understanding velvia; metering, contrast and color

If you can find one, this book covers Ilfochrome printing. (originally Cibachrome), but doesn’t cover E6 film developing.

Complete Guide to Cibachrome Printing (HP photobooks)

ISBN 10: 0895861763
ISBN 13: 9780895861764
Authors: Peter Krause - Henry Shull

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Cibachrome-Printing-Krause/dp/0871650576

hrst said:

What?! You seem to have a very own definition for EV -- or dynamic range, for that matter. Are you sure you are not speaking about Dmax, a totally different subject? Though, the Dmax is not 3.67, but nearer to 3.5, but I cannot figure out any other number that is even close to your 3.67. For log H, on the other hand, 3.67 is too much for any slide film for any purpose.

Click to expand...

I think Stevie referred to 3.67 EV above middle gray before burning highlights, that is, you measure your highlights (the brightest part of the frame where you would consider a failure if you had no detail) and you open 3.6 stops at the very most. That's consistent with characteristic curves indicating a (total) dynamic between 6 and 7 stops.

The only thing he could mean that would make sense is what Diapositivo said. Stevie Duncan must have been referring to where the loss of texture occurs on either the high or the low side of middle gray (I'm not sure which side he was talking about), but not to the entire dynamic range.

Even so, 3-2/3 stops seems like quite a lot of headroom above middle gray, or below it, with Velvia. I would say that the film (ISO 50 version) "feels" to me like it has perhaps 5-6 stops dynamic range at most. That is an informal judgment, and I may draw the line for the edge of texture in a different spot than others do. But IME, Velvia 50 really is just a stop or so better than Fuji FP100C, which is very narrow-ranged (about 4-5 stops, informally judged by me). Velvia 50 is pretty much the only film I make use of instant prints for, using FP100C. The Fuji instant material gives you a pretty fair idea of how the tones will fall on Velvia 50, though the FP100C is a bit more contrasty.

Well, I will simply report on what I have seen in Kodak's literature. For years, Kodak recommended a scene lighting ratio of 3:1 for transparency work. I beleive that assumes the use of reflectors, lights, strobes, etc., for carefully managed light. I do not know where one would normally find light like that out-of-doors without some serious lighting setup. IIRC, that translates into ~1.6 stops. It probably represents a figure that would allow for just enough shadow to make things interesting without straining transparency film.