Can Fuji Velivia be printed not as slides?

ted_smith · Apr 18, 2008

Hi

I'm a bit of a luddyte (means an idiot) when it comes to quality films like Fuji Velvia. I bought a few rolls of 35mm Velvia ISO 50 a few weeks back to give it a go for some landscape work, having never used it before. I have started to take a few shots, but I keep reading references to Velvia being a 'slide film'.

I don't have a device for looking at slides and am not really professional enough to have my pictures held just as slides.

Is it possible (or indeed, is it usual and I have just misunderstood) to get Velvia printed to normal 6 x 4 or 7 x 5 prints?

Thanks

Ted

Travis Nunn · Apr 18, 2008

It's not the norm to have prints made when getting slides processed, but it's certainly possible. Most likely they would be scanned and digitally printed.

photophorous · Apr 18, 2008

You can definitely have them printed. Most labs can scan the slides, just like they scan negatives, and then make digital prints. If you want the whole roll printed like a roll of negative film, it may cost you more...depends on the lab. You can buy a cheap ($10-20) slide viewer to look at them, then pick out your favorites for printing. That's what I did before I got my scanner.

As for real optical prints, I know there used to be photo paper that made a positive image for printing positive film, but I'm not sure if that exists anymore. They can make a duplicate of your slide and print it like a negative, though. Of course, optical printing will cost more.

Paul

keithwms · Apr 18, 2008

Yes, sure you can get prints. There are several options:

(1) get a scanner and scan 'em yourself and then print at home, digitally;
(2) send them to a lab that will do (1) for you; output can be lightjet (my preference) or inkjet or whatever.
(3) learn how to make ilfochromes yourself! And let me know as soon as you can do it...
(4) get a daylab slide printer and print to instant film (the fuji stuff works well)

Another thing you can do, which I have played with and quite enjoy, is to make analogue b&w conversions by "printing" the slide to b&w film or paper, and then contact printing that via the usual b&w process. Now there is a new direct-positve paper fom efke so you could, I suppose, get b&w prints from colour slides with that, though I can't say yet what the colour response will be, it's new stuff on the market. There are many other exotic methods like that. Anyway this b&w print is from colour slide- fuji 64T. It's a print from this paper internegative. Here is the original slide film, scanned. The process is quite trivial.

ted_smith · Apr 18, 2008

Good grief - it always astounds me how many people reply and so quickly here at APUG!!

Thanks everyone - that is really helpful. I have contacted peak-imaging.co.uk to ask them what they can do for me and at what cost.

Thanks for all your info and clarification everyone.

Ted

digiconvert · Apr 18, 2008

I really recommend you get a cheap slide viewer (Jessops still sell them or ebay has loads) to look at the slides . You cannot IMHO beat the experience of viewing slides - I bought a small light box and s/h loupe (magnifying glass) for mine. It's one of the best reasons I know of to keep shooting film.

As others have said lots of labs will process , mount and scan your slides to disc if you ask . They can then be treated from disc just like any digital medium.

ted_smith · Apr 19, 2008

I have had a quick at slide viewers over at e-Bay and Jessops - there seems to be lots ranging from £3 or £4 to £20+. Is there any particular one that people can recommend for 35mm Velvia?

Thanks

Ted

Woolliscroft · Apr 19, 2008

Fuji UK will provide a set of prints for an extra charge if you process your slide film with them.

David.

Gary Holliday · Apr 19, 2008

I don't print every single slide, but if you are happy to have one or two prints made, have the lab make an interneg and do an optical print. Costly, but worthy of your wall.

wildbill · Apr 19, 2008

I've got one of those $2 slide viewers for 35mm and it's a great way to view them for little cost. You can use it in daylight and pass it around to your friends. Most camera stores have a few (or used to) lying around near the checkout.

Bobby Ironsights · Apr 19, 2008

Yes, some of the prettiest, nicest, most saturated prints ever are made from slides. Also, the most durable colour prints made

Ilfochrome.

It's not cheap enough to run off entire rolls as proofs, but if you make a nice slide, and you want something on your wall, you might as well have the good stuff. Why should art galleries get all the "Ciba' chromes"

Dead Link Removed

ctscanner · Apr 19, 2008

Ted,

I can't help with the printing situation, still haven't figured it out myself, but probably will eventually go the scan and D*****l print route. However, some advice I could offer is this, get yourself a light box, or light table, rather than a slide viewer. I have both and have found that I invariably will use the light box to evaluate the slides. One other consideration if you were to stay with slide shooting, and that would be to get yourself a projector. I have a Novamat M330 Autofocus that allows you the option of projecting the slide unto an external screen, or unto a popup screen that is part of the unit.

digiconvert · Apr 19, 2008

The viewer I have is this one ,Dead Link Removed

But something like this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PHOTOGRAPHY-3...ryZ15223QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
would probably do the trick.

The small sub £5 viewers have virtually no magnification. As to printing , the great thing about slides is you can look at them as they are and really good ones can be printed digitally OR you can get Ilfochromes made - these are EXTREMELY aesthetically pleasing. I've never used them but have heard some good comments about
Owen Boyd http://www.owenboyd.com/Prices.htm#Cibatran

Hope this helps (p.s Cibachrome is the old name for Ilfochrome)

Dietmar Wolf · Apr 19, 2008

Printing on paper is easy. I go to the next Fujiminilab. They scan the slide and print it on paper like they do with negative film.

I am overwhelmed by the sharpness and colors I got. For my taste, much better than with neg. film.
I also like the bw look of slides. In fact, slides are close to bw, just bw filled with some color. Its due to the contrast they offer. I love that.

A projector and screen has cost me only 50 dollars. Not much in these days. Makes it even more fun

nworth · Apr 20, 2008

Velvia can be printed using Ilfochrome color reversal paper. The more common approach (and the one used by most labs these days) is to scan the transparency and to print from the scan. The labs usually print the scan to color negative paper, but at home you would use an inkjet printer.

Dave Miller · Apr 20, 2008

To answer the original question. Yes, it is quite easy to obtain prints from slides. You may order them when you send your film for processing, or you may order individual prints from selected slides later. Home printing from slides is, in my experience, much easier than from colour negative film, albeit somewhat more expensive to do. Prints on Cibachrome / Ilfochrome have a depth and clarity to them that has yet to be matched by any other colour process.

Check out: http://www.wpsmedia.co.uk/prolabsearch/search.php

ted_smith · Apr 22, 2008

Thanks everyone for your help. As always, hugely enlightening!

Digiconvert - the slide viewer you state you have is the very one I have bookmarked for purchase on pay day! It looks like a good one and suitable for my needs. I also have stash of rechargable AA batteries which I can use with it.

I have received a reply from Peak Imaging regarding printing Velvia direct to prints and they have quoted me as follows for 36 exposures

6x4 - £17.59

7.5x5 - £26.19

So I think I will take the advice of many of you and have them printed as slides, use my £14.99 slide viewer to pick out the best ones and just get those done. I'd like a light table too perhaps - we'll see. Space is at a premium in my home. A projector too, perhaps

Dave - I would try printing them myself perhaps but I always feel that a pro company will always know better than me when it comes to stuff like this - especially for a while until I get to learn more - so I'll just get the occasional slide done by Peak Imaging I think - they seem to know their stuff

Thanks again folks

Ted

Matt5791 · Apr 23, 2008

Ted - I would hightly recommend you go on ebay and get a slide projector - I picked up a Rollei one for about £15.

I shoot slides when travelling and then view them projected, and then print any I want as prints.

You will find the colours of Velvia very beautiful for blue skys, landscapes, nature etc. but not many people use for portraits. For this use a more neuteral film like Fuji Astia, Kodak E100G - or a colour negative film like Fuji Pro 400 / 160 or Kodak Portra.

Matt

reub2000 · Apr 26, 2008

I'm surprised nobody here has recommended cross processing. The film is processed in C-41 chemistry and out comes a negative. Colors will be even more exaggerated than normal.

If you need prints than I recommend some Portra Film. I've created some colorful prints from the VC films. Nothing like Velvia, but a properly color balanced print created from a well exposed roll of 160VC is just gorgeous.

ted_smith · May 4, 2008

I have just sent my Velvia film off to Peak Imaging. I've probably done the form wrong but all I could find was the option for "35mm Process & Print from E6 Transparency film". The cost was £17.59 for 36 6x4s. Does that mean that I'll get both 6x4 prints AND 35mm slides, or just prints? I ask because I'm about to buy a slide projector, but if Peak Imaging don't actually produce slides then I won't bother.

digiconvert · May 4, 2008

ted_smith said:
....Does that mean that I'll get both 6x4 prints AND 35mm slides, or just prints? I ask because I'm about to buy a slide projector, but if Peak Imaging don't actually produce slides then I won't bother.

Looking at the Peak page it looks to me like you'll get your slides in 'sleeves' (like you get negs back) plus 6x4 prints. You could have asked for slide mounts at another £1.51 but you will find it difficult to project unmounted slides.
If you decide to do this in future my preferred choice would be http://www.peak-imaging.com/htmls/process.htm and ask for mounts (total cost £5.19)
If you want to be able to get prints you could go for a cd http://www.peak-imaging.com/htmls/imagescd.htm at £10.45 and ask for mounts (£1.51 - total = £11.96) . You could then use the cd images like any digital file and they will go up to 6x4 prints.

I hope this helps, if you contact Peak or any other good processor they will help you in choosing the right option for you. They want your business and will fall over backwards to help answer what you may think are daft questions , but they've heard them all before. If they aren't helpful go somewhere that is. I have used Transpacolor in the past (http://www.transpacolor.com/transpa_home.html) and they've really been helpful but I'd be interested in Peak's output as I'm thinking of changing .

BTW don;t forget the screen with the projector. It may be that a visit to a local camera club would end up with a loan of a projector from someone who's gone digital

Tom Hoskinson · May 4, 2008

wildbill said:
I've got one of those $2 slide viewers for 35mm and it's a great way to view them for little cost. You can use it in daylight and pass it around to your friends. Most camera stores have a few (or used to) lying around near the checkout.

Yes, a simple, inexpensive hand held slide viewer (like the Panaview) will work fine.

I have printed many 35mm. 6x6cm and 4"X5" transparencies with Kodak's Type R (direct positive print) process - and I've also done Cibachromes.

I can't find anyone who is doing Type R direct positive printing anymore. Seems that Fuji Frontier and other digital scan to photographic print paper printing processes have taken over the color print business.

cotdt · May 4, 2008

or you can just buy 8x10" sheets of Velvia, shoot them from an 8x10" view camera, and the developed film will be your "prints"

problem solved. no need to make prints or use a projector anymore.

David Grenet · May 4, 2008

Tom Hoskinson said:
I can't find anyone who is doing Type R direct positive printing anymore. Seems that Fuji Frontier and other digital scan to photographic print paper printing processes have taken over the color print business.

Type R and the Fuji equivalent are discontinued AFAIK. The only remaining alternative seems to be Ilfochrome and reversal processing RA4 paper (only with some paper types, only looks good with some images)

Tom Hoskinson · May 4, 2008

cotdt said:
or you can just buy 8x10" sheets of Velvia, shoot them from an 8x10" view camera, and the developed film will be your "prints"

problem solved. no need to make prints or use a projector anymore.

I've been shooting LF E6 color transparencies for years. For display and publication purposes, I usually make large (up to 32"x40") color prints.

BTW, I can easily make a 32"x40" color print or display transparency from a 6cm X 7cm Velvia original transparency taken with my Mamiya 7II.

Can Fuji Velivia be printed not as slides?

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