35mm Color Slide Film

It's easy to see that film choice is entirely personal preference. I am thinking of ordering this for my trip to the beach and also to Brazil.

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35mmdelux said:
For skin tone Kodachrome is really sweet, seriously.
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I've seen some good Kodachrome portraits, and also some really ruddy complexions that were pretty awful.

The main problem with it is only one lab can process it, and their quality control is lacking...and their scanning isn't that great, either.
 
JeremyLangford said:
I'll be shooting lots of things with hopefully lots of people.
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If I may ask without making it a religious question - why slide film? It can be spectacular for certain things, but it's got so little latitude...

My thought for a trip would be that I might be surprised by all kinds of conditions and I'd want to be prepared - so a more forgiving film, like good color print film - might be better.

However, good luck to you however you go, have fun.
 
I agree, if you are in a Brazilian rain forest shooting landscapes and flowers and things, you want Velvia 50; if you are at the beach shooting people, use some color neg film...
 
bmattock said:
If I may ask without making it a religious question - why slide film? It can be spectacular for certain things, but it's got so little latitude...

My thought for a trip would be that I might be surprised by all kinds of conditions and I'd want to be prepared - so a more forgiving film, like good color print film - might be better.

However, good luck to you however you go, have fun.
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I've never tried it and I'm hoping that I will be more happy with the results compared to print film. Also, I recently got a Coolscan 9000 and I feel like I will save time being able to look at the slides on a light table and then choose which ones to scan.
 
JeremyLangford said:
I've never tried it and I'm hoping that I will be more happy with the results compared to print film. Also, I recently got a Coolscan 9000 and I feel like I will save time being able to look at the slides on a light table and then choose which ones to scan.
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Well, just remember - expose for the highlights, because you can blow out highlights pretty easily with slide film, and once gone, you don't get 'em back, even with a high-end scanner. With color print film, overexposure is a bit less of a problem. And color print film has several stops more latitude than slide film, regardless of exposure.

Perhaps you might want to try it before you go?
 
On the other hand, it's easier to scan slides, you'll spend no time fiddling with colors, messing with profiles, and as you say, you can just pick the ones you want to scan from a light table. Just make sure you nail the exposure, as Bill says. :) In my case, that means (a) know the film (you may prefer to shoot slightly under or over the rated ISO but you'll only find this out by shooting) and (b) bracket.

Definitely shoot some test rolls before you go...
 
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Did somebody say demise and Kodachrome in the same sentence? Totally untrue as always.

Jeremy:

Kodachrome
Astia
Ektar 100
Fuji Pro 400 (forget the official designation) and Pro 800.

Those 4 will cover 99.9% of any situation you encounter. Personally, I would carry more negative film than slide film.

I would also be carrying a MF camera but that's another story.
 
bmattock said:
If I may ask without making it a religious question - why slide film? It can be spectacular for certain things, but it's got so little latitude...

My thought for a trip would be that I might be surprised by all kinds of conditions and I'd want to be prepared - so a more forgiving film, like good color print film - might be better.
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That was my thought as well; if it was me, I'd pack some Portra NC, and maybe a few rolls of slide film (Kodachrome in my case) for variety. A big trip isn't the time to mess around with film types you don't know well, or at all, save for the odd roll or two.

Since you mentioned photographing people a good deal, anything in Velvia is pretty much a no-no, and I'm sort of on the fence about Provia. Astia's a no-brainer here. So is E100G or E200.

These films will also be a bit less of a bear to scan. You won't have to work so hard for proper color balance, particularly with skin tones.

Simply my opinion, of course.


- Barrett
 
amateriat said:
That was my thought as well; if it was me, I'd pack some Portra NC, and maybe a few rolls of slide film (Kodachrome in my case) for variety. A big trip isn't the time to mess around with film types you don't know well, or at all, save for the odd roll or two.

Since you mentioned photographing people a good deal, anything in Velvia is pretty much a no-no, and I'm sort of on the fence about Provia. Astia's a no-brainer here. So is E100G or E200.

These films will also be a bit less of a bear to scan. You won't have to work so hard for proper color balance, particularly with skin tones.

Simply my opinion, of course.


- Barrett
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I speak from the bitter experience of overplanning a trip that I'll probably never be able to repeat, taking too much gear, film I was unfamiliar with. I learned good lessons on that one. Now I pack light, take what I know and am comfortable with. But that's just me.
 
bmattock said:
I speak from the bitter experience of overplanning a trip that I'll probably never be able to repeat, taking too much gear, film I was unfamiliar with. I learned good lessons on that one. Now I pack light, take what I know and am comfortable with. But that's just me.
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I did this exact thing last summer when I went to San Francisco. I pretty much wasted the trip fiddling with new cameras/film/techniques. Also, I definitely plan on testing out some of my Provia before this trip.
 
bmattock said:
I speak from the bitter experience of overplanning a trip that I'll probably never be able to repeat, taking too much gear, film I was unfamiliar with. I learned good lessons on that one. Now I pack light, take what I know and am comfortable with. But that's just me.
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I almost hesitate to ask the location...

When I flew to Florida two weekends ago for my Nephew's graduation, I was sort of doing a tightrope-walk, since (1) the family regarded me as Principal Photographer; (2) I was the only person shooting film (a friend of my Nephew was sporting a Nikon D300 with an above-average zoom, and the pictures he'd shown me the night I arrived proved he had a good eye...and he's only been "into" photography for about two years); and (3) I've never been to this place...University of Florida, home of the Gators.

So, I ran with what I knew: Kodak BW400CN for the bulk of the shoot; some Portra 400NC and Portra 800 for family group shots (my sister insisted on color shots for that); and two rolls of Ektar 100 for me to mess around with unde that glorious Florida sun. (Results forthcoming.)

It's fine to take along a roll or two of somthing you've never shot with before. Just make sure you've got a lot of the stuff you know well for the would-be keepers. Bill's anecdote seriusly sticks with me.


- Barrett
 
What camera will you be using? How will you meter? Slide film is not really suited for fast & loose shooting because the exposure has to be very accurate... I would personally bring only a couple of rolls of slide film.
 
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