How good is the 4th Layer Under Fluorescents?

I notice that ads for Fuji slide films state there is an extra layer to cope with fluorescent lighting, yet I see the data sheets recommend filters. So just how good is the extra layer at handling the fluorescents?

You have to seperate two things: there is a color cast on film caused by the uneven, discontinuous spectrum of fluorescent light, and one caused by the color temperature. The 4th layer helps to reduce effect number one, but you still may have to adjust color temperature with filters (depending on the type of the fluorescent tube).

As someone who has used the Reala colour negative which has a 4th layer for fleuro lighting, since it's inception, I can say it should be far better that the 3 layer.

When printing negs shot without a magenta filter under fleuro lights you need a massive amount of magenta filtration to neutralise the green cast.

When printing Reala 4 layer film, only a slight filtration change is required.

Mick.

Filter for the flourescent. Don't rely on the film to do it for you.

Pinholemaster said:

Filter for the flourescent. Don't rely on the film to do it for you.

Click to expand...

Well, finding fluorescent filters that fit an old realist is not such an easy thing. That's why I am hoping fujichrome has the answer with its new technology. If not, I'll likely stick with b/w in those situations.

filter the lights--rosco makes "minus green" (magenta) gels in rolls and sheets--cut them out and slide them up under the tubes--at work we cut them to fit the diffusers of overhead fluorescent fixtures for example. they also make "plus green" (green) gels--to gel strobes to fluorescent and a similar material for tungsten. we use this stuff for shooting interiors with mixed sources. gel everything to the film type.

or if that's not possible--put an FLD or a 30M on the camera, and then gel the strobe with plus green, and/or use the fluorescent.

as for the old camera--you can always just tape a filter to the lens...who cares if it's too big or looks funky?

or shoot Reala--which actually works pretty good.

I just shot Fuji Astia under flourecent with a bounced flash. I filtered for flourecent and the color balance was spot on it that helps. The down side was the at least one stop loss in exposure from the filter.

D.

I hesitate to offer this because I have much more experience of Fuji's four-layer negative films than I do of their reversal films, but I feel that the four-layer films have an advantage in mixed light (ie where the scene is illuminated by a mix of sources with different colour temperatures and green-magenta balances).

In consistent light I find that three-layer films usually produce more predictable, controllable results - ie they are easier to correct fully. That's not supposed to be a definitive verdict, more of a vague notion that I might bear in mind when choosing a film.

Whether or not a Fuji four-layer daylight reversal film will produce acceptable results under fluorescent light without any filtration will depend on your standard for acceptability and the type of fluorescent tube in use.

Best,
Helen