Galapagos Film

[david_herman3]

What film should i bring? I shoot black and white and color. Does anyone have

any good suggestions between Kodak and Fujifilm. And also any other tips about

galapagos photography. Please help me out.

[brucecyr]

Film choice is somewhat subject to, well, subjective factors. I would suggest you buy at least one if not more samples of each speed you might use and expose them on comparable if not identical targets so you can make your own comparisons. Easy to say but harder to do, but at least you'll wind up using something that you know you like -- or, more critically, you won't be using something you DON'T like.

 

FWIW, for color more people seem to prefer Fuji's saturation. Black and white is an entirely different game about which I will say nothing since for me Kodak's defunct TechPan was the only b&w film worthy of the name, but that's a distinctly nerdy point of view.

 

If you don't have the time to do such tests, the safest policy would be to split your choices equally between the brands.

[stemked]

The one trueism about the Galapagos, you'll likely have very little control over your itinerary. That means you will likely be at lovely spots in the middle of the day with open skys with little to no chance of returning when the light is better. I'd suggest that you bring some color film so that you have better lattitude, but make sure you have your favotite saturated slide film (like Velvia) when the light is just right.

[matthew_newton]

I think everyone has their own favorites. I use only print film so I can't suggest a transparency. I use Fuji Reala 100 whenever I can with Fuji Superia 400 or 800 if I need some extra stops of speed. I generally just stick with superia 400 if I think the light might change a lot (for instance when site seeing if I might be inside or outside on the same roll, I do not use a flash). For B&W I use Ilford Delta 400. So far I have shot two rolls of the 400 xp2 super which turned out nicely and one roll of the Delta 400 profesional which I am waiting on getting back from the prolab I sent it to (since the local place doesn't do D-76).

 

If I had my way and I could bend my wife's will to my wishes I would get a second olympus OM-1 or OM-1n to compliment my existing OM-1 and load B&W in one camera and color print film in the other when I go on trips. Sadly I don't see that happening as my wife already complains about my camera use as it is.

[alex_lofquist]

The Galapagos have a wide range of contrast with the dark basaltic lava and bright skies and birds. I shot Fuji Provia which has slightly less contrast than Velvia and exposed (spot metering) for the subject of interest, or matrix metering for general scenics.

 

As to a guide on photography there, I would strongly recommend "A Traveller's Guide to the Galapagos Islands" by Barry Boyce (ISBN: 1-55650-850-6).

[lauren_macintosh]

David H; What film's are you comfortable with and have used and liked

those are the ones you need to use this is not the time to change films and learn about it while shooting something that you may not get back to do again for a while??

[jlemire]

as noted above, be prepared for a lot of bright sunlight. Contrast will be high - not just becuae of the light, but also because of the subjects. I recommend bringing a film that is less contrasty. When I went I pretty much shot Provia exclusively. When I ran out I shot some Velvia. You won't need anything too fast, though I did bring and use some ISO 400 which was useful for a couple of shots.

 

Before I went I test shot a few rolls of the film since I hadn't used it before - this gave me an idea of how it behaved under various conditions. If you decide to use a new-to-you film I suggest you graba few rolls, head outside on a bright afternoon and test some yourself. I was very pleased with the results I got from Provia, but you you're better off testing it for yourself. Have fun!

[brucecyr]

David,

 

Don't know if you heard or if its available to you, but I read this a.m.:

 

"'Galapagos' (National Geographic Channel at 8) is a three-hour presentation called from more than 300 hours of high-definition footage of the unique ecosystem."

 

HTH