Some time back I wrote an article on fotodad.wordpress.com about my experiences exposing Provia 100F at EI 320 and pushing 2 stops. I recently got a roll of Wittner Chrome 200D back from the lab, and would like to take the time to write a post comparing the two films, including pushing the Provia 100F 2 stops.
Fuji Provia 100F is a high quality slide film, and practically grainless. While I have no lightbox, I do have a slide projector that has a spot on top of it big enough to lay a single 35mm slide, and I used a Pentax 50mm f/2 lens as my loupe. Looking at the slide on my slide projector's "lightbox" through the 50mm lens, I see zero grain. Contrast is lower than Velvia, with pleasing skin tones, rich (but not inky) blacks, and somewhat saturated color (though not nearly as saturated as Velvia). I see grain only if I'm projecting on the side of the garage at 4'x6' (that's roughly 1.5x2m for folks accustomed to the metric system).
I've also tried exposing Provia 100F at EI 320 and having the lab push 2 stops. Again, looking at the slide on my projector's "lightbox" through the 50mm lens, I see zero grain. I lose shadow details, and the contrast goes up to a level comparable with Velvia, which is not a good thing when shooting in contrasty light (read: sunny day), when some highlights in a photo I was taking at summer camp blew out. There's a slight shift towards magenta on the green-magenta axis, and a slight green cast when exposing under fluorescent lighting.
I've been yearning for a faster film, but not wanting to spend the money for the now-discontinued though still available Provia 400X. In my high school days I'd shot some Ektachrome 200 and liked it. Sadly, Ektachrome is no longer made at all, with the ISO 200 variety discontinued before I'd returned to film photography. I'd tried the Rollei Digibase CR-200 film, and hated it. I fell prey to the dreaded yellows that some batches experienced. The whole roll had an ugly yellow cast to it that didn't seem to get any better towards the end of the roll. Frankly, I was nervous about ordering the Wittner Chrome 200D, knowing that it is the same emulsion as the CR-200 film, even after folks on APUG posted that they'd gotten good results with the Wittner variety of this film, which is reportedly Agfa Aviphot Chrome 200. However at the end of November 2013, I went ahead and ordered 3 rolls of the stuff from Wittner, hoping that it would get here before Christmas and I'd have a chance to try it out over Christmas break. I figured if I didn't like it, I could always post it in the Free Stuff thread, and correct the color in GIMP.
Well folks, the results of the Wittner Chrome 200D "test" are in, and you're not going to see the film from me in the Free Stuff thread. I shot it at box speed and had it processed by my usual lab. While it is definitely grainier than Provia 100F, even when the Provia is pushed 2 stops, it is not objectionable for projection at all. The film actually reminds me a lot of the Ektachrome 200 that was available in the late 1980s. This is not surprising, as from what I understand, the film is the same as the Agfa RSX II 200, which was first released in 1996. Colors are very neutral, and less saturated than Provia. I did not notice any grain while projecting, but grain is evident when looking through the 50mm lens on the projector's "lightbox."
I like this film, and will be ordering more of it from Wittner, even though it takes a couple weeks to get it as opposed to a couple days when ordering the Fuji films from B&H.
Fuji Provia 100F is a high quality slide film, and practically grainless. While I have no lightbox, I do have a slide projector that has a spot on top of it big enough to lay a single 35mm slide, and I used a Pentax 50mm f/2 lens as my loupe. Looking at the slide on my slide projector's "lightbox" through the 50mm lens, I see zero grain. Contrast is lower than Velvia, with pleasing skin tones, rich (but not inky) blacks, and somewhat saturated color (though not nearly as saturated as Velvia). I see grain only if I'm projecting on the side of the garage at 4'x6' (that's roughly 1.5x2m for folks accustomed to the metric system).
I've also tried exposing Provia 100F at EI 320 and having the lab push 2 stops. Again, looking at the slide on my projector's "lightbox" through the 50mm lens, I see zero grain. I lose shadow details, and the contrast goes up to a level comparable with Velvia, which is not a good thing when shooting in contrasty light (read: sunny day), when some highlights in a photo I was taking at summer camp blew out. There's a slight shift towards magenta on the green-magenta axis, and a slight green cast when exposing under fluorescent lighting.
I've been yearning for a faster film, but not wanting to spend the money for the now-discontinued though still available Provia 400X. In my high school days I'd shot some Ektachrome 200 and liked it. Sadly, Ektachrome is no longer made at all, with the ISO 200 variety discontinued before I'd returned to film photography. I'd tried the Rollei Digibase CR-200 film, and hated it. I fell prey to the dreaded yellows that some batches experienced. The whole roll had an ugly yellow cast to it that didn't seem to get any better towards the end of the roll. Frankly, I was nervous about ordering the Wittner Chrome 200D, knowing that it is the same emulsion as the CR-200 film, even after folks on APUG posted that they'd gotten good results with the Wittner variety of this film, which is reportedly Agfa Aviphot Chrome 200. However at the end of November 2013, I went ahead and ordered 3 rolls of the stuff from Wittner, hoping that it would get here before Christmas and I'd have a chance to try it out over Christmas break. I figured if I didn't like it, I could always post it in the Free Stuff thread, and correct the color in GIMP.
Well folks, the results of the Wittner Chrome 200D "test" are in, and you're not going to see the film from me in the Free Stuff thread. I shot it at box speed and had it processed by my usual lab. While it is definitely grainier than Provia 100F, even when the Provia is pushed 2 stops, it is not objectionable for projection at all. The film actually reminds me a lot of the Ektachrome 200 that was available in the late 1980s. This is not surprising, as from what I understand, the film is the same as the Agfa RSX II 200, which was first released in 1996. Colors are very neutral, and less saturated than Provia. I did not notice any grain while projecting, but grain is evident when looking through the 50mm lens on the projector's "lightbox."
I like this film, and will be ordering more of it from Wittner, even though it takes a couple weeks to get it as opposed to a couple days when ordering the Fuji films from B&H.
