Ektachrome Needs MORE Warmth

[DF]

Like it reads...
'Little boost couldn't hurt - that way it would be more like the old 100 GX than just the "regular" (dull) 100 G.
Also, this adjustment would make it more on par with it's current "rival" Velvia, not to mention less tripod need...

 

[George Mann]

They could produce a warmer more saturated version of it. But the current version of it is the most accurate color film to date.

 

[BrianShaw]

Tiffen 812

 

[armadsen]

I agree. The thing I don’t like about Ektachrome is how it goes full on blue so easily. I basically always shoot it with an 812 filter and like the results I get, “accurate” or not.

On a related note, I wish Kodak would release another slide film or two, especially with the continual threat of Fuji stopping altogether. Provia is my favorite film, but I’m basically resigned to it going away sooner or later, and would love more alternative slide films.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Provia is warmer.

 

[mshchem]

They could produce a warmer more saturated version of it. But the current version of it is the most accurate color film to date.

Agreed

 

[NortheastPhotographic]

It's color accurate. You use a filter if you want to warm it up. There are many skylight filters that add slight warmth, and you could just leave them on your lenses as they have little effect on negative film, and none on digital.

 

[AZD]

My experience has been much like the OP. E100 is certainly accurate, but I do wish it was less so. An 812 or similar filter is almost always needed just to get rid of the excess blue/green, but you still need to filter for different conditions from there. Sure, you can add another warming filter, or use a stronger single filter, but then you’re effectively shooting at ISO 50 or less. Not the end of the world, but not exactly versatile.

However, if you’re trying to record the subtleties of interesting lighting conditions, E100 does very well. And if you ever want maximum blue, well, it has you covered.

I have wanted to standardize on E100 since it stands the best chance of sticking around, but I get the feeling I’m trying to convince myself I like it more than I actually do. Theres a roll of Velvia in one camera now for A-B comparison. I’ll see how that works out.

As long as we’re hoping for the impossible, I’ll add my two films: whatever Kodak used to spool up as Elite Chrome 200 (or 400 for more practical reasons), and a version of Ektachrome designed to emulate Kodachrome’s color palette. Projecting my E100 slides against Kodachrome is a little disappointing…

 

[Brad Deputy]

I agree with the blue tinting of film. Tried my first roll of E100 and in broad daylight the images were noticeably blue tinted. In the light of sunset, the colors stabilized very nicely. I'd use an 81A (maybe 81B) filter next time, in broad daylight.

I'm sure with a tungsten lighted projector, it would be much less noticeable. I don't think Kodak intentionally tints ektachrome the same way they did with Kodachrome, but the effect is there nonetheless.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I agree with the blue tinting of film. Tried my first roll of E100 and in broad daylight the images were noticeably blue tinted. In the light of sunset, the colors stabilized very nicely. I'd use an 81A (maybe 81B) filter next time, in broad daylight.

I'm sure with a tungsten lighted projector, it would be much less noticeable. I don't think Kodak intentionally tints ektachrome the same way they did with Kodachrome, but the effect is there nonetheless.

I always thought that Ektachrome captured the skies we remember.

 

[DF]

Ektachrome shot at/near right angles to the sun with a good polarizer can give good, vivid blue skies as well as green foilage below for scenics.
I didn't realize there are those who prefer an 'accurate' rendition as much - I myself don't like too much saturation. But then again, I like reds/oranges/yellows where Ektachrome sometimes leaves me feeling cold.
Back in the 90's Kodak went way overboard with their 100VS (very saturated) - YUK!!

 

[DF]

Provia is warmer.

I always thought Provia was watered-down Velvia.
'Course I hardly shot much of it...

 

[DF]

I agree. The thing I don’t like about Ektachrome is how it goes full on blue so easily. I basically always shoot it with an 812 filter and like the results I get, “accurate” or not.

On a related note, I wish Kodak would release another slide film or two, especially with the continual threat of Fuji stopping altogether. Provia is my favorite film, but I’m basically resigned to it going away sooner or later, and would love more alternative slide films.

Another slide film would be nice, but of course the marketplace - It's not the 90's anymore.

 

[snusmumriken]

A film can only be colour-balanced for one colour-temperature. For all others you need filtration.

 

[DREW WILEY]

The warmed-X versions oif Ektachrome sold comparatively poorly when they were available. Besides, it's a easier to warm the look of a film with a supplementary filter than remove built-in artificial warmth when its not desired. If you seriously test it, the current E100 is spot-on its rated color temp of 5500K.

Fuji chrome films seem to be balanced a little warmer, around 5200K.

Old blue-biassed Ektachrome 64 was a long time ago. It had issues with red and green saturation. Then the tidal wave of Fujichrome 50 arrived, with vivid greens. But no color film does it all.

 

[Roger Cole]

I agree with the blue tinting of film. Tried my first roll of E100 and in broad daylight the images were noticeably blue tinted. In the light of sunset, the colors stabilized very nicely. I'd use an 81A (maybe 81B) filter next time, in broad daylight.

I'm sure with a tungsten lighted projector, it would be much less noticeable. I don't think Kodak intentionally tints ektachrome the same way they did with Kodachrome, but the effect is there nonetheless.

Were these "broad daylight" shots in open shade?

People often think slide films "go blue" in such conditions when they are really simply accurate. Open shade IS blue, much more than we usually think. We don't notice it because our brains compensate with our own "filter" and we automatically adjust prints or scans from negative films to the color we want. Slide film just makes it obvious.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Were these "broad daylight" shots in open shade?

People often think slide films "go blue" in such conditions when they are really simply accurate. Open shade IS blue, much more than we usually think. We don't notice it because our brains compensate with our own "filter" and we automatically adjust prints or scans from negative films to the color we want. Slide film just makes it obvious.

The "blue" comes from the sky so I've read. The same reason the landscape takes on orange and red spectrum warmth during magic hour before sunset and after sunrise.

 

[Brad Deputy]

Mine were in broad daylight, early afternoon. I saw the colors when I viewed the slides in hand before scanning. At first I thought there was a processing error, until I searched around and found the same concerns by others. My last role of Velvia 100 didnt have the same blue tint, at all.

 

[DREW WILEY]

A museum will spend fifty million dollars to acquire a Monet painting with blue shadows, because that's how they actually perceived it, and perhaps exaggerated it. Any many coffee table book landscape photographers prized the blue of old Ektachrome 64, and complained like hell when it was withdrawn from manufacture. And now it's apparently in style to gnaw away at the reputation of current Ektachrome rather than just taking the 20 seconds necessary to screw on an 81A filter if you seek more warmth in the image.

Light boxes? - how many of you have actually read your own light box output with a color temp meter to begin with? Not many of them are well-balanced overall, and the ones that are, are expensive.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Blue snow adds coldness to the scene. Adding a filter to warm it up making the snow white might not be desired.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Well, I never did use a warming filter with chrome film, Alan. I've explained elsewhere why I routinely do so with Ektar color neg film, which has a blue-cyan crossover issue. But like many, I found the as-is blueness in chrome shots generally pleasing - and yeah, those quite blue shadows in otherwise white sparkly snow - lots of Cibachrome prints of that kind of thing. But that effect could be just as easily achieved with Fuji films (Fujichrome 50, Provia, Velvia) as with Ektachome.

 

[Sirius Glass]

A museum will spend fifty million dollars to acquire a Monet painting with blue shadows, because that's how they actually perceived it, and perhaps exaggerated it. Any many coffee table book landscape photographers prized the blue of old Ektachrome 64, and complained like hell when it was withdrawn from manufacture. And now it's apparently in style to gnaw away at the reputation of current Ektachrome rather than just taking the 20 seconds necessary to screw on an 81A filter if you seek more warmth in the image.

Light boxes? - how many of you have actually read your own light box output with a color temp meter to begin with? Not many of them are well-balanced overall, and the ones that are, are expensive.

I always shot Ektachrome, Kodachrome, Dynachrome and Anscochrome with a Skylight 1A filter. They all needed it. If one does not use those filters, then they need to got to the bathroom, take a look in the mirror and look to culprit straight in the eyes.

 

[Brad Deputy]

A museum will spend fifty million dollars to acquire a Monet painting with blue shadows, because that's how they actually perceived it, and perhaps exaggerated it. Any many coffee table book landscape photographers prized the blue of old Ektachrome 64, and complained like hell when it was withdrawn from manufacture. And now it's apparently in style to gnaw away at the reputation of current Ektachrome rather than just taking the 20 seconds necessary to screw on an 81A filter if you seek more warmth in the image.

Light boxes? - how many of you have actually read your own light box output with a color temp meter to begin with? Not many of them are well-balanced overall, and the ones that are, are expensive.

I understand. I'm still new with this film, so i'll need to run some more tests; i was hoping to standardize on a color film then buy 400 feet of it and process myself.

My "lightbox" is my monitor, which is color calibrated to 5400 white (tested ~100 degrees). The full sun shots have the blue haze, but then I'm always trying to filter out blue from my Fuji 100 / 200 shots..too much blue for me, I guess.

I had it developed by that large west coast film processor who shall not be named (until they sponsor us). There is a large Lab in Seattle I plan to try next ($6 cheaper, also dip-and-dunk). It could also be my scanner (Plustek 8200ai). I only have the scanning target for Provia 100; Haven't seen any for E100 yet.


(cell phone camera poor white balance...)

 

[DREW WILEY]

I never used skylight filters with chrome film except at high altitude to control UV. But the precise filter involved varied depending on the specific chrome film. Since I spent so much time at high altitude, I tested all of this to the Nth degree.

Your experience, Sirius, seems somewhat Pleistocene. Back that far ago, I was too busy pissing my pants when barely hanging onto some crumbling cliff with my little Pentax H1a dangling from my neck, loaded with Kodachrome, to be thinking about technical complications. But I rarely botched an exposure.

 

[Bronson Dugnutt]

cell phone camera

The bottom row, 2nd from the left is a good example of the blue-ness I think a lot of people encounter when using this film. Some other exposures are certainly on the cool side of things, but that one stands out. It is probably related to filtration AND exposure (and first development), thus an interesting thing to investigate.

I've got long suffering rolls of E100 and Provia 100F in 35mm that I'll probably run through my F80s w/ exposure imprinting for reference but even then perfect chromes are elusive.