Choosing E6 Films for this summer

clingfilm · May 19, 2017

This summer I've decided I'm only shooting slide. This is quite a big step for me and so I'm double checking everything I'm doing at each stage. The first part of this is what film to buy.

I've done a decent amount of research and come to the conclusion that, while all three of Fuji's offerings look great - people say Provia is more saturated, and Velvia 50 is better than Velvia 100. I've also seen that Agfa Precisa is Provia 100 with a little less quality control and a lot less of a dent in the wallet.

I will hopefully be shooting in a ton of sunny places, but city and countryside from June to September with my AE-1P and my RB67 (and possibly with my Canon EOS 1000FN if I can snaffle a decent EF lens).

Here's my first draft of purchases;

Velvia 50 120 - £6.60 (1box = £33) 5r
Velvia 50 35 - £10.99 (x2 = £21.98) 2r

Velvia 100 120 - £7.95 (1box = £38.75) 5r
Velvia 100 35 - £11.99 (x2 = £23.98) 2r

Provia 100 120 - £6.60 (1box = £33) 5r
Provia 100 35 - £12.15 (x3 = £36.45) 2r

Agfa Precisa - £6.55 (x3 = £20) 3r

= £207.16 total

24 rolls total

I'm also just thinking about buying a 2.5L tetenal 3 bath kit to develop it all at the end of the summer so I would appreciate input on whether this kit is crap or whether it is good to use.

Please, anyone who has opinions on which slide films they like or think I should add one of x or remove two of y, comment below - it's all appreciated!!

(also, I know that Ektachrome exists but it's kind of difficult to get a hold of in the UK - I may try and acquire some on a visit Stateside)

Slixtiesix · May 20, 2017

All these films are high quality, nothing to go wrong. Whether you use Velvia 50, 100 or Provia 100F depends completely on your taste. I can also recommend Provia 400X if you can get some and if you plan to extend your shootings to the evening hours.

PittP · May 20, 2017

Big plans, clingfilm!
Suppose you'll need quite a supply: Order Precisa from www.dm.de and it will save you a pound/roll (today's rate). Worthwhile the effort?
Precisa = Provia. I prefer Provia/Precisa. Velvia has more contrast and very saturated colours - depends on your taste and capability for precision exposure.
All should gain from a haze filter (A1) to break the blue in shadows, though again, this depends on your taste and circumstances.
Good light, Pitt.

waileong · May 20, 2017

I would suggest Velvia 50, Provia 100F and 400X. That gives you decent coverage and flexibility. No need to have two versions of Velvia.

Normal scenes = Provia 100F. Beautiful landscapes with a riot of colours = Velvia 50 on a tripod. People and/or urban places and/or low light = Provia 400.

As shown, Provia 400 can even be shot handheld at f4 at night. While Velvia 50 does well in the middle of the day with Mt Fuji. And Provia works well for the snow scene.

etn · May 20, 2017

All my thoughts about this topic, in no particular order of importance:

I personally never really liked Velvia 100. I found that the lowlights often get a brownish/purple-ish tint which is not to my taste. (Of course this is purely personal and I encourage you to test it and make your own opinion). But as stated above, Velvia 50 and Velvia 100 is overkill, just settle on one.
I have a couple remaining rolls [EDIT: of Velvia 100] in my fridge which I will probably never use, I could send them to you for trying if you wish.

Slides can be tricky to expose correctly and a spotmeter certainly helps. To me, the "magic number" for exposing Velvia 50 on sunny days is EV 13.5. I don't bother using the meter under those conditions anymore.

You are certainly no beginner to photography and surely already aware of this, but with Velvia (in particular 50) and medium format it pays off to use a tripod. I just got back slides from my last vacation in Israel, most of them done handheld with my Hasselblad. On many sunny landscapes pictures, I realized I am missing that extra little bit of sharpness, coming either from depth of field (when shooting at 1/500s) or camera stability (when closing down the lens), which I would have enjoyed with a tripod. Ok, thinking of it, there's no way my Girlfriend would have waited for me for the time it takes to set up a tripod

Also, slides deserve to be projected. If you don't have a slide projector yet, try to find one, many can be found for quite cheap those days, even 6x6 projectors. 6x7 are rare and more expensive, unfortunately. (this is why I always stuck to 6x6). Medium format slides are really something. Don't take my word for it - you will not believe it until you see it for yourself! (if you happen to be in Munich some day let me know, I will show you some)

You might be lucky and find Provia 400X on the "used" (so to speak) market, but be prepared to pay a premium for it, maybe 15 quids or so.

Hope this helps!

ETN

railwayman3 · May 20, 2017

I'm planning a couple of weeks holiday on the continent this August, and will almost certainly use entirely Agfa Precisa for colour. I find I can totally rely on this for general landscapes, buildings, etc.......I'm not expecting to need anything faster (but my d****** pocket camera will be in my bag if needed), and (it being a family holiday with non-photographers) I want to enjoy the holiday without fiddling around changing film or being a photo-bore. I'm entirely confident that I'll get the pics I need in this way.

BMbikerider · May 20, 2017

The Agfa clone of Fuji Provia AKA Agfa Precicia is as good as anything.

trendland · May 20, 2017

clingfilm said:
This summer I've decided I'm only shooting slide. This is quite a big step for me and so I'm double checking everything I'm doing at each stage. The first part of this is what film to buy.

I've done a decent amount of research and come to the conclusion that, while all three of Fuji's offerings look great - people say Provia is more saturated, and Velvia 50 is better than Velvia 100. I've also seen that Agfa Precisa is Provia 100 with a little less quality control and a lot less of a dent in the wallet.

I will hopefully be shooting in a ton of sunny places, but city and countryside from June to September with my AE-1P and my RB67 (and possibly with my Canon EOS 1000FN if I can snaffle a decent EF lens).

Here's my first draft of purchases;

Velvia 50 120 - £6.60 (1box = £33) 5r
Velvia 50 35 - £10.99 (x2 = £21.98) 2r

Velvia 100 120 - £7.95 (1box = £38.75) 5r
Velvia 100 35 - £11.99 (x2 = £23.98) 2r

Provia 100 120 - £6.60 (1box = £33) 5r
Provia 100 35 - £12.15 (x3 = £36.45) 2r

Agfa Precisa - £6.55 (x3 = £20) 3r

= £207.16 total

24 rolls total

I'm also just thinking about buying a 2.5L tetenal 3 bath kit to develop it all at the end of the summer so I would appreciate input on whether this kit is crap or whether it is good to use.

Please, anyone who has opinions on which slide films they like or think I should add one of x or remove two of y, comment below - it's all appreciated!!

(also, I know that Ektachrome exists but it's kind of difficult to get a hold of in the UK - I may try and acquire some on a visit Stateside)

Enjoy this summer - enjoy this summer more and double your list of films.
Enjoy this summer most and buy a little
more Agfa Precisa and less Original Fuji to get more films minimum 48 rolls at
£ 400,- optimum 56 rolls at £ 400,- .

And use the half of it next year !!!!!

Why? ?? Because this summer will be the very last with fun - next summer we will see prices to E6 + 35%

.

with regards

iakustov · May 21, 2017

I shoot mainly velvia 50 for street / landscape and provia 100f for family / portraits. I process in Tetenal e6 three bath kit in a paterson tank with no issues, just keep the temp in the right boundaries for each stage.
And as already said, slides should be projected. When shooting MF slide film I only use 6x6 camera just because it is easy to project than 6x7. I shoot MF BW in 6x7 mainly though.

clingfilm · May 21, 2017

Slixtiesix said:
I can also recommend Provia 400X if you can get some and if you plan to extend your shootings to the evening hours.

Yeah I think I just need to stop fretting about it and get some film to shoot - it's going to be good either way aha!

I had a look at the Provia 400 - that would be so good, but I don't think I've got the time and energy to try and get a hold of it on eBay. It would be really nice to have some room inside though.. I guess I'll just take a wee tripod with me

clingfilm · May 21, 2017

PittP said:
All should gain from a haze filter (A1) to break the blue in shadows, though again, this depends on your taste and circumstances.

I've seen a few people mention a 'warming' filter as well for Provia - so would you recommend the anti-haze filter for all of the films?

clingfilm · May 21, 2017

waileong said:
I would suggest Velvia 50, Provia 100F and 400X. That gives you decent coverage and flexibility. No need to have two versions of Velvia.

Normal scenes = Provia 100F. Beautiful landscapes with a riot of colours = Velvia 50 on a tripod. People and/or urban places and/or low light = Provia 400.

This is kind of the main decision - do I choose Velvia 50 and Provia 100 because it gives me the ISO range, or do I choose which Velvia I shoot based on its characteristics? There seems to be some disagreement about whether the Velvia's look the same or whether they react slightly differently (reciprocity failure is certainly different between the two)...

I'm also kind of hoping that ISO100 is sufficient for all the shooting I want to do on holiday - like it's the summer so it should be sunny.... right? I'm just bummed 400 is so hard to find..

clingfilm · May 21, 2017

etn said:
I personally never really liked Velvia 100. I found that the lowlights often get a brownish/purple-ish tint which is not to my taste. (Of course this is purely personal and I encourage you to test it and make your own opinion). But as stated above, Velvia 50 and Velvia 100 is overkill, just settle on one.
I have a couple remaining rolls [EDIT: of Velvia 100] in my fridge which I will probably never use, I could send them to you for trying if you wish.(if you happen to be in Munich some day let me know, I will show you some)

We're actually coming to Munich this summer! Could you PM me any dates around the 15th of June that you're in Munich? It would be awesome to see some slides and I would be so grateful if you had any film I could shoot with as well.

Thanks so much for all the advice - it's all helping to build a profile of the films in my head before I shoot them. I'll definitely be bringing a tripod with me but I was wondering if 100 would be enough for most outdoor shooting in June around continental Europe?

clingfilm · May 21, 2017

railwayman3 said:
I'm planning a couple of weeks holiday on the continent this August, and will almost certainly use entirely Agfa Precisa for colour. I find I can totally rely on this for general landscapes, buildings, etc.......I'm not expecting to need anything faster (but my d****** pocket camera will be in my bag if needed), and (it being a family holiday with non-photographers) I want to enjoy the holiday without fiddling around changing film or being a photo-bore. I'm entirely confident that I'll get the pics I need in this way.

It's good to hear the Precisa getting a good rap - I'll definitely add more to this list.

clingfilm · May 21, 2017

trendland said:
Enjoy this summer - enjoy this summer more and double your list of films.
Enjoy this summer most and buy a little
more Agfa Precisa and less Original Fuji to get more films minimum 48 rolls at
£ 400,- optimum 56 rolls at £ 400,- .

And use the half of it next year !!!!!

Why? ?? Because this summer will be the very last with fun - next summer we will see prices to E6 + 35% .

with regards

Aucgh I'm just hoping Kodak decide not to screw us too bad next summer....... I wonder how long Fuji will stay in the game - I always seem to pick my film expeditions at the wrong time (FP100C a few months after it was discontinued )

clingfilm · May 21, 2017

iakustov said:
I shoot mainly velvia 50 for street / landscape and provia 100f for family / portraits. I process in Tetenal e6 three bath kit in a paterson tank with no issues, just keep the temp in the right boundaries for each stage.

Great to hear the Tetenal kit getting a good name, gives me confidence when it comes time to develop it all. Would you say it is a much more difficult process than C41?

Do you shoot people on Provia because the skin tones are intolerable on Velvia or just because they are nicer?

Do you have an opinion on Velvia 50 versus Velvia 100?

trendland · May 21, 2017

clingfilm said:
Aucgh I'm just hoping Kodak decide not to screw us too bad next summer....... I wonder how long Fuji will stay in the game - I always seem to pick my film expeditions at the wrong time (FP100C a few months after it was discontinued )

Hope is with you - strongly hopefullness

with regards

ericdan · May 21, 2017

I always found Provia to be a little too blue during normal daylight and especially in the shadows. It really shines without filter during golden hour. You'll get magical colors from Provia 100f or 400X.
During the day I keep a B+W skylight (KR 1.5) filter on. I've tried 81A and 81B before from B+W and Heliopan and found them too strong (warm) for my taste.
Provia pushes well to 2 stops.

iakustov · May 21, 2017

clingfilm said:
Great to hear the Tetenal kit getting a good name, gives me confidence when it comes time to develop it all. Would you say it is a much more difficult process than C41?

Do you shoot people on Provia because the skin tones are intolerable on Velvia or just because they are nicer?

Do you have an opinion on Velvia 50 versus Velvia 100?

I would say it requires more attention than C41 as first three stages have very little temperature tolerance (first developer, first wash, colour developer). Apart from that I don't see any challenge.

Yes, mainly due to skin tones and I always use 81A filter for Provia to make it warmer. For velvia I usually don't use filters, maybe polariser.

Well, in my opinion velvia 50 appears more vivid and saturated. Though I tend to choose velvia 100 more often as the only film left in 220 in production - it is cheaper and I find it more convenient to develop than 120. The more films you develop at once the better for stability / longevity of the prepared stock in tetenal kit.

clingfilm · May 22, 2017

iakustov said:
Yes, mainly due to skin tones and I always use 81A filter for Provia to make it warmer. For velvia I usually don't use filters, maybe polariser.

I'm really new to this filter world - I think my cameras all just have UV filters on them. I've been doing some research on polarisers after they were mentioned a few times on here.

How important would you say it is to shoot with the polariser? I've never used one before so my only real opportunity to test it out is while shooting..

I guess the flip side is, is there anything to be lost by using one? As long as I compensate for the reduced amount of light, does it just make most photos look better?

GarageBoy · May 22, 2017

Velvia makes Caucasian people look sunburnt unless they're really pal -also especially in direct sun

iakustov · May 22, 2017

clingfilm said:
I'm really new to this filter world - I think my cameras all just have UV filters on them. I've been doing some research on polarisers after they were mentioned a few times on here.

How important would you say it is to shoot with the polariser? I've never used one before so my only real opportunity to test it out is while shooting..

I guess the flip side is, is there anything to be lost by using one? As long as I compensate for the reduced amount of light, does it just make most photos look better?

I think the best way would be to try and see the result, especially with the colour correction filters.
I use polarizer to avoid reflections from water surface and darken the blue sky. You can see and control the effect by rotating the polarizer ring and looking thru the filter, and later putting on the lens in the same position.

guangong · May 22, 2017

My difficulty projecting 6x7 is not finding projector (I have a manual Hasselblad 6x7 projector made by Leitz) but rather finding glass 6x7 mounts. The size of the film is to large to be held really flat and will also pop in a glassless mount...at least that has been my experience. 4.5x6 glass mounts are also not easy to come by. Generally, a 6x6 slide is most practical since format can be easily modified for projection with black tape. In practice I ration my use of 6x7 and 4.5x6 to conserve my cache of glass mounts.
An afterthought: the Hassy projector is identical to the 6x6 Prado. Leitz was very conservative regarding specifications and perhaps a 6x6 Prado slide holder could be modified. Yet, the slide mount problem remains.

iakustov · May 22, 2017

guangong said:
An afterthought: the Hassy projector is identical to the 6x6 Prado. Leitz was very conservative regarding specifications and perhaps a 6x6 Prado slide holder could be modified. Yet, the slide mount problem remains.

Are you talking about Hasselblad PCP 80 projector? I heard this is the very best quality projection one can obtain for 6x6 slides.
Not to start off-topic discussion, is it really that good compared to Rollei projectors (e.g. P66) to justify the enourmous price difference?

trendland · May 22, 2017

guangong said:
My difficulty projecting 6x7 is not finding projector (I have a manual Hasselblad 6x7 projector made by Leitz) but rather finding glass 6x7 mounts. The size of the film is to large to be held really flat and will also pop in a glassless mount...at least that has been my experience. 4.5x6 glass mounts are also not easy to come by. Generally, a 6x6 slide is most practical since format can be easily modified for projection with black tape. In practice I ration my use of 6x7 and 4.5x6 to conserve my cache of glass mounts.
An afterthought: the Hassy projector is identical to the 6x6 Prado. Leitz was very conservative regarding specifications and perhaps a 6x6 Prado slide holder could be modified. Yet, the slide mount problem remains.

GUANGONG - may be you just need this here :

www.goetschmann.de
www.goetschmann.de/products/g8585s2.htm

AND - look at the datas : HMI lighting with

1200w !!

That means : In winter you'll need no radiator. Just look at your best slides
to heat you rooms.

But caution don't look to long at your
slides ! After 5 min. they began to burn.
After 12 min.the plastic from the mount's began to explode like c4

.

Great stuff from a retired german engineer.

with regards

Choosing E6 Films for this summer

Attachments

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency