'Sure Be Nice If Ektachrome Wasn't the Only One Available...

DF · Jul 9, 2025

Like it reads. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I can get my hands on a roll or two of good'ole E100, 'just that I miss Velvia, and all the opportunities/locations the Summer has offered.
All the more reason Kodak could come out with a warmer, extra sat Ektachrome companion. Like GX was to G....

AZD · Jul 9, 2025

Fresh Velvia 50 and Provia 100 show up occasionally. Unfortunately you have to search diligently and order immediately. It sells out quickly.

My hopes for Kodak making another variant are low. Most likely the majority of E100 / 100D production is for cinema, where digital post processing can imitate or improve as desired. If it were up to me I’d have Kodak make an ISO 400 version… sigh.

ChrisGalway · Jul 9, 2025

AZD said:
Fresh Velvia 50 and Provia 100 show up occasionally. Unfortunately you have to search diligently and order immediately. It sells out quickly.

My hopes for Kodak making another variant are low. Most likely the majority of E100 / 100D production is for cinema, where digital post processing can imitate or improve as desired. If it were up to me I’d have Kodak make an ISO 400 version… sigh.

Fresh Velvia 50 and Provia 100 show up VERY VERY occasionally !!! Supply has definitely been getting worse in the 5 years I've been shooting Provia 100f. Pity, because I prefer it to Ektachrome.

DF · Jul 27, 2025

All satisfied with Ektachrome 100? I guess so, but for me, I make the most of it, I mean, no other choices out there.
Velvia's absence has been alot longer than expected, leaving a HUGE void that could be filled, but of course all the usual flood of explanations not to.
"...the market wouldn't support it..." "...doesn't make good business sense..." blah blah blah.
Kodak take a risk, take the plunge...

MattKing · Jul 27, 2025

Unless the 16mm and Super 8 cinematographers want it as well, you won't see it I'm afraid.

Don_ih · Jul 27, 2025

MattKing said:
Unless the 16mm and Super 8 cinematographers want it

All 10 or so of them.

Harry Callahan · Jul 27, 2025

Some of the 16mm and Super 8ers want back Kodachrome... the rest does use negative film and scanning. Old Ektachrome had more color saturation, new Ektachrome was formulated for lesser saturation to have more natural colors... probably was hard to convince Kodak for more saturation as they decided for lesser...

...but another choice was great.

MattKing · Jul 27, 2025

Don_ih said:
All 10 or so of them.

Not as I understand it.
But everything I've heard is distinctly second hand.

koraks · Jul 28, 2025

Moderator note: posts starting at #4 were merged into an existing thread on the same topic by the same poster earlier this month.
@DF it may have slipped your mind, but you posted the same thing already.

MultiFormat Shooter · Jul 28, 2025

Instead of an increased-saturation version, personally, I'd be more excited about a ISO 400/27° Ektachrome.

ChrisGalway · Jul 28, 2025

MultiFormat Shooter said:
Instead of an increased-saturation version, personally, I'd be more excited about a ISO 400/27° Ektachrome.

Or better still, ISO 400 Provia !

AZD · Jul 28, 2025

I’m on board with 400. I always liked the visual character of fast transparency film, it could be grainy in a pleasing way. The extra two stops were also welcome.

retina_restoration · Jul 28, 2025

DF said:
All satisfied with Ektachrome 100? I guess so, but for me, I make the most of it, I mean, no other choices out there.
Velvia's absence has been alot longer than expected, leaving a HUGE void that could be filled, but of course all the usual flood of explanations not to.
"...the market wouldn't support it..." "...doesn't make good business sense..." blah blah blah.
Kodak take a risk, take the plunge...

Not gonna happen. We're lucky that there is any E6 film available.

loccdor · Jul 28, 2025

You can buy expired slide film on eBay or here and do your own testing. Some of it still shoots very fresh. Of course, this is a time investment, and inconvenient compared to having access to a variety of fresh stock.

This 2018 expired Velvia 100 I bought last year didn't need any color adjustment (shot in overcast weather). It must have been well stored.

Taylor Nankervis · Jul 28, 2025

Ektachrome 100 saturation is fine as it is.

The problem I see time and time again is the lack of applied skill by photographers in modulating a film's saturation to suit their or the scene's requirements. That applies to Velvia, Provia and E100. A polariser in specific circumstances (diffuse/overcast light) is but an easy way to provide additional punch without wishing for the camera to be loaded with RVP60 instead.

Kodak designed E100 to have a much more natural palette than Velvia, so why do you want the unique look of E100 to appear more akin to Velvia?

Velvia 50 & 100 and E100 are used regularly in all of my landscape work.
Regarding availability, we don't have such problems here in Australia sourcing Velvia, Provia or E100 (or even some obscure films); it might be a localised/(USA) supply chain problem. In any case, photographers here by and large purchase film online because of high retail mark-ups — another factor that could be impacting availability in different markets.

ChrisGalway said:
Or better still, ISO 400 Provia !

Just P2 RDPIII to EI400. Done.

ChrisGalway · Jul 29, 2025

Taylor Nankervis said:
.......

Just P2 RDPIII to EI400. Done.

Well no, pushing Provia 100f two stops, while possible (I've done it), is not the same as having a more sensitive film optimised for its box speed. In my experience, Provia can be pushed one stop with very little loss. At two stops, I felt that some dynamic range was lost. I would be fascinated to see some proper colour chart or sensitometric tests of this.

But beggars can't be choosers ... there is no colour film rated at a box speed of ISO 400, so pushing is the only option.

ChrisGalway · Jul 29, 2025

Taylor Nankervis said:
.....

Taylor Nankervis said:
Regarding availability, we don't have such problems here in Australia sourcing Velvia, Provia or E100 (or even some obscure films); it might be a localised/(USA) supply chain problem. In any case, photographers here by and large purchase film online because of high retail mark-ups — another factor that could be impacting availability in different markets.

I looked at a couple Australian websites, Provia 100f 120 size is out of stock in one or not listed at all in the other. Can you point us to an online site(s) that has it in stock? Ordering from Australia to Europe might be the only way to get the stuff now (I can order directly from Japan, but the prices there are very high, even before adding shipping and import VAT/taxes).

George Mann · Jul 29, 2025

Don't expect anything from Kodak or Fuji. Neither company cares enough about us slide film shooters to invest in new slide film emusions.

It is inexcusable that Kodak hasn't brought back Kodachrome, let alone a more saturated version of Ektachrome!

ChrisGalway · Jul 29, 2025

George Mann said:
....

It is inexcusable that Kodak hasn't brought back Kodachrome, let alone a more saturated version of Ektachrome!

I think a big problem is the processing of Kodachrome, which was never a "home kit" process and is remarkably complex, with the dyes introduced one by one into the main film layers. Who is going to set up such a lab for this?

As for a "more saturated" version of Ektachrome, that's a judgement call ... If there is only to be a single Ektachrome, surely the present "neutral" version is vastly preferable to a saturated version?

paddycook · Jul 29, 2025

ChrisGalway said:
I think a big problem is the processing of Kodachrome, which was never a "home kit" process and is remarkably complex, with the dyes introduced one by one into the main film layers. Who is going to set up such a lab for this?

As for a "more saturated" version of Ektachrome, that's a judgement call ... If there is only to be a single Ektachrome, surely the present "neutral" version is vastly preferable to a saturated version?

The problem is the present version isn't neutral. It's just a mass of blue everywhere you look - blue highlights, blue shadows. It's awful. And it lacks acuity. It's nothing like the Ektachrome I remember from the 80s and 90s.

DF · Jul 29, 2025

loccdor said:
You can buy expired slide film on eBay or here and do your own testing. Some of it still shoots very fresh. Of course, this is a time investment, and inconvenient compared to having access to a variety of fresh stock.

This 2018 expired Velvia 100 I bought last year didn't need any color adjustment (shot in overcast weather). It must have been well stored.

View attachment 404114

DF · Jul 29, 2025

loccdor said:
You can buy expired slide film on eBay or here and do your own testing. Some of it still shoots very fresh. Of course, this is a time investment, and inconvenient compared to having access to a variety of fresh stock.

This 2018 expired Velvia 100 I bought last year didn't need any color adjustment (shot in overcast weather). It must have been well stored.

View attachment 404114

I'm not a "color expert" like some others, so I'm not sure If a scene like this is a good prognosticator of how well your roll of Velvia 100 stood up since its expiration - it simply isn't a colorfull scene to begin with. Do you have any other scenes from that same roll - Fall colors, rainbows, etc.?
So glad to finally use the word "prognosticator"

DF · Jul 29, 2025

George Mann said:
Don't expect anything from Kodak or Fuji. Neither company cares enough about us slide film shooters to invest in new slide film emusions.

It is inexcusable that Kodak hasn't brought back Kodachrome, let alone a more saturated version of Ektachrome!

I use to hear, in its wanning days near end, that a more saturated version of Kodachrome was considered. Instead of the muddy, sometimes olive drab greens (foilage to be exact), a more vibrant Ektachrome or Velvia-like green - now that's a super film for yah!
I'd still be shooting Kodachrome 64 if still available - but hate to think how much just one roll would $$cost? That's one reason it's not around...

ChrisGalway · Jul 29, 2025

paddycook said:
The problem is the present version isn't neutral. It's just a mass of blue everywhere you look - blue highlights, blue shadows. It's awful. And it lacks acuity. It's nothing like the Ektachrome I remember from the 80s and 90s.

Well I agree with you ... that's why I prefer Provia! But the Ektachrome mafia keep telling me that in fact Ektachrome is more accurate (hence my word "neutral") ...

My preference order is Provia, Velvia and Ektachrome only as a last resort!

DF · Jul 29, 2025

Taylor Nankervis said:
Ektachrome 100 saturation is fine as it is.

The problem I see time and time again is the lack of applied skill by photographers in modulating a film's saturation to suit their or the scene's requirements. That applies to Velvia, Provia and E100. A polariser in specific circumstances (diffuse/overcast light) is but an easy way to provide additional punch without wishing for the camera to be loaded with RVP60 instead.

Kodak designed E100 to have a much more natural palette than Velvia, so why do you want the unique look of E100 to appear more akin to Velvia?

Velvia 50 & 100 and E100 are used regularly in all of my landscape work.
Regarding availability, we don't have such problems here in Australia sourcing Velvia, Provia or E100 (or even some obscure films); it might be a localised/(USA) supply chain problem. In any case, photographers here by and large purchase film online because of high retail mark-ups — another factor that could be impacting availability in different markets.

Just P2 RDPIII to EI400. Done.

"...so why do you want the unique look of E100 to appear more akin to Velvia?
Because there is no Velvia...

'Sure Be Nice If Ektachrome Wasn't the Only One Available...

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