Why do you shoot colour reversal film?

[Ivo Stunga]

Psst.
Fuji exists and it isn't a scarcity in Europe and Asia.

In another dimension Harman could make a slide film with strong lomo-esque character and improve it over the years.

 

[ChrisGalway]

I would be very interested in learning more about exactly how you take medium format stereo slides and also interested in learning more about your mediium format stereo viewer.

It could be a long story, but basically you need a camera, slide mounts and a viewer. I've attached three photos as examples. (I'd be happy to expand if you message me!). Whilst most people who shoot stereo use digital, it's still accepted by most that the most realistic immersive results are still obtained using medium format film ... at least right now, digital displays are improving all the time..

 

[ChrisGalway]

A great range of responses! More welcome.

It seems there is consensus (more of less) that you can't beat viewing slides, either in a viewer or projected. (That's certainly my view.)

There seems to be some differing views on scanning ... and I'm not qualified to comment, as I get no joy at all out of scanning, then spending ages fiddling around with the digital files. I realise that for some people this is easy, or pure bliss, or both!

As for E6 film availability into the future, I hope neither Fuji or Kodak pull the plug but surely its inevitable one day? Kodachrome? Dream on.

 

[1957ExaktaVarexIIa]

In the first moment I used slide films - back in early 80s, I did it because you didn't get reliable results when you asked a "normal" professional laboratory to make prints from C41 films. Some were too bright, others were too dark, others had unpleasant colours...

With slide film, I always knew that I myself could try to do anything to get good pictures (or mess them up ).
After some years, when I had found my favourite films, I didn't change until I stopped photography for many years in 2007: Kodachrome 25 , Ektachrome 400HC and Ektachrome P800/1600 .
I still miss all the three of them. Especially Kodachrome 25's are among the best coloured slides in my collection and much better than any coloured print I have ever seen.

And from those years on until today...

Are you viewing the slides in an optical viewer or projector? (The best viewing experience in my opinion, but "selfish" as you can only show others in person.)

Yes, I have always been loving to use the projector.

For that reason I have stopped to work in the black-and-white darkroom many years ago and have since been doing slides in black-and-white also. It's a real pleasure.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

It'd be interesting to know how many of us - BW Slide shooters and shooters + reversal madmen - are out there currently.
Somehow I suspect that the number could be higher than current E-6 shooters and DIY processing afficionados due to pricing, ever shrinking number of competent labs, and availability of film and E6 chemistry.

The best E6 kit for the job might be restricted to ship to your destination, and so on.

 

[Chan Tran]

It'd be interesting to know how many of us - BW Slide shooters and shooters + reversal madmen - are out there currently.
Somehow I suspect that the number could be higher than current E-6 shooters and DIY processing afficionados due to pricing, ever shrinking number of competent labs, and availability of film and E6 chemistry.

The best E6 kit for the job might be restricted to ship to your destination, and so on.

I have done C41 and E6 processing at home before I worked in a lab that process them. I never can do as good of a job or as cheap as the lab can. So if there is no lab I won't be shooting film.

 

[ChrisGalway]

It'd be interesting to know how many of us - BW Slide shooters and shooters + reversal madmen - are out there currently.
Somehow I suspect that the number could be higher than current E-6 shooters and DIY processing afficionados due to pricing, ever shrinking number of competent labs, and availability of film and E6 chemistry.

The best E6 kit for the job might be restricted to ship to your destination, and so on.

I've never seen any believable numbers for film users ... let alone a breakdown by type of film. I suspect there are fewer people shooting B&W slides than colour slides, because there are very few labs left who will process B&W reversal (2 or 3 in Europe?) whereas finding a lab to process E6 is easier.

Suppose 1 in 200,000 (of the whole population) shoot some colour (or B&W) slide film, that would equate to 9 people in Latvia ... how does that sound Ivo? It would be around 25 in Ireland ... that sounds way too many! I fear the real numbers might be closer to 1 in 500,000 or even 1 in a million!

In the absence of data we are just guessing of course. Kodak, Fujifilm and Harman surely have a good grasp of the numbers. As must retailers like B&H in the US and FotoImpex in Germany. Does anyone care to spill the beans?

 

[runswithsizzers]

I suspect there are fewer people shooting B&W slides than colour slides, because there are very few labs left who will process B&W reversal (2 or 3 in Europe?) whereas finding a lab to process E6 is easier.

... and, as far as I know, there are NO labs offering reversal processing for 135/120 B&W still film in North America(?) Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Back in 2018-2020 I was sending various b&w negative films to DR5 for reversal processing. The results were good, but turn-around times were very slow, often several months. Also, the owner was very rude and unpleasant. After DR5 failed as a business, I was unable to find a lab in the US doing b&w reversal processing.

I am still studying my options for doing b&w reversal processing at home, but it seems like availability of any b&w reversal processing kits is very sporadic in the US.