Beginner question Warning!

imonk · Feb 20, 2008

Hi all,

This is my first post on this site (I was directed here by Markus Richter on DPReview). This is a great resource and I'd like to thank Markus for the 'heads up'.

Anyway, I have been shooting semi pro for a while now with my D200, I do design and photog for a magazine but I've really only been into photography for the last 3 years and so I'm coming at this from the digital end 'backwards'. I recently purchased a Nikon F65 and I've only really shot a few rolls so far but I've been pleased with the results. I've tried a couple of Kodak colour and 1 Ilford 400 B&W which I love.

My question (well one of them anyway!) is about Velvia. I love shooting landscapes when I have the time and I've seen many many many wonderful landscapes shot with Fuji Velvia. I'd like to know if you can get velvia for 35mm or is it just available in slide film? Now you might think this is a really daft question, but wait there's another...

If I can use Velvia slide film in my F65, how/where do I get it developed, and what prints can I have made. I mean, is there any point in using slide film for smaller prints? Should I just get some contact sheets printed then select one or two to be printed big?

As you can see I'm a complete novice when it comes to film but I'm trying to find any beginner info I can. I have some of my B&W images on my smugmug site in my B&W gallery, they are the ones of my son shot last weekend.

the site is
http://imonk.smugmug.com

I hope this makes sense!
Any advice re any of this would be most gratefully received.

Thanks
Ian

PhotoJim · Feb 20, 2008

Velvia is easily available. In fact, there are three versions: Velvia 50 (the original, now rereleased after an absence), Velvia 100 and Velvia 100F.

You need an E6 lab to process it for you (or you can do it yourself but it is a little tricky). E6 labs are fairly easy to find. Most better camera stores have one, and most professional photo labs have one.

As for printing, there are a few ways to do it but the easiest is perhaps scanning and digital printing. The analog means of printing slides tend to increase contrast. The best analog means is called Ilfochrome.

If you want prints, it's best to shoot colour negative film IMHO, but shooting slides for scanning or projection can give huge dividends. A projected slide is orders of magnitude better than an LCD projection of a digital image.

imonk · Feb 20, 2008

Scanning sounds good

I think since I'm just starting out with this scanning sounds like an easier option. Can anyone recommend any good slide scanners? I have an Epson RX585 which is an all in one printer. It does rather good quality prints up to A4 but it doesn't do slide scanning.

Thanks for the reply and info

JBrunner · Feb 20, 2008

imonk said:
I think since I'm just starting out with this scanning sounds like an easier option. Can anyone recommend any good slide scanners? I have an Epson RX585 which is an all in one printer. It does rather good quality prints up to A4 but it doesn't do slide scanning.

Thanks for the reply and info

If you go to APUG's sister site www.hybridphoto.com you will find lots of information on film scanning and hybrid workflow.
It's really cool you are discovering film, and welcome to APUG.

Thanasis · Feb 20, 2008

Hello there and welcome to apug, imonk. Great to hear that you are enjoying using film. You will come across many, many friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable people on these forums so don't be afraid to ask questions. The only dumb questions here are the ones you didn't ask. Please be aware though that we are focussed on film and discussion of digital photography is not really allowed.
Now to try to answer your questions:
Velvia is available in quite a few formats and as the the previous poster said, the original Velvia 50 is now available again.
Just to clarify something for you, Velvia is always only a slide film (some people call it transparency film and some call it colour reversal film but it all means the same thing).
The 35mm size you mentioned merely denotes the format (or size) of film that you are using. Velvia comes in different sizes for different types of cameras.
Small format - 35mm (or sometimes called 135) <--- This is the one you want for your Nikon F65
Medium format -120,220
Large format - 4x5 sheet film and Quickloads.

Here is a link to Fuji's US website where you can get more information on the different formats that Velvia is available in.

http://www.fujifilmusa.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/proPhotoProductVelviaDataSpec.jsp

Good luck with your new film camera and have fun!
regards,
Thanasis.

John Koehrer · Feb 21, 2008

Re: processing.
If we knew where you were it would be easier to suggest a lab.

imonk · Feb 21, 2008

Thanks for the link JBrunner I'll be looking over that site tonight.

Thanks for the info Thanasis, that actually makes alot more sense now, much appreciated.

Sorry John, I was trying to reply last night but I'm having problems with my ISP. I'm in Scotland in the UK so any suggestions on good labs would be great. At the moment I'm using the local Jessops which isn't ideal

GeoffHill · Feb 21, 2008

If you live in the UK, then try peak imaging for processing of E6, they'll do a same day turn around in lab. They will also do a scan to CD for you.

I use 7dayshop for my colour film, and you can get velvia50 for about £4 a roll from there. http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=102983 is the link to the stuff you are after.

Geoff

haris · Feb 21, 2008

Imonk, welcome to APUG, and just a thought. Imagine to compress miles or square miles of landscape into just 24x36mm area, that is on 35mm film. If you are really interested in landscape (and film) photography, after some time maybe you could think about medium or large format camera. Not right now, but afer some time, when you get more experience. For landscape, 35mm format is by my opinion too small. There are some good landscape photographs made with 35mm, but...

Good luck

Christopher Walrath · Feb 22, 2008

Hi, imonk. Welcome to the forum. Just wanted to throw my two cnets in. If and when you move up to MF, there are two ways to get into it. First, if you have a penchant for saving money and holding onto it forever, get as good a system as possible. (ie. Hassy, Mamiya 7ii RF, etc.) If you are like me and wait for that ship you see on the horizon to come in and get to spend a buttload of money only every once in a blue moon, you might try an inexpensive system such as the Mamiya M645 (j,1000, etc) I have a Mamiya M645j with four Sekor C lenses and a lot of gear to go with it. And I never truly left 35mm either, I still have my sr-T101 and a 28-200 macro zoom just in case lugging half a studio around on my shoulder might seem a little discouraging that day.

Skorzen · Feb 23, 2008

I am going to echo some of what others have said here already. I came from the digital word and moved to film as well. Like you I started with 35mm and now shoot mostly 4X5. If landscapes are what you are looking to shot than I would definitely look at either medium or large format. according to 645 (6cm X4.5cm) will give you about a 31mp equivalent image, 6X7 would probably be more like 50 mp. 4X5 large format gives you the equivalent of about 150mp! The difference in resolution is huge. If you shoot a lot of color medium format might be a better option as I believe there are more films available and it is easier to find someone to process it. You might be surprised at how little a medium or large format kit goes for, I saw a Pentax 6X7 with three lenses listed for $450 the other day. I have seen lots of Pentax and other 645 kits (body lens and a back or two) go for about $400.

imonk · Feb 23, 2008

Interesting, thanks for the welcome and the info guys. I've read up a bit on medium format before but tbh investing in another system atm isn't really possible as I have a young family etc etc. Yeah basically my wife would kill me However it's def something to think about for the future

And thanks for the link Geoff I'll check out 7 day shop as I hadn't heard of them before.

Cheers
Ian

Graham.b · Feb 23, 2008

Morning. I use a lot of Fuji, slide and print, (well my wife Anne uses print), you can get P&P fuji, this makes it all the more user friendly. I think from memory they (Fuji) are based in Warwick. You pay up front for process, about £7 or so.

Graham

pellicle · Mar 7, 2008

Good day Imonk

depending on what you're photographing (studio work our outdoor) you might find that some of Fuji's negative films give good results too. I was mainly a Velvia user till I discovered Provia some time around 2000, I prefer it for lower light work (inside forest) to Velvia as it handles 'reciprocity failure' better than Velvia. Frustrated with issues of missing density (I could see on the projected screen but could not seem to access with scans) I noticed that I was not having the same problems when I'd used negative.

Looking on Fuji's site I found that the LP/mm res of both Provia and the new negatives were about the same. I've since switched to using slide only when I'm intending to project (which is almost never) and following the old rule of use negative when prints are desired. I have found this still to be true in the modern era with using 'non traditional' printing methods just as much as in the fully traditional approach.

The more your format size goes up 35mm > 6x7 > 4x5 the less that 'grain' is an issue, and the more there is only benefits to neg. For colour critical work I also take a reference capture with a RAW capable digi (but I'd better stop before someone kicks my butt here)

HTH

Kevin Caulfield · Mar 7, 2008

imonk said:
I'd like to know if you can get velvia for 35mm or is it just available in slide film? Thanks
Ian

I don't think any of the above posters addressed this. Slide film comes in 35mm and 120, and larger. Did you mean to ask, is there a colour negative version of Velvia, as opposed to the positive, slide, film?

stillsilver · Mar 8, 2008

Hello Ian, welcome to APUG.

20 years ago I shoot on slide film(35mm and 120) and had a 4x5 interneg made to print from.

Now I feel color negative film has caught up to slide film. If I were shoot color again I would probably use color neg.

Mike

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