Color film suggestion for Grand Canyon and surrounding areas

[MattKing]

While the "Professional" colour emulsions may be more susceptible to heat, I wouldn't avoid them for that reason on a trip like this.
Choose the film you want to use, and try to moderate any heat issues that you may encounter.

 

[Agulliver]

I've been twice, shooting digital and B&W film. If I were going to shoot colour film I'd go for Ektar and Kodak Ultramax 400...a roll of each at least. There are a lot of rusty red colours which are really brought out at sunset and Kodak colour negative film really captures that well. I wish I had shot colour film when I went but I was just getting back into my B&W film kick the second time, the first time I was on my "film hiatus".

Regarding heat, I would assume that any hotel and car in the area has AC....make use of it to keep your film cool. Don't leave it in sunlight where it's going to warm up. Can't really see it being a problem. The first time I went to Las Vegas in 2001 I shot 300 feet of super 8 Kodachrome and 100 feet of Ektachrome VNF, as well as some Tura branded 100 slide film....no issues whatsoever as I kept things near the AC and in the shade when possible.

 

[mtnbkr]

The "b&w-for-film-and-digital-for-color" strategy is probably a good one. Been thinking along the same lines, myself. And it is certainly more practical to use a polarizer on a camera with through-the-lens viewing (if you have one)!

Honestly - and I am not trying to start trouble here - but if you are traveling with a group of that size, family obligations, etc. - then I would probably suggest concentrating more on enjoying the experience, and less on trying to do "serious" photography. If you can get away by yourself for a few hours, then by all means, enjoy your primes and film. But when traveling with a large family group, I'd be more inclined to settle for a single camera plus a single lens (all-purpose zoom?), and keep things simple. We all know "that look" you get from your significant-other when you are digging around in the camera bag while the rest of the group is ready to move on. ;-)

It's a good shout. Luckily my family (included extended) *want* my pictures, so they are not bothered if I take a moment to get a good one. The digital is going to be equipped with a fast zoom and I intend to mostly leave the 15mm lens on the rangefinder. I haven't completely decided if I want to bother with color film in the rangefinder. I'd like to in order to take advantage of the wide lens, but I'm also reading that folks tend to use more "normal" or "short tele" lenses there, so maybe there's not as much need? Still reading...

Chris

 

[mtnbkr]

It will simplify your workflow to bring just B&W film, but if this is a once in a lifetime trip, get a LSM wide that will take filters. Canon, Minolta, Leica, all made pretty good 28 and 35mm 3.5 to 2.8 that are not all that expensive. For black and white you will want contrast filters and a U.V haze filter.

I found a 3d-printable filter adapter for that lens and will be giving it a try. Worst case, I'm out a few meters of filament.

Chris

 

[lantau]

Like the others said, formally Ektar will be the best for the landscape. The only problem can be that dark shades can get a blue cast under sunny blue sky.

With people in the frame Portra would be better, especially if they have very white skin and tend to get red from the heat. Like I do. Unfortunately you can't just change mid roll.

If you can get it, though it'll be expensive due to being a Grey import, I can recommend Fujicolor 100. It has very fine grain and you'll get the more contrasty consumer film colours. Perfect companion to Ektar and should be able to handle people and landscape, together. Prints beautifully if you get the chance to have it optically printed.

 

[abruzzi]

If it were me I'd probably shoot Ektachrom E100 or Provia 100F. If I needed more dynaic range than slide film can provide, I'd probably shoot Ektar 100 or Fuji Pro 400H (no longer available, but I've got a lot in my freezer.) I've never been a fan of the Portras, but then I don't shoot portraits or people.

 

[Paul Howell]

I agree with Porta, in most cases not a film I use much, for me the exception is the Grand Canyon, the softer colors look really nice in an enlargement.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

There's a restaurant in the Grand Canyon Village, I forget it;s name, that's right along the rim trail up on the south ridge. While your family is having dessert, you can step out and shoot lots of shots.

https://goo.gl/maps/o7BxnWcBfszJaKwJA
https://goo.gl/maps/VbA4DBGkhZuGXhH47

 

[Huss]

Shoot a roll of your Lomo Purple. Dig that crazy colour action - how often do we see the Grand Canyon like that?

Of course take along whatever regular film too, so you can have pics that look like a billion other pics of the Grand Canyon...



All joking aside all the effort in the trip is getting there. The effort to take one roll of Purple along with the other film in comparison is quite minimal.

 

[Sirius Glass]

It's a good shout. Luckily my family (included extended) *want* my pictures, so they are not bothered if I take a moment to get a good one. The digital is going to be equipped with a fast zoom and I intend to mostly leave the 15mm lens on the rangefinder. I haven't completely decided if I want to bother with color film in the rangefinder. I'd like to in order to take advantage of the wide lens, but I'm also reading that folks tend to use more "normal" or "short tele" lenses there, so maybe there's not as much need? Still reading...

Chris

The problem with the 15mm lens is that all the detail will become so small that you end up seeing nothing. Longer focal lengths let you see smaller parts with all their beauty. I know, it shoot very wide angle lenses to capture natural beauty and end up with broad coverage and not being about to see what I wanted to save and show.

 

[reddesert]

Polarizers and other filters in general are challenging with the rangefinder. The Canon lens is an odd size I can 't seem to find anywhere and the Voigtlander lens simply doesn't have the capability.

The Canon 50/1.8 is probably a 40mm filter thread. Get a 40->49mm or 40->52mm step-up ring. Perhaps $10-12 on ebay (make sure to avoid the more common 40.5mm step up rings obviously) and a yellow and polarizing filter to fit. The yellow filter will be good for B&W and the PL for color (and maybe B&W).

Don't overthink the cooler, refrigeration, etc. Take whatever film you want. Be sure to bring plenty of water. The rim of the Canyon is at pretty high elevation so it's not Phoenix-blazing-hot in summer. The interior of the Canyon does get extremely hot in summer. Read and respect all the warning signs. Since you're there with a large family group I don't imagine you'll do anything crazy like try to hike halfway down into the Canyon and back out in the middle of the day with a single water bottle, but just in case, don't do that.

Try to take some pictures at the golden hours - shortly after sunrise and before sunset / at dusk. The glancing light is more photogenic than the summer sun at midday. The colors at sunset are really "Georgia O'Keeffe wasn't making it up."

Enjoy the trip and the memories. The desert Southwest is unique in appearance but some aspects are easier to see than photograph. So if the photograph doesn't capture everything you see, that's ok.

 

[Agulliver]

Last time I went, in 2015, I took a Nikon F601M loaded with B&W film and a rather soft 38-105 lens. I also had a DSLR on which I had a 28-300 and a 17mm prime. I ended up using the lenses from the DSLR on the F601M, as they were all Nikon mount. so I would suggest a nice, sharp zoom lens (though it doesn't have to go beyond 100mm) and at least one wide angle.

I don't know if this is at all relevant to you, but I drive with the spousal unit and friends from Vegas to the Grand Canyon via historic Route 66 which also has some aspects which are worth photographing along the way.

 

[grain elevator]

I don't have advice on color film, just wanted to chime in that on the north rim, I found a 50mm most useful. Don't leave it at home! Everything is far away!

 

[mtnbkr]

The Canon 50/1.8 is probably a 40mm filter thread. Get a 40->49mm or 40->52mm step-up ring. Perhaps $10-12 on ebay (make sure to avoid the more common 40.5mm step up rings obviously) and a yellow and polarizing filter to fit. The yellow filter will be good for B&W and the PL for color (and maybe B&W).

It's supposed to be 40mm, but finding 40mm filters or even step up rings is like finding the easter bunny. I did find a 40-48 step-up. I think I have a 48-52 step up for one of my Canon SLR lenses (might be 49-52, Canon loves their odd sizes). If so, that'll work, I'll just have to use both.

Don't overthink the cooler, refrigeration, etc. Take whatever film you want. Be sure to bring plenty of water. The rim of the Canyon is at pretty high elevation so it's not Phoenix-blazing-hot in summer. The interior of the Canyon does get extremely hot in summer. Read and respect all the warning signs. Since you're there with a large family group I don't imagine you'll do anything crazy like try to hike halfway down into the Canyon and back out in the middle of the day with a single water bottle, but just in case, don't do that.

Thanks. I doubt we'll be out in the heat for hours at a time given some of the people in our group, so I'm thinking just keeping the film in AC when not in use will be sufficient. We're only going to be there a week. As for us humans outdoors, yeah I'm prepared for that. I'm an avid outdoorsman (hiking, primitive camping, mountain biking, trail running, etc). I'll be the one pushing water on everyone else. You're correct though, with the folks in our group, long hikes will not be on the menu unless I manage to sneak out on my own.

Try to take some pictures at the golden hours - shortly after sunrise and before sunset / at dusk. The glancing light is more photogenic than the summer sun at midday. The colors at sunset are really "Georgia O'Keeffe wasn't making it up."

Definitely part of my plan. I love the light at golden hour.

Enjoy the trip and the memories. The desert Southwest is unique in appearance but some aspects are easier to see than photograph. So if the photograph doesn't capture everything you see, that's ok.

Yup. I love photography, but I'm not one to spend my trips entirely behind the camera.

Chris

 

[mtnbkr]

Last time I went, in 2015, I took a Nikon F601M loaded with B&W film and a rather soft 38-105 lens. I also had a DSLR on which I had a 28-300 and a 17mm prime. I ended up using the lenses from the DSLR on the F601M, as they were all Nikon mount. so I would suggest a nice, sharp zoom lens (though it doesn't have to go beyond 100mm) and at least one wide angle.

I don't know if this is at all relevant to you, but I drive with the spousal unit and friends from Vegas to the Grand Canyon via historic Route 66 which also has some aspects which are worth photographing along the way.

Route 66 would be cool, but there are so many cool things out there, I don't know if we'll have time to do that or not.

I don't have advice on color film, just wanted to chime in that on the north rim, I found a 50mm most useful. Don't leave it at home! Everything is far away!

Right now, I'll have the 15mm and 50mm for film and an Olympus 12mm-40mm f/2.8 "Pro" zoom on the M43 digital. I have a longer zoom for the M43, but the IQ isn't the best, but I'll probably pack it since it's relatively small and lightweight.

Chris

 

[mtnbkr]

Shoot a roll of your Lomo Purple. Dig that crazy colour action - how often do we see the Grand Canyon like that?

Of course take along whatever regular film too, so you can have pics that look like a billion other pics of the Grand Canyon...



All joking aside all the effort in the trip is getting there. The effort to take one roll of Purple along with the other film in comparison is quite minimal.

The only problem with taking a lot of film is I don't know if I'll have enough "photo time" to burn through a roll of something like Lomo Purple I put in for fun. I mean, I'd totally be down to do it, but my fear is I'll get a dozen or so shots, then find something I want a more traditional photo of.

Still, won't hurt to toss a roll in the bag...

Chris

 

[mtnbkr]

The problem with the 15mm lens is that all the detail will become so small that you end up seeing nothing. Longer focal lengths let you see smaller parts with all their beauty. I know, it shoot very wide angle lenses to capture natural beauty and end up with broad coverage and not being about to see what I wanted to save and show.

I'll still have the 50mm and the longer lenses in the digital. But, I do want (or think I want) some wide sweeping vistas. Also, I think the 15mm might be interesting close up on some things.

Chris

 

[Huss]

The only problem with taking a lot of film is I don't know if I'll have enough "photo time" to burn through a roll of something like Lomo Purple I put in for fun. I mean, I'd totally be down to do it, but my fear is I'll get a dozen or so shots, then find something I want a more traditional photo of.

Still, won't hurt to toss a roll in the bag...

Chris

Try and find a P&S camera for cheeeep. Craigslist, a friend on Photrio etc. Use that for the Purple. Pretty much every DX coding camera defaults to 100 ISO for non DX film, so Lomo Purple will be just fine in any of them.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'll still have the 50mm and the longer lenses in the digital. But, I do want (or think I want) some wide sweeping vistas. Also, I think the 15mm might be interesting close up on some things.

Chris

I agree, but is you take a lot of 15mm photographs you may feel the disappointment that I did.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I don't have advice on color film, just wanted to chime in that on the north rim, I found a 50mm most useful. Don't leave it at home! Everything is far away!

If you can get to the North Rim, do it. It is a different world. Not as dry and may conifer trees on the surrounding area.

 

[DREW WILEY]

If color slide film, I'd take Kodak E100 with a colorless UV filter, if color neg film, Ektar with a 1B pink skylight filter in order to counterbalance its excess cyan response as well as cut distance haze. Portra 400 would be more forgiving, but grainier and not quite as well corrected for certain hues - after all, it's marketed for portraiture (Portra = portrait), so still has some tendency to lump other warm neutrals and earth tones into "pleasing skintones", rather than cleanly discerning them.

For b&w Acros, nothing deeper than a 25A red; but a medium deep green filter is often more helpful in the Southwest for toning down reddish sandstone hues, while bringing out clouds in blue sky at the same time. A deep yellow, orange, or red filter often makes reddish sandstone look annoyingly bright and paste-like in a print. I personally have no use for polarizers or ND's; but some people obviously like them.

Lens / perspective selection is more of a personal matter. And I can't personally imagine being without some kind of focal length longer than 50mm, although I admittedly have never shot 35mm in the Southwest, but only large format and medium format gear, and with numerous types of film on many occasions, so I have a good feel for the area in general. A very short wide angle lens is less likely to capture a wide sweeping vista as to simply shrink the background to next to nothing while dramatically exaggerating the foreground. It's a matter of style; but the Grand Canyon involves not only big scale, but a lot of sheer distance too, and much of that will become almost invisible in an extreme wide-angle shot. Maybe down inside some cramped canyon one of those extreme wides might come in handy, maybe not. Just sayin' ...

 

[braxus]

I still say Velvia 50 or Ektar 100 for neg film, unless you really want that muted color palette. These were all shot on Velvia 50.

 

[mtnbkr]

Try and find a P&S camera for cheeeep. Craigslist, a friend on Photrio etc. Use that for the Purple. Pretty much every DX coding camera defaults to 100 ISO for non DX film, so Lomo Purple will be just fine in any of them.

Lomography sells those quasi-single-use-reloadable cameras pre-loaded with Purple. That could be interesting. IQ won't be great, but we're talking about Purple, so the entire image will be "interesting" anyway. I've got plenty of time to noodle that one through though.

Thanks for the ideas!

Chris

 

[mtnbkr]

I agree, but is you take a lot of 15mm photographs you may feel the disappointment that I did.

Well, I'm getting ready to have my first roll shot with the 15mm developed, so we'll see. Except for the 7.5mm FE I had on my M43 camera for a while, I've never had anything this wide. I did like the FOV of the FE lens, but found the FE effect less than ideal. With the 15mm being rectilinear, I *hope* I'll get what I liked from the digital FE lens without the distortion I wasn't fond of.

Chris

 

[mtnbkr]

I still say Velvia 50 or Ektar 100 for neg film, unless you really want that muted color palette. These were all shot on Velvia 50.

Those look nice and the color palette isn't overdone. I wouldn't want it any more muted.

Chris