Shooting Color Slide - Provia or Astia

[david b]

I am looking to shoot a bit of color transparency film for a project and I asked this question over on flick: Provia or Astia.

I will be scanning the work.

Anyway, one of the responses was this:

Astia shows the world as it is.
Provia shows the world at its best.
Velvia shows the world as some people want it to be.

Does this seem about right?

 

[Pinholemaster]

Hard to say what's correct film selection for you. Best to test all three to see what film works best for your project.

I prefer Provia when photographing people. Velvia for landscape. Astia when things need to be as neutral as chemistry can be (your results may vary).

Good luck.

 

[keithwms]

Yup, it's hard to make blanket statements about colour and/or tonal accuracy of any of these because they have plusses and minuses.

Astia has the broadest exposure and colour-temp latitude and that's why people usually get results with it that the consider more accurate. If you are new to slide then astia is a good place to start.

But the others (and 64T) are capable of accurate colours under certain lighting conditions. I mean, for the very best colour accuracy in product shots, I think 64T plus tungsten lighting is tops! But obviously that just isn't practical for many applications.

If colour accuracy is a major issue then one uses a colour meter and filters and the whole bit. A lower-end solution would be to include a colour sep chart in a shot as a reference so that you can adjust later.

What's your subject, what's your light?

 

[waynecrider]

Haven't shot the new Astia but it use to suck under overcast skies, and Provia use to go blue (still?) requiring a warming filter when the K temp went down. I think between the two I'd go with Provia.

 

[mark]

For me it would depend on what i was shooting.

Astia for natural colors and for already punchy scenes.
Velvia for that landscape calendar look that I like
Provia in between. I like Provia for most things.

 

[davetravis]

Hi Dave,
Comparatively speaking, roll film is cheap.
New Mexico is full of all gradients in color.
Since you're scanning and post processing, try Astia for the widest latitude, and snap it up later.
Good luck and much success.

 

[david b]

Thanks All...

I bought a few rolls of Astia to try first.

I'll report back and post a scan or two.