fuji velvia for tropical beaches

[wolfgang_amri]

Hi,

I am new to medium format photography and have some questions in

order to get good shots from my next journey.

 

I have just bought a Mamiya RZ 67. I want to go to a trip on the

seychelles in April and wonder what film to take with me. My 35mm

experiences with Fuji Velvia are very good, though I did not try it

at those very colorful locations such as tropical beaches.

 

Does anybody have tips on that one? My fear is that the blues, greens

and turquoise may be too colourful on my pics.

 

Any input is very much apreciated

[ellis_vener_photography]

Unless you shooting a documentary , absolutely take Velvia. I'd also take

some Provia 100F and Provia 400F as well. take a couple of rolls of Astia or

E100S and compare the results when you get back.

[dan_fromm1]

If you want accurate color rendition, EPN.

[a m]

To my eye, Velvia is too garish for the tropics, but that, of course, is a personal opinion. I'd recommend Velvia for Scotland or Iceland in winter where you want to emphasize the colors. Do you have two backs for your RZ? If so, you can have the best of all worlds, one back with Velvia and another with Astia or another film.

[steve_rasmussen]

I shoot the tropics on a regular basis with 6x7 and find that most of the time Velvia is too slow due to the constant motion of the sea and trees. The trade winds make Velvia difficult to use. Provia 100 pushed to 200 is my weapon of choice. It does very well with blues and greens. Don't push beyond one stop however. Velvia works great in the cases when it can be shot.

[graphicjoe]

I'm not sure which film would be best, but if you will supply me with the necessary travel expenses I would be willing to undertake the necessary research.

TIA,

Joe

[peter brown - www.peterbro]

<blockquote>Wolfgang,

<p>

I live in the tropical north of Australia and have been shooting tropical

beaches, islands, underwater, etc, for professional and personal work for

quite a few years.

<p>

I agree in part with Steve and for shots when the trades are blowing, Velvia

will be too slow. Provia 100F is excellent for these times and for shots from

boats or aircraft.

<p>

Velvia is wonderful for closeup/detail images and for late & early morning

shots. One suggestion, I would advise that you either don't use a polarizer

with Velvia (especially with wide angle) or if you do be very careful how you

use it. Over polarization in these situations results in almost black skies and

very dark water. Of course for inland tropical rainforest, Velvia & a polarizer

will produce stunning greens.

<p>

I hope you have a very enjoyable trip.

<p>

Kind regards,

<p>

Peter Brown - Cairns/Australia

<p>

<a

href="http://www.peter-brown-photographer.com">http://www.peter-brown

-photographer.com</a>

 

</blockquote>

[george_rhodes]

For times whern Velvia is too slow, I recommend using Kodak E100SW, which can be pushed to 200 with excellent results.

[yun_chen1]

Yes, Velvia! The color is magnificent. And maybe you can try Provia which is not as saturated as Velvia, but more real color and the lower contrast may suit the high contrasty tropical beaches.

[neil_lupin]

I've just come back from India using Velvia rated at 50 on beaches. I always used a circular polariser. Even with the CP you'll be able to hand hold. I used a tripod to get the effect of the water going milky and blurring by getting the exposure time down to a few seconds using exposure compensation. The colours were magnificent and I had no probs with reciprocity. So in short, go for the Velvia, but take a polariser!! Neil