Print or slide film for trip?

[Phil Woodney]

Hi everyone,
I've searched for topics which addressed my question but either I haven't narrowed it enough or am using the wrong search criteria. Therefore my request for suggestions. I've recently returned to using 35mm after aquiring a number of Spotmatics and good lenses almost by accident. Coincidently a financial spasm meant selling off my medium format gear. I haven't shot color print film in 20 years, using exclusively b&w print and color slides. I'll be going on a trip next month on which I'll take three Spotmatics and three lenses. I'm accustomed to having several 120 backs which afforded me the luxury of switching film after 10 shots or selecting a different back loaded with an appropriate film. I plan to have one body loaded with Tri-X, one with FP-4 and one with color. Normally I'd use Sensia 100 but wonder if I should use something with a bit more latitude. If it were you, would you continue with a 100 ISO slide film or choose a print film, perhaps 200 iso?
I appreciate your suggestions and recommendations.

Phil

 

[Claire Senft]

What is your intention as far as the color is concerned? If it is two make analog photos then print film is the natural choice. If it is to scan then slide film for digital printing may have an edge. If you want to project slides then guess what I would advise.

High quality prints can be made with analog methods using slides. The best that can be done would require both highlight as well as contrast modificatioin masks. This is very expensive to have others do for you and requires a good deal of skill and time to do for yourself.

For good lighting I would advise Kodak 100UC or Fuji 160 print film for lower levels of lighting I would pick the most comparable version of each in a faster film.

Now, have a nice trip.

 

[Phil Woodney]

Thanks fot the response Claire. It wouldn't have hurt for me to a bit clearer as to my intentions. What I've always done, a far as color goes, is to shoot slides then choose those (if any) from which to have prints made. I've always liked seeing what the actual end product should look like rather than relying on machine prints from color negs. Yeah it's more expensive, but I' ve never had all that many keepers anyway. Guess I was really wondering if in fact there was enough exposure latitude in color print film to make it worthwhile, since pushing isn't really an option as it is with b&w.

Phil

 

[David Brown]

Phil:

I, alas, suffer from this same malady. I've shot slides all my life, as did my father before me. There was a time when slide film was "sharper" than print film, but I doubt that's true anymore.

On my last vacation, I shot both types. Now I have slides that I wish there was a negative of, and negs that I wish I could throw up on the screen.

Neg film may have more exposure latitude, at least that is the conventional wisdom. I am finding that neg film also gives me a more accessable medium to show pix to others. Especially vacation pix.

As for "art". Well, I'm a hobbiest, not an artist. However, If I were shooting color "seriously", I would probably go with chrome, and do what I can to get the exposures dead on. But for vacation snaps, I think I'm switching to neg film.

Hope this helps, but probably not. :rolleyes:

Just wanted to let you know that you're not the only one.

Cheers

 

[Phil Woodney]

Thanks David! Sadly I'm not an artist either. Or perhaps I have an artist's temperment without the talent. I did shoot some negatives recently while in Egypt and was terribly disappointed in the prints I got back. That might say more about the machine operator than about the film but I can't really read the negatives as I can a slide. Maybe I should try some more negative film. Maybe I oughta give color printing a try, too!
Thanks very much to you and Claire!

Phil

 

[manjo]

Although I dont have as many yrs of shooting experience, I believe slides are better than prints for color. Fuji 100/50 135 film beats anyother film out there IMHO. Advantages being, they last longer, you can print them and scan them, also you can project them and view them on large screen. Its better to scan slides than prints/negative. Some article I read a while back said "avoid 200 speed film" but I dont remember the reasons it gave right now. But it was pretty convincing and so I gave up shooting 200 speed.