Everytime I get a roll of 120 slides back...

[GarageBoy]

I think to myself, why bother with 35mm color?
I've spent so much time researching, and shooting 35mm cameras, but as soon as my 120 slide rolls come back, that "holy crap" feel comes back - as nice tiny slides are, 120s are amazing! The tone, the sharpness (borrowed mamiya 7)
I guess 35mm is still "more convenient" but then I see myself eying a bronica rf or a Fuji ga645...

 

[jim10219]

It doesn't end there. Go 4x5 and prepared to be floored! Then I suggest skipping 5x7 and jump straight to 8x10. But quit there. The world of ultra large formats is expensive, time consuming, space hogging, and anything but convenient.

 

[ntenny]

This is basically the same experience that drove me to a 645 SLR. It shoots like an overgrown 35mm camera, more or less, and there's just no comparison in the results. Especially with slides.

Large format slides are, indeed, something else again.

-NT

 

[MattKing]

120 slides are the best thing since sliced bread - particularly if you project them.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I love 120 chromes. I used to shoot them for clients. My favorite film back them was Fuji RTP. Gorgious for hot lights.

 

[paul ron]

the slides are amazing and going bigger is a mind blowing experience

BUT.....

projectors arent readily available and expensive to say the least.

 

[MattKing]

Actually, 6x6 or 6x4.5 projectors can be found at relatively reasonable prices.
I should offer my extra one for sale.

 

[mweintraub]

Love me some MF. Getting 4x5, again, soon and will probably always dread putting film in the 35mm. ZOMG 36 exposures takes soo long.

 

[bvy]

As someone sitting on a roll each of exposed yet undeveloped Provia and Velvia (both 120), my excitement level just went up. I've not really shot slides before this summer.

And as someone who just can't bring himself to drop film in a mailbox, I'm trying to find a lab in a city that I visit frequently. (There's nothing here in Pittsburgh.)

 

[Prest_400]

Note to self: Buy another propack of Provia.

It has been a while since I shot Chromes (prefer winter due to less harsh light here) and I kind of not thought that having a 6x9 camera makes it a reeeeally nice experience.

I wonder that given the day of handyness now, something like an Intrepid 4x5 could be made into a projector. Saw a thread of someone who did a mod like that.

 

[iandvaag]

I completely agree, medium format slides are stunning. Especially when viewed as stereoscopic slides. Wowza.

why bother with 35mm color?

I will say though, that 35mm color negative is pretty fun to shoot and make RA-4 prints. Certain subjects/lighting situations call for one format over the other, for example, indoor portraits with a speedlight seems to favour 35mm print film over MF slide film. I don't bother with 35mm for slides though, 120 is where it's at.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The only problem with 120 slides, is finding a good projector and slide mounts these days.

 

[NJH]

Ebay is your friend there, I bagged a really nice condition modern Rollei MF projector for little over £100. Cleaned her up a bit and she works lovely, would like a better lens but they seem to be rare as hens teeth. Gepe glass mounts are readily available in Europe, not cheap and annoyingly the box I bought had pretty much every mount with either dirt on them and probably half have small scratches near the edges. Getting them clean and then mounting without dust, tiny hairs or lint getting in there is equally painful as absolutely everything shows up when projected (6 surfaces to get clean). The results though are very very addictive, the initial wow factor or course is special but the wonderful glow never gets boring and doesn't seem to be reproducible by anything else.

 

[Nodda Duma]

I have a pack of ektachrome loaded for my 4x5 Graflex. Can't wait

 

[Jeff Bradford]

6x9 transparencies are like magic.

 

[Arklatexian]

As someone sitting on a roll each of exposed yet undeveloped Provia and Velvia (both 120), my excitement level just went up. I've not really shot slides before this summer.

And as someone who just can't bring himself to drop film in a mailbox, I'm trying to find a lab in a city that I visit frequently. (There's nothing here in Pittsburgh.)

And Pittsburgh is no "wide spot in the road". You are in the same boat as most of us in the USA outside of NYC, Chicago, Las Angeles, and a few other cities. As someone who once dropped all my color slide film in a mailbox, it sure beats nothing.......Regards!

 

[winger]

@bvy - Praus is in Rochester - that's not too far. I do mail mine, though.

I don't shoot a ton of slides and really never did. But I was given a few sheets of quite expired 4x5 slide film and getting my first shots back was wicked cool.

 

[KeithM]

6x9 transparencies are like magic.

Darn, someone beat me to it!

I started using 6x6cm slide film in the Seventies but when I got the first roll of Velvia back from my 'new' GW690 II last year, it was a case of 'Wow'! A 6x9cm transparency is just mind-blowing.

 

[MattKing]

They are even nice if you use a pinhole camera - surely the opposite of a GW690!

 

[destroya]

+1. thats thr reason i bought my mamiya 6, even thought i really dislike the square format, to project them in my dads old 6x6 projector. my kids for x-mas got me a da-light 90x90 inch screen. WOW! velvia 50, 6x6 and a hasseblad pcp-80 is the reason ive been stocking up on slide film. 645 slides are not bad either. just wish the trays were a lot cheaper.

you can still get Gepe anti-newton ring glass 6x6 and 645 mounts at a lot of places

 

[bvy]

@bvy - Praus is in Rochester - that's not too far. I do mail mine, though.

And Pittsburgh is no "wide spot in the road". You are in the same boat as most of us in the USA outside of NYC, Chicago, Las Angeles, and a few other cities. As someone who once dropped all my color slide film in a mailbox, it sure beats nothing.......Regards!

Thank you both. I actually get to New York often enough that I could drop off and pick up while I'm there. I've read good things about Praus though.

6x9 transparencies are like magic.

So my aversion to 6x9 up to this point was that I don't have an enlarger capable of printing anything larger than 6x7. But if I'm shooting slides, it's a moot point!

 

[GarageBoy]

I'm happy looking at them under a loupe...
I hope I like provia 100f, ektachrome can't come back fast enough, if ever

 

[moto-uno]

^ If you don't like Provia 100F , then the lights must be out ! Peter

 

[mhanc]

I actually get to New York often enough that I could drop off and pick up while I'm there. I've read good things about Praus though

i live a 30 minute train or car ride from NYC, but its a total pain to go in. recently mailed a stash of exposed rolls to Praus -- a mix of e6, c41 and b+w. very happy with the results. top notch processing and... the USPS priority shipping costs both ways is one-third the cost of going into NYC.

so -- great quality processing, less expensive, less hassle. win-win-win!

as for MF slides, it's the best it gets, ever! i shoot 35mm slides too -- same color palette, but no comparison otherwise.

 

[removed account4]

I think to myself, why bother with 35mm color?
I've spent so much time researching, and shooting 35mm cameras, but as soon as my 120 slide rolls come back, that "holy crap" feel comes back - as nice tiny slides are, 120s are amazing! The tone, the sharpness (borrowed mamiya 7)
I guess 35mm is still "more convenient" but then I see myself eying a bronica rf or a Fuji ga645...

careful you might end up with a 4x5 and then a 5x7 or 8x10 and then ... you are toast ..