). I have been using

Kodachrome 64 but there are no labs handling Kodachrome where I will

be traveling, so I am leaning towards Fujichrome. Searches in this

group and others have been inconclusive. Color saturation with minimal

shift is what I hope to get. Thanks in advance.

[Renato Tonelli]

I forgot to add that I need to avoid very high contrast as some of the images will be printed onto Ilfochrome.

[bueh]

Astia 100F: not too contrasty and true colors. Provia 100F is also nice, but has more contrast and is a little bit on the blue side.

[warren_stephens]

If you expose Provia in warm light it looks great but it has a blue/green look otherwise. If Fuji would tweak that it would be a great film. Perhaps a mild warming filter would help. Astia is nice. I liked the old version better but the new 100f is accurate and more neutral/natural than Provia. Velvia 50 is loved by many but it�s too slow for me. I shoot a lot or moving objects such as aircraft and trains. Have not tried the new Velvia 100 but I didn�t care for the Velvia 100f. The newer Ektachromes � the 100g and 100gx - are worth a try if you don�t like Fuji�s take on reality. I like the 100g version which can at times be a tad cold. I personally prefer the more natural looking slide films so I keep plenty of Astia and E100g in my refrigerator.

[scott_eaton]

Astia 100F. If the lighting is really flat Provia 100 is wonderfull.

 

My sympathy for having Ilfochromes made.

[robert_potts1]

Try some Sensia for 35mm work. It's cheap and the color and contrast are pretty good. Gorgeous flower images are made using Velvia, but color fidelity isn't the best and if you are used to Kodachrome, you probably don't want to go there. Astia is excellent and easy to use. It has it's own palette though. It might behoove you to try Provia to see which you prefer. If you are shooting under conditions where contrast is an issue, it will be difficult to get spectacular results. Hope you have a collapsible reflector. Have fun.

[david_fields1]

I'm a devout Kodachrome user and I can tell you if there's any film I would NOT use for flowers it'd be Kodachrome. Most any of the E-6 films will do for color saturation and green foilage.

"Landscapes" is too vague as to what you want to be set straight on.

[david_henderson]

I haven't used Sensia so I can't comment on Mr Potts' suggestion but based on my own experience I'd carry at least two types of film. Pretty much everyone wants colour saturation with minimal shift, but the way to approach that varies with conditions and even time of day.

 

I'd use Provia 100F in bright conditions where frankly it is going to give you much of the brightness you'd get from the Velvias with a little better dynamic range/alittle less contrasty.

 

I'd take Velvia 50 or 100 (not 100F) for use in less bright conditions or in shadow- because it can give you a bit of colour in conditions where other films don't. Note that the palettes of these two films are decidely different and that in particular the new 100 is much bluer in the greens than the original 50 which had a tendency to veer towards alove especially when polarised.

 

I'd also take a couple of warming filters in the 81a/b/c range for when things get really gloomy or where I got caught with Provia in the camera when I'd prefer Velvia. I'd use the Provia also in dawn/dusk situations where Velvias tendency to exaggerate colour is most extreme, using a warming filter as appropriate.

 

Inevitably these things are personal but I've tested Astia 100F and didn't like it much at all. I found it too low in saturation and flat for my taste even in bright conditions, and I'd prefer Kodak 100G if you want something a little blander than Provia.

[r.t. dowling]

With the exception of Velvia, any E6 film currently on the market is lower in contrast than Kodachrome 64... so, if K64 is what you're accustomed to and you're worried about contrast, don't.

[scott_eaton]

The Kodak films, expecially Kodachrome, block up colors horribly in subjects like flowers. Strong colors turn to solid areas of sludge with no detail, but then again Kodachrome users seem to like that for some reason.

 

Kodak's E films like E100G are a little better in this dept, but I'd still stick to Fuji slide films for organic subject matter.

 

Astia is low in contrast - not color saturation. It's a great film for sunny or contrasty conditions, but Provia 100 with a warming filter is a better material under overcast skies.

[robert_potts1]

A word or two about Astia: It is often rated variously from ISO 80 to 125. The difference in this range is hardly noticeable. I usually use 125, but sometimes I go for extra saturation at 160. Saturation is fully adjustable. At one stop under the official speed of 100, it looks a lot like E100vs, but the colors are cleaner. This film underexposes really well. What you have to figure out for saturation is what you can scan. While it is not really a shift, the color character of this film, (as with all films discussed) shows itself under some lighting conditions. It is kind of pink/brown. I prefer Astia for most bright flower colors, but Provia greens are better for the foliage, so with that in mind, buy some of both.

[bobmichaels]

tip: the current 35mm Sensia and Astia seem to be exactly the same film to my eye. Only difference is the price. Once you step up to 120, there is no Sensia, only Astia.

 

FWIW, I prefer 35mm Sensia and 120 Astia. But that's because the range and color palette is what I'm looking for. Others see differently.