Visiting Zion. What slide film would be best ?

[johnw63]

I have little experience with slide film, other than using some a year ago and I

just loved the colors, which I never saw with print film.

 

I know, from shots on the web, that Zion is very photogenic but it could have

dark shadows and bright colorfull scenes too. I know about film speeds, and I

was browsing BHPhoto and Adorama for film choices. I see Kodachrome 64 is still

around, and well as Vevia 50. Nice stuff I understand. Would these be too

limiting for shots in Zion, where I can tell how light or dark the scene will be

? Or is that why I should bring a nice tripod ? :) How do the 100 and even 200

speeds of slide film compare ?

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

A good tripod is a necessity. You'll get sharper images and you'll be able to make longer exposures.

 

As for film, it's really a personal preference. Some folks like Velvia, but I prefer Fuji Provia 100F because the colors are more natural. It all depends on the look you're after.

[david_henderson]

Couple of things. First whilst the choice of slide film clearly relates to your own preferences on how bright and colourful you want your scenes to be, the brighter films have more contrast and are harder to expose right. So for example Velvia (a strong, saturated film) has less "latitude" than a relatively muted film like Astia, and a little less than a middle of the road film like Provia.

 

Because of that I would always be carrying a set of ND grads when using slide film in environments like that. Also a polariser though I'd be very careful not to over-polarise.

 

200 film gives you one stop faster exposures or a little more depth of field than 100. You pay for that with a little more contrast and a little less colour. Many slide films aren't available in 200 speed. Most landscapers use ISO 50 or 100 for colour work.

[15sunrises]

Hope I'm not jumping all over the thread too much, but where I live, it's pretty cheap to just get the slide film developed, but then it is ridiculously expensive to cross-process the film to get actual prints from them. Is this common everywhere?

[bobbuck19]

dave t, i use a&i, same price as prints from negatives, but you have the long wait for snail mail from cal. I'm rather inexperienced but i use the velvia 100 and love the colors can't compare it to the 50 because i haven't used it, i'm guessing it is a little more forgiving since i haven't blown the exposure that much( and as was told once "you have no idea what your doing do you?" by a photographer i met in the field) but i do tend to bracket exposures when i really like the shot.

[waltflanagan]

I like Velvia 50 but it's really a personal choice. Try them all BEFORE the trip and then you'll know what you like.

[pvp]

My first choice for daylight shots would be Velvia 50. Also in the bag, and the one I'd use for pre-dawn or post-dusk shots, Elite Chrome 100.

[marshall]

Much agreed that you'll want to use the film a fair amount before the trip. If it were me, and if I were still shooting much slide film, I would be carrying mostly Velvia 50 and some Astia (wider latitude slide film, lovely color palette).

[SCL]

Whichever you select, before your trip, try out the films in the camera you intend to use and see how you like the results. Exposure with slide films is a little more critical than with negative film. You should be metering for highlights, and have a sense of how closely your camera shutter speeds match the indicated speeds on your exposure meter - (ie take several shots of the same scene at different shutter speeds, using a tripod, but keeping the exposure the same. When you view the results, you'll know whether or not to compensate exposure at a given shutter speed if it differs significantly from the indicated speed). BTW you'll find the park extremely photogenic. Remember to take lots of water to stay hydrated on the trails and gorp to keep your energy up.

[arnold_stipkins]

Both Velvia 50 and 100 are going to work great in Zion. You have to remember that transparency film doesn't have the exposure latitude that negative film does regardless of brand.

 

You will be in some very high contrast conditions so you should also carry some negative film in the 100 range. Also a 2 stop graduated neutral density filter is a must.

[miles_hecker]

Velvia 100, it's super in the land of red rocks.

[les_barstow]

I always went with Velvia 100 and a solid tripod before I switched to digital and was never disappointed with the film. Try a roll or two at home before heading out - there's nothing quite like not knowing your own equipment when you want to take memorable pictures.

[johnw63]

I'll see what I can do about trying the film, but we will be there on the 24th and NOBODY have slide film locally. I need to order it, then send it to A&I, here in California and get it back, then order what I like. I might run out of time ! I think I'll order some of each type. Zion is only about 5 or 5.5 hours away, so I can always go back !

 

It sounds like the 100 speed stuff might be the safer bet.

[savagesax]

For Zion I've shot a lot of Velvia there. If you wonder over to Bryce for sunrise and sunsets this place drives me nuts so I'm not sure what to use because there are lots of bright areas and shadows in the same image. Perhaps 5 stops or more of lattitude variation. Scanning in the images and using Photoshop sure helps control this problem.

 

I would like to recommend a decent 2 stop graduated ND filter for the bright sky, which will help balance the rock formations. I actually feel that without this filter you may wish to consider using neg film.

 

Whatever film you decide to use both places are pretty incredible! Just bracket if you can in 1/2 stops. Then you can use Photoshop and perhaps use 2 or 3 bracketed images to make one perfect image.

[johnw63]

I haven't yet purchased a graduated ND filter. I haven't needed one, yet. So, film, ND filter, possibly a 62mm polarizer, and plenty of gas to get there..... oh! And the family too!

[les_barstow]

Bob, there's a bit of a trick to Bryce: the best time isn't exactly at sunrise, but just a bit later. Wait until the Sun is high enough to reflect into the crevasses and the scene warms up into the glowing images you want to take.

 

With film I think a set of ND filters is a valuable addition to your toolbox. I never purchased them and "got by" - I just didn't bother taking those shots I couldn't expose well. (Okay, maybe my wishful thinking got the better of me a couple of times, but the results weren't pretty...) With digital and today's exposure merging tools, merging bracketed exposures is far easier for most situations.

[david_henderson]

You have enough sunrise and sunset opportunities in Zion to last a few days, without making a 180 mile round trip partly in the dark to see it somewhere else like Bryce. In any case there aren't a lot of meaningful sunset opportunities at Bryce because the amphitheatre faces easterly.

[stephen_schoof1]

"It sounds like the 100 speed stuff might be the safer bet."

 

Personally I think Velvia 100 is one of the riskier films to use, given its tendencies to oversaturate reds, block up shadows, and blow highlights. I would use Velvia 50 for most everything, with a tripod for low light and ND grads to balance contrasts. Since you don't have much time to experiment I'm not sure what to tell you, except beware of Velvia 100. The few trips I shot primarily with it were disappointing to me, and now that 50 is back I've written it off for all but long night exposures.

[Ed_Ingold]

Zion is basically a deep valley, which is seldom if ever in direct sunlight, surround by valley walls in full light. It takes care and timing to get the details you want. A split-ND filter would be essential for film, especially reversal film (which has a 3.5 to 5 stop dynamic range).

 

Unless you know what you're doing or have the luxury of returning time after time to experiment, I suggest you use a good negative color film like Fuji Reala or NPS160 NPH400. You get the advantage of a, 8 to 10 stop dynamic range (which is still not enough). Digital works even better for a static, high-contrast scene, by merging bracketed exposures or using traditional masking and compositing techniques. Many LF photographers do the same, using multiple, bracketed exposures.

 

Bryce is much more open, from the plateau or the valley. Shadows are simply shadows and the most desirable detail is in the light.

 

It costs no more to print reversal than negative film in a minilab (which is equipped for E-6 processing). The processing itself is the same or a little more than C-41. I don't bother to have "slides" mounted, since I scan them anyway. My relatives are wise to me, and sneak out as soon as they see a projector or slide tray ;-)

[harryo]

I 2nd the idea of shooting Fuji NPS160 negative film. That is exactly what I did last year at Zion and Bryce and was not disappointed with the images at all. The dynamic range of NPS160 over Velvia allows you to expose for the deep saturated canyon walls, yet have enough range to allow detail in the shadows, something that would not be possible with Velvia.

[johnw63]

Until a year ago, when we visited the Grand Canyon, I had never used slide film. I thought I'd shoot print stuff until I started getting shots worth blowing up and hanging on our walls. I shot some Elite Chrome I bought at a store in the park and the colors REALLY jumped out. My prints were always washed out, no matter the store I took them to. I sent the slide film to A&I. Are some of you saying I could get great colors with Fuji NPS160 ? After all these years of so so results, with print film, I'm not so sure.

[les_barstow]

John,

 

I shot for years on Kodak Royal Gold 100 and had a great Ritz Camera lab whose technicians always produced beautiful prints for me. When the mall they were in started to go belly-up, the good technicians all left and my prints went way downhill. For a year, I thought my camera had gone bad; I took my rolls of film to good camera shops around town and all of the shots came back washed-out. One roll of slide film convinced me that my camera was Just Fine, and that the labs just didn't care for the printing process like those technicians did.

 

Your film is fine, in all likelihood.

[johnw63]

If I sent some samples to A&I, for instance, would I get better prints ?

[marko_kovacevic]

I don't know of that place. However, I like Velvia 100, and I have even made good portraits

with it.

[rick_blumsack]

Just remember there's really 2 different parks at Zion. There's the main valley (not sure what it's called), where sunrise and sunset will be best, like most outdoor conditions. And then there's the "Narrows," where the river makes it wet, and light only protrudes in the middle of the day. A tripod is best, but if you don't want to traverse the Narrows with a tripod, then you'll probably need fast film. Try to do the Narrows, though. It's fun, and if you put in the effort, you'll get some great shots.