slide film with "Lost in translation" colors ?

Samy Snider · Aug 26, 2010

Hi guys,
I am going to Tokyo soon and I would like to shoot slide film: the problem is I don't know anything about slide films since 90% of the time I shoot with b&w films. I would like to get colors like the one you can see on this picture
I'm planning to take my Leica MP with 35mm Summilux ASPH and a 50mm Summicron or my 50mm Zeiss C sonnar and my Rolleiflex 2.8F
So which slide film would be great for me ? Astia, provia, Kodak e100g / e100vs etc ?
Hope you can help me guys
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CGW · Aug 26, 2010

How are your PS skills? I can think of a bunch of "looks" I liked in that film but all were obviously heavily processed. Go for punch with E100VS or a bit more latitude with Provia 400; E100G is nice for daylight. Smuggle in a tripod or buy a cheapie locally if you're planning on doing any night work.

Samy Snider · Aug 26, 2010

I'm ok with PS. I'll definitely try Provia 400 and E100VS

Samy Snider · Aug 26, 2010

Oh and by the way, should I respect the EI or should I underexpose/overexpose a little bit ?

CGW · Aug 26, 2010

Box speeds are probably best. I'd also shop your questions around on photo.net, especially for help with sites, film/lab resources, etc. There's usually a crew of people either in Japan or recently returned who can help with Tokyo specifics.

holmburgers · Aug 26, 2010

There's a good discussion of Provia 400 here... (there was a url link here which no longer exists) (go down a few posts)

It's probably your best bet for low-light slide film and has excellent pushability, as discussed in the aforementioned thread. Having never used it, all I can say is that it appears to be an excellent film. But I think it might be your best bet.

Tanoshii so!

sungtae · Aug 26, 2010

When I saw your attached image, "Lost in translation", I hit upon Kodak 160NC, negative film.

If you want to use negative film too, I recommend it.

Ektagraphic · Aug 26, 2010

Kodak's Ektachrome is great. For 35mm, I really love shooting E200 (Ektachrome 200). The colors are not very saturated or very dull they are just right and the contrast is perfect. You will get a result like what you are looking at there. E200 can be shot at up to ISO 800 and pushed processed so it's very versitle!The film is slightly expensive but it is worth it all the way! Elite Chrome 200 is exactly the same film. The Elite Chromes are also a great way to buy 35mm slide film for a little less money. E100G and E100VS are outstanding also.

ntenny · Aug 26, 2010

Tokyo is, um, colourful. Definitely a city to shoot on colour film, IMHO. I've used Provia 100F, which to my eye is basically an "honest" film with colour rendition. (Some of the results are here; the last 13 frames are all on Provia, shot with a Hi-Matic 7s and an 81B filter.)

I'm not sure how you perceive the colours of your sample image---to my eye the main thing is that the shadows are very blue, which Provia 100F certainly is notorious for doing (the warming filter helps a lot to tame it). The rather warm light on the subject's face is more a function of the light source than the recording medium, I suspect, and any daylight-balanced film will tend to make "normal" indoor lighting look warm...can you be more specific about what you see in this image that you're trying to match?

-NT

jbwpro · Aug 26, 2010

They shot the film with kodak 35mm film:

Kodak Vision 500T 5263, Vision 320T 5277

Why not try shooting negative? you can even get those exact stocks in 100 foot rolls and load them into cassettes. It has a lot to do with the processing or timing of the print that gave the film those dark, subdued colors. Your lighting if applicable will also be key.

Samy Snider · Aug 26, 2010

Thx you all guys, I think I'm gonna buy portra, e100vs and provia rolls to try.
Concerning my tastes, I like colors which are both vivid and pastel ( hard to describe :/ ) and which tend to have a blue tint, a bit like this pic
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Ektagraphic · Aug 26, 2010

Grab a roll of E200 too! You'll like it!

nickrapak · Aug 26, 2010

Ahh, you are looking for the long-discontinued Ektachrome 64D. That had a very subdued color palette, as well as the tendency to go blue in the shadows.

Samy Snider · Aug 26, 2010

nickrapak said:
Ahh, you are looking for the long-discontinued Ektachrome 64D. That had a very subdued color palette, as well as the tendency to go blue in the shadows.

I think you're right, damn, is there an alternative ?

jp498 · Aug 26, 2010

You will probably want some filters for shooting daylight film in incandescent light. The other option is to use a flash to provide 2/3 the light and let the incandescent provide just enough to give the warm glow without creating a big yellow cast. The first image could easily have been shot with a 80a filter or tungsten balanced film which would make the outdoors look extra cold. Since you don't select a white balance setting like on a digicam, your choices for getting the color balance right are filter choices, film choices, and light source.

holmburgers · Aug 26, 2010

jbwpro said:
They shot the film with kodak 35mm film:

Kodak Vision 500T 5263, Vision 320T 5277

Why not try shooting negative? you can even get those exact stocks in 100 foot rolls and load them into cassettes. It has a lot to do with the processing or timing of the print that gave the film those dark, subdued colors. Your lighting if applicable will also be key.

How practical would it be to get this processed? Does anyone do ECN-2 processing for short rolls? Just think... fast tungsten film..... *sigh*

BetterSense · Aug 26, 2010

There's tons of us still photographers that would like to have a 500 speed tungsten negative film.

Poisson Du Jour · Aug 26, 2010

Fuji's T64 tungsten would be ideal for an enhanced 'blue' effect, free of Photochopping. A week or double-shot snoot flash set off the camera (stand mounted, ideally) could be used for illumination. Bracket your shots for examination over a light box later e.g. ISO 100, EI80, EI125. The only problem is that T64 is I think discontinued in 35mm format. In gadget-happy Japan where digital rules, I am not too certain what would be available in terms of film.

Samy Snider · Aug 26, 2010

Poisson Du Jour said:
Fuji's T64 tungsten would be ideal for an enhanced 'blue' effect, free of Photochopping. A week or double-shot snoot flash set off the camera (stand mounted, ideally) could be used for illumination. Bracket your shots for examination over a light box later e.g. ISO 100, EI80, EI125. The only problem is that T64 is I think discontinued in 35mm format. In gadget-happy Japan where digital rules, I am not too certain what would be available in terms of film.

It doesn't matter what's available in Japan, I will buy all the films in Paris and Fuji T64 is available. What is the result of a picture taken with tungsten film without using a flash ? Is it ugly ?

E76 · Aug 26, 2010

T64 is balanced for tungsten illumination, which has a color temperature of around 3200K. Daylight film is designed to be used with light sources around 5500K (this includes flash). Tungsten film exposed using unfiltered daylight or flash will have a very strong blue cast—much stronger than the cast in the examples you posted. Here is an example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tienmao/2427166691/

mooseontheloose · Aug 26, 2010

It doesn't matter what's available in Japan, I will buy all the films in Paris and Fuji T64 is available

Tokyo will have a far greater selection of films available (and probably cheaper too) in all formats than what's available in Paris. I say this having lived in both Japan and France and having shopped for film and other supplies in both Paris and Tokyo. If you haven't already seen this site about Yodobashi Camera, check it out. That being said, there isn't much choice when it comes to tungsten films, and Provia 400x (if you're still interested) is expensive no matter where you are.

JBrunner · Aug 26, 2010

jbwpro said:
They shot the film with kodak 35mm film:

Kodak Vision 500T 5263, Vision 320T 5277

Why not try shooting negative? you can even get those exact stocks in 100 foot rolls and load them into cassettes. It has a lot to do with the processing or timing of the print that gave the film those dark, subdued colors. Your lighting if applicable will also be key.

If you do that remember it has to process ECN. C-41 will wreck the film and additionally make you no friends at the lab as they laboriously un-gunk the machine.

Samy Snider · Aug 26, 2010

mooseontheloose said:
It doesn't matter what's available in Japan, I will buy all the films in Paris and Fuji T64 is available

Tokyo will have a far greater selection of films available (and probably cheaper too) in all formats than what's available in Paris. I say this having lived in both Japan and France and having shopped for film and other supplies in both Paris and Tokyo. If you haven't already seen this site about Yodobashi Camera, check it out. That being said, there isn't much choice when it comes to tungsten films, and Provia 400x (if you're still interested) is expensive no matter where you are.

thanks for the link
ps: by the way, do you know a shop in Tokyo where i may find a used Polaroid SX70 ?

2F/2F · Aug 26, 2010

It's all lighting; like all photography. I'd just pick a good general-purpose film to cover yourself in many scenarios, and see what it can do. I suggest Provia or E100G to start.

mooseontheloose · Aug 26, 2010

Samy,

I don't live in Tokyo or know it all that well, but there are a large number of shops -- be it used camera shops, pro stores like Yodobashi and Bic Camera, and consumer stores like Kitamura Camera and the like -- that all sell used camera gear. The big shops usually have a section at the back with used camera gear, where as dedicated used camera shops tend to be small and non-flashy. The ones at street level will have their windows full of used cameras, but there are many, many more (especially in Tokyo, in Shinjuku) that are on the upper floors of tiny buildings. This site, by Philibert Ono, has a lot of photography-related words translated into Japanese, amongst other kinds of info -- it might be useful for you. Polaroid is not on there, but I'm guessing people will understand what that is. I thought he had a picture of a sign for a used camera shop on there, but I can't seem to find it. Anyway, if you can learn the katakana for camera (ka-me-ra)=(カメラ) then you might be able to find some shops that might have the camera you are looking for. It's hard to say as stock can change at any given moment (or not at all), but most shops I've passed by and browsed in seem to have a large variety of cameras from all major makers, old and new, including old Polaroid cameras, so I think you'd be able to find one. It'll probably be cheaper than whatever you can find in France, or Europe in general, but not necessarily cheaper than what you can buy online through ebay. But the quality would be guaranteed from the shop here in Japan -- you usually are given a week or so to try it out and if it doesn't work you can exchange or return it (but check to make sure!). Anyway, sorry I can't be more help than that, maybe someone who lives in Tokyo can give you more specific advice.

One other thing -- if people don't understand you, even if you are trying to speak Japanese, try writing it down. I find that many Japanese will be able to understand the written word (in English) but not necessarily the spoken word. I don't think this is as big a problem in Tokyo as it is in smaller places, but it's useful to know if you get "stuck" in translation.

slide film with "Lost in translation" colors ?

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