asimrazakhan Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>I have always used Velvia 50 or 100 in 35mm format, but recently I fell in love with Provia when I discovered how to pull out its warmer tones and make it a bit more saturated. </p> <p>Now I'm worried that Provia's days are limited. Does anyone have any ideas or predictions on how many more years I can shoot Provia or Velvia?</p> <p>Worse come to worse, I can always shoot black and white film and send it to DR5.com for converting it into black and white slides (like scala). Or even worse, I can always start drawing! :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>Every product, animal and person has an expiation date. Love it or them for the time you have it for your expiration date is also unknown.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asimrazakhan Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>When I translate the following page it seem that Astia and Provia are both discontinued?! Someone tell me this isn't so! I don't care too much about Astia but Provia is up there with Velvia!</p> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://fujifilm.jp/information/articlead_0066.html" target="_blank">http://fujifilm.jp/information/articlead_0066.html</a></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaymondC Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>Asim, I translated the page using Google and it seems that Provia is the "recommended for future use" in place of Astia.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph_wisniewski Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>It's logical that Astia was the first to go, and Velvia will be the last to go. Slide shooters are a peculiar lot, they often view themselves as purists, shooting something that actually will be the final, deliverable product, not something that's just one step in a post processing "chain".</p> <p>Astia was created basically as a more "portrait" capable slide film. Digital ate that market, and print film finished off the few remaining bites. Slides and portraits don't really mix. In portraiture, retouching is a 150 year old art, and it keeps evolving: charcoal, ink, pastels, airbrush, or photoshop.</p> <p>But Provia appeals to the type of folk who want to do that same "shooting the picture" thing with landscapes, architecture, and product, and might actually avoid digital, with its tremendous retouching ability.</p> <p>And Velvia will be the very last thing to go away. It's the film for people who don't want retouching, but want to believe that their landscape really does look like a Thomas Kincaid painting that has been vomited upon by clowns who have gorged upon cotton candy. A product that only appeals to the mentally ill and the tasteless will remain on the market as long as mentally ill or tasteless people exist. So, as long as there's enough film business to keep one E-6 lab running, or one company producing chemistry for home processors, Velvia will live.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>I am laughing and I can't stop. Joseph you made my day. I always wondered if I could make Velvia different by selecting a first developer that was not E6 approved.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_f11 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>"...Slide shooters are a peculiar lot, they often view themselves as purists..." "the mentally ill and the tasteless..." Another tasteless, baseless, and envious description of film shooters.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim gray Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>Joseph, tell us how you really feel about Velvia :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossb Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>I generally am unable to determine if a film is discontinued or not. I doubt Velvia will be discontinued anytime soon as it's been a very popular film.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_s7 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>You can do your part to keep E-6 film alive by shooting as much of them as possible. Tell your friends to do that as well. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_smith4 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>Great description, Joseph, of one of my least favorite films. </p> <p>I liked Astia- soft contrast without the color balancing headaches of negative film and good reciprocity characteristics for night shots (without the color shifts of Provia and Velvia.) Oh well, good-bye film.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 <p>No When I sell off my antique cameras they will come with a roll of film and then I will die. :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francois_p._garnier Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 <p>Dear Azim,</p> <p>Provia 100F is safe, it is one of the best sold slide films. No need to worry.<br> By the way, in Europe there is already a little slide film resurgence going on. And the demand for slide films by the lomographers is rapidly increasing (that's what the store manager at LGS in Paris told me, and that's the reason why the Lomographic Society International has introduced two own branded slide films in last two years).</p> <p>By the way, Astia 100F is <strong>not </strong>completely discontinued. Only 35mm Astia is stopped.<br> 120, 220 (!!), 4x5 and 8x10" Astia production is continued. Here is the official statement:<br> <a href="http://fujifilm.jp/information/articlead_0066.html">http://fujifilm.jp/information/articlead_0066.html</a><br> If you can't get it in your country, you can always order it by www.japanexposures.com</p> <p>Astia 100F is one of the best, if not the best, slide film ever made: Excellent natural colors, neutral greys and whites, highest dynamic range of all color slide films, extremely fine grain, extremely high resolution, best skin tones.</p> <p>And it is <strong>not only</strong> a fashion or portrait film. It is an excellent general purpose film. I have used it for lots of different subjects with best results. Great film in higher contrast scenes.</p> <p>By the way: Slide film (e.g. Astia 100F and BW slide like Agfa Scala or Rollei Superpan 200) is indeed excellent for portraits and people shots. I am doing it regularly and show my clients the results projected on a slide screen. They are always excited and blown away by the unsurpassed picture quality of the projected slide. I have huge success with these portrait presentation by slide projecting. The people have never seen a portrait of themselves on a 2m screen with such a brillance and unsurpassed tonality.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvy Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 <p>Asim,<br> When I first started shooting seriously as an amateur I read a lot of this forum. Velvia can be tamed if you don't want the saturated look. In fact, I worked out that that uncoated 1937 Leitz Elmar look gives a very balanced look when the lighting situation is not too challenging.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo5 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 <p>I liked Provia 100F about 10 years ago, but as soon as I shot my first roll of Kodak E100G and E100GX, I was hooked. They produced a slide film with tremendous detail in the highlights, and it scans really well. I won't go back to Provia. I used to shoot a lot of Sensia when it could be found for $3 a roll, but those days are long gone. While I worked at Corbis, we used to get bricks of Kodak E100G and E100 GX film in as free samples, and I shot a bunch of it. Wonderful film, it's my standard E6 film now and has been for nearly 10 years.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartMoxham Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 <p>I always liked Astia, shame to see that go. A very natural looking versitile film.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randall_pukalo Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 <p>E6 is the reason I still shoot film, period.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_swinehart Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 <blockquote> <p>"...Slide shooters are a peculiar lot, they often view themselves as purists..." "the mentally ill and the tasteless..." Another tasteless, baseless, and envious description of film shooters.</p> </blockquote> <p>No, a description of people who think Velvia is just the bestest thing ever made. The only film I've ever used that was capable of rendering blocked shadows <em>and</em> blown out highlights in the same frame over a -2 to +2 exposure range - not to mention the cartoon-like color reproduction of "The Adventures of Sam and Max: Freelance Police," turned up to 11.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_smith26 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 <p>I have to agree with Joseph on his description of Velvia, and the people who use it. Ok, I only half-heartedly agree. The description made me laugh out loud. </p> <p>Also, I agree with Steve's assertion that you can lose both shadow and highlight detail. </p> <p>There is a lot of great work that can be done on Velvia, and there is a lot that looks like over processed digital. I don't know which film Christopher Burkett uses, but he sure knows how to make slide film shine (I know he uses contrast masks).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_gary Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 <p>Is Astia gone? I just ordered some from B&H and also see that they still list it in stock though they also list the 120 single size as discontinued and the 5 pack as just out of stock. The English Fuji site does not have any press releases about astia going so is this just a country based thing? I had just picked up a few rolls to start some testing with for some shoots but I guess I'll need to either buy up a bunch or find another film if they are no longer supporting 120 and 135. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Luttmann Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 <p>Just out of curiousity, maybe Fuji hasn't figured out that people buy their products outside of Japan....but have they released an English version of that announcement? Or, is this yet another case of Fuji not knowing how to market their products and creating a mountain of confusion as to what films are really available, and what is discontinued.</p> <p>At least they still make Astia in 120 and 4x5. Unless of course until Fuji USA says something different, and Fuji Europe says something different again, and Fuji.........</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andre_noble5 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 <p>My impression shooting 4x5 to 35mm is that slide film is where Kodak shines. I have had some absolutely beautiful results from Kodak E100 series slide films that I wasn't expecting, under late afternoon or early morning conditions.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 <blockquote> <p>constant obsolescence</p> </blockquote> <p>I have to say to the vast majority of purchasers of photographic products today, film is considered thoroughly obsolescent - much more obsolescent than any digital camera. I would say you have your rose-tinted glasses on!</p> <p>Film may well have a "consistent" niche, but it will be a small one compared to the mammoth digital one. Personally I am sorry to see Astia go as it was an excellent general purpose film.</p> Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_z. Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 <blockquote> <p>I have to say to the vast majority of purchasers of photographic products today, film is considered thoroughly obsolescent - much more obsolescent than any digital camera. I would say you have your rose-tinted glasses on!<br /> Film may well have a "consistent" niche, but it will be a small one compared to the mammoth digital one. Personally I am sorry to see Astia go as it was an excellent general purpose film.</p> </blockquote> <p>Okay, so we should definitely take note of what the "vast majority 'thinks'"... Thanks for the "news".</p> <blockquote> <p>...So I would not be pessimistic at all,...</p> </blockquote> <p>I agree. I hear almost nothing but positives about feelings about film photography. Everything from nostalgia to young people buying film cameras.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 <p>Jeff</p> <p>You clearly move in different circles to me. So, what does the loss to the film market of Kodachrome and Astia mean to you? I hadn't realized their loss was such a "positive" sign for the future of film-silly me.</p> Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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