Color sheet film for snow

[Rick Haug]

With a relatively mild winter here in Minnesota I have been doing more outdoor photography with the 4x5 than usual. One problem I have noticed is the blue tint picked up in the snow when there is a blue sky overhead. Not only the shadows, even the sunlit areas of snow show more blue color than I prefer. This has been the case with Fuji Velvia 50, Provia 100F and Astia 100F.

The film I have been most happy with in these lighting conditions is Kodak E100S (a discontinued film). I'm nearly out of E100S, and the snow will soon be gone so there's no rush to re-stock.

I believe E100S was replaced by E100G (haven't yet tried it). Can I expect similar colors from E100G? Anyone used these two films, especially on snow scenes, and can compare them?

 

[Dave Parker]

If you picking up blue cast in Velvia and Provia and Astia, then you are underexposing your film, blue is a very normal when the fuji pro slide films are underexposed, a lot of the Kodak films will go magenta when you underexpose them, I would bump the exposure .5 to 1.0 stops and see what you get, I use Velvia, Provia and Astia all the time here in snow country with no problems at all, and I have had a ground cover of snow since Oct 3rd, 2005, for about 6 months of the year, I have no option for shooting without snow.

Dave

 

[Rick Haug]

Dave,
People's perception and sensitivity to color can vary. Films that work for you with snow scenes, I might perceive as introducing some unwanted blue tint. And I am referring to properly exposed transparencies.

I've indicated I'm happy with how E100S handled those light conditions. What I'm looking for in this thread is someone who can compare E100S with E100G (for snow scenes). E100G is the currently available film.

 

[Dave Parker]

Ok Rick,

I was just telling you based on my experiance of shooting snow 6 months of the year where I live, as far as I am concerned the E100G is terrible film and I have shot hundreds of sheets and rolls of it here in the Rockies, never has provided the correct color bias for me, you best bet is going to be pick up a 10 sheet box and try it, I used to shoot alot of E100S and it did good, the E110G is not good for the conditions you are talking about, course I may be all wet, you need to do some testing for yourself..

and after about 100K rolls and sheets of Fuji pro slide filmes, I can tell you, if your getting blue, your under exposing, no matter what the meter says.

Sorry, just from my over 30 years experiance of working as a photographer.

Hope you find something to your liking, pick some E100G up and figure out what works for you.

Dave

 

[roteague]

Dave's reply is spot on.

One thing to remember though, E100S was a warm biased film, which may account for your liking for it. I would also go with Velvia or Provia, then you could try using an 81A with this, if you feel you need a bit more warmth (to equal the 100S). However, I haven't photographed in snow in many years, so my suggestions are really just based on what I think would work well.

 

[jd callow]

E100GX replaced e100sw (the w==warm and the x is an older notation for warm that EK brought backd for this iteration). I would try e100gx.

 

[Rick Haug]

Dave,
Thanks for your thoughts on E100S and E110G films. That sort of experience-based opinion is just what I was looking for. It would seem that E100G is not a slightly tweaked improvement of E100S but is a different animal altogether. E100S is still available, and I may just pick up another box for next winter. It will be outdated but not a problem for me if it has been properly cold-stored.

Robert,
As you already know I do use and like Fuji films and have in the freezer nearly 300 sheets of Velvia 50, Provia 100F and Astia 100F. But there have been certain situations in winter photography that I preferred the results on E100S.

Mr. Callow,
Thanks for the suggestion, but that would be another new film to try. I was mainly interested in seeing if a current film was essentially the same as the discontinued E100S.

So thanks to all for your replies. However, I was a bit dismayed to learn that after all these years I apparently still can't tell a properly exposed transparency from an underexposed one. Maybe I should give up on this film stuff and go dig....(CENSORED!!!)

 

[argus]

Go Fuji. I've never been fooled with their color slide film in 35mm for alpine photography.
I use Sensia (pics)



G

 

[Baxter Bradford]

.......or use a warm up filter to counter the cast from the indirect lighting from the sky. Look closely at the scene with your eyes and you will see that the snow is rendered this colour. If you choose not to represent the scene this way, then you will have to apply filtration.

An inverted graduated 81B or other 81 series should do the trick depending on your preferences, film characteristics and prevailing conditions. If there is no sky in the scene then a std filter will suffice.

 

[Rick Haug]

Baxter,
Yes, the blue tint of the snow is from the blue sky. In Minnesota we have lots of flat land. Imagine a flat snowy landscape with some farm buildings. The sun is at a fairly low angle through much of the day. If there is an expansive blue sky overhead it's only natural for the snow to pick up some of that blue color. But some films seem to accentuate this blueness to the point where I find it objectionable. The buildings present a face more directly to the sun and do not suffer from the sky-induced blue tinge.

I have tried warming filters in this type of situation, but with unsatisfactory results. The warming effect is applied over the whole scene, even where it is not needed or wanted. The E100S is no miracle film, it just works better for me in this type of light. I much prefer other films in almost any other conceivable situation.