color film for vacation

[Darshan]

Hi,
I searched through the film threads but couldn't come up with what I was looking for. I am going on vacation where I will get a lot of chance to shoot mainly landscapes, and I want to use color. I want to bring mostly slide film and a few color negative film - please recommend 1 in each. I use Rollei 3.5F and GA645. I am thinking of bringing Portra for the occasional portrait. Thanks.
Dan.

 

[tsiklonaut]

I'd recommend Provia 400X but since it's discontinued just recently leaves us the Provia 100F being among the most universal E6 films still left, you can almost shoot everything with it, even portraits. Excellent overall gray balance yet still has this slide "punch" with color saturation, very decent dynamic range as well - not so scanner-sensitive as i.e. Velvia.

Velvia 50 and Velvia 100 (the latter often called as "redvia" due to it's slight red-cast compared to V50) are fantastic for landscapes, but can be limiting in many occasions such as portraits or scenes with neutral colors - you can develop some problems with neutral gray tones. Visibly less DR than Provia (albeid proven in tests not so much provided you scan it elite high-end [preferrably drum-] scanner). But as said in those limited scenes when you hit the nail with the Velvia it can be stunning and nothing compares.

I normally take some 75% rolls of Provia 100F and some 25% rolls of Velvia (preferrably 50). But when I opt for lot of landscapes, it's 50% or more rolls of Velvia in my holiday's E6 film stash.

C41 films: Kodak Portra 160 and Fuji Pro400h are my favourites. One shooting portraits outdoors, the other indoors. I'm not too big fan of Ektar myself (and it does NOT replace slide film as many people claim) but can excel in certain conditions when asking for more "awkward" color compositions, i.e. graffiti, industrial bacgrounds etc where it does rather well. I personally prefer E6 film in those conditions though.

Just me 2c.

 

[De_Corday]

I really like Ektar 100, to my eye it has some of the vivid nature of E6 with the latitude of C41 film. But I'll defer to the more knowledgable folk here.

 

[02Pilot]

I considered Ektar and Portra 160 for my European trip last summer. Ended up going with Portra and I was very glad I did. While I love Ektar's colors, I found the additional latitude of Portra made nailing the exposure far less of a worry. If you're metering every shot and working deliberately, you'll be fine with Ektar, but if you're shooting on the go like I was, Portra is the more tolerant choice.

 

[De_Corday]

^Solid point. Portra has a *lot* of latitude.

 

[Darshan]

I searched some samples on flickr and found Provia to give that slight color "pop" (kind of like subdued Velvia) which I think will be great for the place that we are going to. For other instances, I guess I will take Portra and use it in my GA645. I like Ektar samples on flickr too, but I don't want to beat myself up on the film choice while on vacation.

 

[kyonthinh]

I used Ektar, then changed to Provia and never look back, especially in medium format when the bigger slide shines. Man it's great!

 

[Gregoyle]

I searched some samples on flickr and found Provia to give that slight color "pop" (kind of like subdued Velvia) which I think will be great for the place that we are going to. For other instances, I guess I will take Portra and use it in my GA645. I like Ektar samples on flickr too, but I don't want to beat myself up on the film choice while on vacation.

If you are a ColorPerfect user or reasonably good at scanning, I wouldn't put too much stock in what you see on Flickr as far as color film goes. Ektar is one of the more finicky C41 films to scan, and many people on Flickr don't put too much effort into their scanning (witness all the faded scans of punchy films).

-Greg

 

[philcycles]

I use Velvia 50 in my Hasselblad and Rolleiflex.
Works great but I shoot a lot in the Southwest.

 

[Darshan]

I have 1 Velvia 50 which I intend to use.
Also bringing Arista Premium 100 & Tri-X for 35mm.

 

[thegman]

I would tend to go with Portra 400 and Velvia. Portra 400 is forgiving, fast, and a great all rounder. Velvia will give striking results in the right circumstances (think sunset/sunrise/dusk/dawn).

Velvia is one of the few films that captures a real intensity of colour, yes, it's saturated, but so are a lot of real life scenes.

I think you're right not to overthink it though, you are there to enjoy yourself after all, have a great holiday.

 

[Bingley]

I considered Ektar and Portra 160 for my European trip last summer. Ended up going with Portra and I was very glad I did. While I love Ektar's colors, I found the additional latitude of Portra made nailing the exposure far less of a worry. If you're metering every shot and working deliberately, you'll be fine with Ektar, but if you're shooting on the go like I was, Portra is the more tolerant choice.

This has been my experience, too. Portra 160 for the beach and landscapes, Portra 400 for town.

 

[segedi]

Yep, this is what I would go for too.
But remember to change the ISO if your camera doesn't do it for you.

I would tend to go with Portra 400 and Velvia. Portra 400 is forgiving, fast, and a great all rounder. Velvia will give striking results in the right circumstances (think sunset/sunrise/dusk/dawn).

Velvia is one of the few films that captures a real intensity of colour, yes, it's saturated, but so are a lot of real life scenes.

I think you're right not to overthink it though, you are there to enjoy yourself after all, have a great holiday.

 

[Moto-Uno]

Have used Provia 100F for my medium and large format gear and marvel at the slides when I believe I've nailed it. However , just today I got back my first Portra 400 in 4x5 and I've discovered another ( rather tolerant , if you were there,you'd understand) favourite.
Peter

 

[thegman]

Yep, this is what I would go for too.
But remember to change the ISO if your camera doesn't do it for you.

Indeed, I've forgotten that enough times...

 

[Darshan]

Ordered some Provia and Portra from freestyle today, would love to experiment with both and see what I prefer in the end.

On a different note, I gotta praise this RFF community for always being out there to extend a helping hand. I am joining back after a couple of years (been busy with a big move, new house, 2 jobs, growing kids etc) and the atmosphere is still as warm. Keep up the good work.. Hoping to give my cameras a really good work out in the coming months and years.

Dan.

 

[kiss-o-matic]

I'd recommend Provia 400X but since it's discontinued just recently leaves us the Provia 100F being among the most universal E6 films still left,

I think Amazon has some left at about $20 a pop. It's still available here... I'm about to buy a lot before it's gone forever. [knocks on wood].