Ektachrome exposure

[Lucas Yan]

Hi, I shot a roll of Ektachrome last weekend and am trying to determine which shots were correctly exposed and which shots were under/over exposed in order to improve my metering technique.

Was wondering if these were considered overexposed/blown out for slide film (I shoot color negative most of the time).

Thanks!

 

[Chan Tran]

Blown Out? Where?

 

[Lucas Yan]

Blown Out? Where?

The sky seems slightly light so there’s not a big separation from the blue and the clouds (though there is some). I’m not sure if the sky should have be a darker blue for these scenes when using slide film.

 

[Lucas Yan]

Exposing E6 film requires care. It is not of the same character, nor latitude, as the very generous colour negative stock.

The buildings in the background of the first image show significant haze; you can try a UV(0) or Skylight 1B (light pink) filter, but generally the bigger problem is that you are photographing in point (bright) light that is not really suitable for Ektachrome (or Fujifilm for that matter); yes, people do shoot these films in those conditions, then wonder why the results are not what might have been envisaged. I would hazard a guess that both images are about 1 stop over-exposed, the reference point being the poor delineation of the cloud against the sky.

Both films deliver excellent results in diffuse/soft/hazy/overcast light; and both films have a narrow latitude where both under- and overexposure are never far away.

Ah, got it. Thanks for the explanation. If I have an incident meter, would you recommend tilting the meter upwards so the bulb is fully in the sun (I had my Sekonic at a 90-degree angle to the ground in the sun for these shots so the bottom of the bulb was shaded)?

Agreed that slide film is not a great choice for harsh sunlight. I would’ve chosen to shoot color negative instead, but due to the Kodak shortage, B&H only had Ektachrome and Cinestill left for 35mm. I am able to push the highlights back down in Lightroom though for this roll.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Use box speed and a skylight 1A or !B filter or a UV filter. The left photographs shows UV haze that shows up with distant objects.

 

[AgX]

The buildings in the background of the first image show significant haze; you can try a UV(0) or Skylight 1B (light pink) filter,...

With the UV(0) filter being the stronger one on UV-light, the Skylight filter being practically ineffective on UV.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

You can see from the histogram that the exposure is pushed too far to the right meaning it was over-exposed. Notice there's little detail in the left dark area. So data appear clipped on the lighter right side. So you over-exposed a little something you have to watch for with chromes. However, you could get some better detail with just a few adjustments in the post as shown in my second sample.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I moved from Skylight 1A filters to UV Haze filters years ago.

 

[MattKing]

Agreed that slide film is not a great choice for harsh sunlight.

It can be a great choice - but it requires care and attention and at least a little luck sometimes.
Kodachrome slide from about 60 years ago - I'm in brown at the front.

 

[Lucas Yan]

You can see from the histogram that the exposure is pushed too far to the right meaning it was over-exposed. Notice there's little detail in the left dark area. So data appear clipped on the lighter right side. So you over-exposed a little something you have to watch for with chromes. However, you could get some better detail with just a few adjustments in the post as shown in my second sample.

It looks like I was able to get back all of the highlight detail back in Lightroom (highlights pulled down and white/black points fixed, saturation but no color adjustments). Wondering if it's just the lab scans that aren't properly balanced. I get the negatives back next week so I will check them under a light table.

 

[Lucas Yan]

1B could be used to tone down the excessive blue which is evident in the first image.

Using Ektachrome (and/or Fujifilm) is all about nuancing its known response in a narrow range of lighting situation.
I rarely use UV(0) (other than a protective 'cap' for ASP lenses) but often use 1B in light where shadows and sunlight create a blue cast.

@Sirius Glass @Artist-Photographer Thanks for the suggestion, I will try a UV or 1B filter next time. I forgot that film is sensitive to UV (while digital just requires a clear filter).

 

[Lucas Yan]

It can be a great choice - but it requires care and attention and at least a little luck sometimes.
Kodachrome slide from about 60 years ago - I'm in brown at the front.
View attachment 309472

Nice photo! Wish Kodachrome was still around these days. The colors seem better balanced compared to Ektachrome and more saturated than Provia (but not overly so like Velvia).

 

[Sirius Glass]

It can be a great choice - but it requires care and attention and at least a little luck sometimes.
Kodachrome slide from about 60 years ago - I'm in brown at the front.
View attachment 309472

I now recognize your father's sweater from other photographs that you have posted over the years.

 

[Lucas Yan]

I got back the negatives and it looks like the lab overexposed the scans. This is how they look over a light table. I rescanned one of the frames on my Nikon Coolscan and the frame seems fine.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I got back the negatives and it looks like the lab overexposed the scans. This is how they look over a light table. I rescanned one of the frames on my Nikon Coolscan and the frame seems fine.

Definitely atmospheric haze. Need a Haze or UV filter.

 

[Lucas Yan]

Is the haze causing the lab scanners to overexpose?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Is the haze causing the lab scanners to overexpose?

The scanners could possibly made the haze worse, but I would think that that is not the case. The problem started without have a Skylight, UV or Haze filter on the lens.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Have you spoken to the lab to discuss your issue? Maybe they can adjust settings to fit your needs for your next roll. Or try another lab. I bought my own scanner so I can control the process. That's a costly and time-consuming process. But I get the results I want.