Film convert/newb, Velvia at sunrise

espressogeek

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Hello, I starting playing with film after shooting digital for a few years and never getting that "look". I've done some fine exposures with digital but I thought I would give film, especially MF, a swing.
Last week a colleague and I ventured out and exposed some velvia 100F 120 film with a yashica mat. The situation was a low contrast hazy summer morning with the sun rising behind us through the haze and the city skyline in front of us. I shot the whole roll experimenting with different exposure settings. The pictures were I metered with a "0" EV and set the camera accordingly came out ever underexposed and the blacks are all blocked up. When I over exposed a bit by using a cable release and bulb and stopped WAY down ( don't ask, I'm embarrassed ) the pictures are full of spots as if my lens was dirty. It probably was as the humidity kept causing everything to stick to it.

My questions are how do I get rid of the blue cast that I am getting with velvia 100f in the morning? Secondly, with a TLR, where ND filters are not easy to use, how does one get a good exposure with some color in the sky and not block up the shadows? Can I pull the neg to compress some of the dynamic range?
 

roteague

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First, you need to make sure you are metering for the hightlights to make sure you don't blow them out. Transparency film has a narrow latitude. Generally, we will either let the shadows go dark, or use a split neutral density filter to control the shadows.

Somehow, I don't think humidity is the cause of your spots. I live in Hawaii, and I've never seen that happen. I would suspect that it is more a problem with processing, although I would have to see what they look like to be sure.
 

bwakel

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To get rid of the blue cast you'll need to use an 81B or 81C warm-up filter. Velvia will give neutral colours in normal daylight but goes blue at dusk and dawn. Thw warm-up filter counters this. I find an 81B is best most of the time but if you use Velvia 100 (not 100F) you may need to use an 81C from time to time.

Don't be afraid to use ND grads with your TLR, I use them with my Mamiya 7II rangefinder. Simply judge where the graduation point needs to go on the image and place the filter in front of the lens with the graduation point roughly the same distance down the lens. Use soft ND grads and push the filter down a little further than appears appropriate and you should be OK. ND grads are really the only way that you'll get the results you're after.

I don't much like 100F in low-contrast situations as it's not a very contrasty film compared with 50 and 100. You should try all three and see how they compare and choose the film that best suits your style and the scene you're shooting.

Good luck, the transition from digital to film is great fun and there's nothing to compare to a big trannie thrown on the light box - Photoshop doesn't compare!

Barry
 
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espressogeek

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HUH, I had no idea what the "F" meant. I didn't know that there were different flavors of velvia. So use an 81b to warm it up at sunrise and dusk and try to use an ND grad. I would still feel better using the grad on an SLR or something where I get a bit of a preview.

I think the crap may have shown up from the back of the lens. It looks like it had crap on it and it didnt show up in the pictures shot around f8 or so. The ones where I stopped down it is very pronounced.

Thanks for everyone's input!
 
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espressogeek

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Well I bought a RB67 and a handfull of lenses. It should be easier to use this camera with a ND filter. I will try some of the new velvia 50 if i can find it anywhere.
 

roteague

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Try Badger Graphics, I've been told they have it in stock. If you can't find the 50, the 100 works (although nothing compares to the 50) and it is easily available. You may also want to try the Kodak VS100 (the VS is the most saturated), it is a bit cooler than Velvia 50.

Velvia is one of those films that you either lover or hate. Best of luck, and feel free to ask any questions you may have. FWIW, I shoot almost exclusively Velvia 50 or 100.
 
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espressogeek

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I didn't see that badger had any online. However I did find some to my surprise at the local pro shop. They had about 7 5 packs of 120 velvia 50 just in. I wish they had 220 because I only have a 220 back for the RB but I do have a 645AF that I could shoot but no wide lenses. Maybe I'll pony up for a 120 back before I go. The thing I am worried about most is the actual exposure. If I meter with the 645af should I spot meter on the highlights? If so would the spot meter expect to meter from 18 percent gray and I should over expose a bit? I'm not sure if I will have a chance to shoot any before my trip. I hope to but who knows.
 

copake_ham

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Damn!

I was afraid of this happening.

We're now headed into Autumn/Winter in the Northern Hemisphere and finally some new Velvia 50 is coming into the US!

Just as we lose the bright light!

Fuji released the stuff in the UK in June but apparently held it off here until the dealers cleared off the old stock etc.! So we lost the whole Northern Hemisphere summer to use this film!

Oh well, I'm going to go find some anyway - maybe the light will still be conducive down in AZ in Oct. when I next get down there.

But it sure is too damned late to use it up here in New York now that the Sun (when we see it) is getting so low!

BTW: I shot this with the old Velvia 50 in late August 2006 around 8AM in Cooperstown, NY. Already I was "losing" the light you need for ISO 50 at my latitude.
 

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naturephoto1

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Jadedoto

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espressogeek said:
Is it the color of the light or the quantity that changes? If the latter could you not expose longer?
Click to expand...

More the quality of light. A lower sun causes different lighting characteristics (longer shadows, meaning longer black pits for slides), meaning that the contrast and colors don't really have the evenness-ish that it would with a higher sun.

Higher sun has more contrast, making it pop a bit more. Personally I prefer Velvia in the fall here (Kentucky) for the balance of pop and color (trees!), but would never even think of the winter because of grays as well as the shadows. Print films have more latitude for capturing shadows as well as highlights.

That is what we call in my german class as "gobble-dee-gook".
 
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espressogeek

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I like the long shadows that a fall sun produces. It has this 3d look to it that I love between September and October. I guess it depends on the subject matter though.
 
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