Fuji Velvia 100 for portraits?

[mathjeff0]

I have shot velvia 50 for landscapes and animals and was very pleased with the outcome. I have a trip to india planned and want good portrait film. Normally id go for portra 400 but was curious if there was any slide film that would be good for portraits. Is Fuji velvia 100 any good? Ive looked everywhere for example pictures and some show very orange and some show a nice clean picture. Ive tried provia 100f and the skin tones were very orange. Any input would be appreciated!

 

[iakustov]

I use Provia 100f + 81A filter for portraits. If the light is not harsh the results are really pleasant.
I tried velvia 50, but did not like the skin colour.

 

[bvy]

If you don't like Provia's color rendition for portraits, I doubt you'll like Velvia. See this thread though...
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[benveniste]

In my opinion, Velvia 100 is usable as a portrait film in a hybrid workflow although neither it nor Provia would be my first choice. With the demise of Astia, I gave up on slide film for portraits, although for a trip to India I'd choose a film with a bit more contrast than something like Fuji 160NS.

 

[ericdan]

I find that it works OK on non-Caucasian skin. It's probably going to look really good in India.

 

[keenmaster486]

I think it depends on the subject. Here's a caucasian subject who ends up looking quite good (and this was even highly expired and improperly stored Velvia 50...):
Dead Link Removed

 

[ericdan]

Never understood the appeal of shooting expired film. Even if you get workable results, after 21 years you're probably 1/3 through the lifetime of the acetate base of the film already.

 

[keenmaster486]

Does acetate base really only last ~60 years or thereabouts?

I figured that was the most long-lasting part of film, and color dyes would fade waaayy quicker than the base would deteriorate even if it takes 300 years for the dyes to fade.

 

[MattKing]

Does acetate base really only last ~60 years or thereabouts?

If stored in warm (20C +) temperatures, and relatively high humidity, you may start to encounter problems of vinegar syndrome.
Reduce the temperature to around 13C and reduce the humidity to 20%, 150+ years is normal.

 

[mathjeff0]

Thanks everyone for the input ! I think the best solution (based on what I see) would be to straight up buy a roll and try out with some filters. Hopefully all goes well and I can bring my favorite film type on the trip!