Why do you shoot colour reversal film?

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ChrisGalway

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I'm curious to know why people shoot colour reversal film. After all, it's more expensive than colour negative film, less latitude perhaps, there's very little choice (3-4 options, ISO100 or ISO50) and it is not as easy to get hold of (especially Fuji).

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.)
Are you darkroom printing them (surely not ... Cibachrome is long gone)?
Are you scanning them, and if so, what's the advantage over scanning CN film?
If you are home processing, do you prefer transparency film because of the pleasure of unwinding the film at the end and seeing those beautiful jewels? (I never tire of this, it's so rewarding!)
Or is it just for the fun of taking slides, after all, this is a hobby isn't it?

To be clear, nearly all of my colour analogue photos are transparencies (Provia 100f, 6x6cm). I take medium format stereo photos and view them in an LED-illuminated high-quality optical viewer ... the realism is amazing. Even the latest digital OLED displays (e.g. in Apple's Vision One) do not match the combination of dynamic range, colour fidelity and resolution of a properly exposed and processed medium format colour transparency. So I use transparency film for it's "display" properties ... as regards its "taking" properties I wish it had a higher ISO speed, ISO100 is a bit limiting (although Provia easily pushes to ISO200 with little obvious degradation).

It's only my curiosity!
 

Steven Lee

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Well... pretty much what you already said. Scanning slides is 100% pointless, but every once in a while I want that raw slide viewing experience you've described. It's like consuming extremely spicy food. Don't want to do it daily, but the cravings come every once in a while. For me it's one 5-roll pack of 6x6 per year.
 

mshchem

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I love E6, I shoot medium format 6x6 for slides, 35mm for slides, 6x17 for the joy. E6 is way easier for me to scan as the software I use recognizes the colors.

I shoot color negative film to print in the dark.
 

ntenny

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I’d disagree that scanning slides is pointless. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve found that slides scan much more easily than C-41, and the results typically look better. With more time invested I might get the hang of correcting for the different C-41 stocks out there, but I’d rather spend that time shooting and printing instead of messing with the scanner.

-NT
 

koraks

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I don't, anymore...but back when I did, I did so because (1) slides are really magic, (2) the colors were pretty much always awesome and (3) pretty much nothing beats a projected slide. Just beautiful.
But the combination of exposure latitude, lack of darkroom printing options, cost of the material and the somewhat complex processing turned me away from the whole thing.
 
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I love Velvia 50 color palette. Unfortunately, it's been discontinued in large format for 4x5" and greater. I find that color negative film is harder to scan. Also, I like to bracket, especially when shooting 6x7 medium format film in difficult lighting situations. So slide film tells me immediately which was exposed the best. I do scan and enjoy posting on the web or making slide shows to display on my 75" 4K-HDR color TV or desktop computer monitor. Or to be downloaded to YouTube so others can watch the slide shows. Regarding slower ISO speeds, since most of my shots are landscapes, I use a tripod that allows long exposures.
 
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