Film Choices?

[Stephanie Brim]

So I'll be taking photos at the amusement park tomorrow and, while I figure I have the necessities covered, I want some opinions.

2 rolls of Velvia are going with me to be used for mid-day shots and also shots where I want vibrant color.

2 rolls of TMax 100 are going with me to be used for your typical candid photography.

2 rolls of Fuji Superia 100 are going with me to screw around with because it was cheap.

2 rolls of Pan-F are going with me because it's cool for candid portraits, ultra slow, and I'm shooting it at 100 and dipping it in Diafine.

I realize that I won't use more than 1 roll of each thing, but I figured taking more would allow me to waste part of a roll if I had to.

I'm also taking two cameras: A Canonet and my Canon P. Fresh battery is in the Canonet and I have an exposure chart for use with the Canon P so that I don't accidently f*** something up.

Anything else that I should bring with me? We're not staying past 5 PM (damn my luck) so no night shots will be done or anything. I'll get those at the fair next weekend.

 

[Al Patterson]

Film Choices, next two trips.

Film Choices, next two trips.

I'm going out to East Broad Top on Saturday to shoot some railfan pics. I'm taking the CL and a roll of TMax 100. When I go to New Mexico later this month, I'm taking Tri-X and Plus-X. Which one I use will depend on the weather when I get there.

I also like Ilford XP2, but I'm having trouble finding it around here.

 

[phototone]

I find it difficult to "shift gears" and optimise my vision for different film types over one photo day of personal photography. With choices, I tend to think about the choices instead of making good images. Some of the most interesting photographers have zeroed in on one film, and made all of their images with this film, and they got to know the film intimately.

If I go out to shoot, I will pick what I wish to use -for the whole day-. The only variation on this, is if I load one camera body with Color Transparency film, and one with B/W.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

2 rolls of Pan-F are going with me because it's cool for candid portraits, ultra slow, and I'm shooting it at 100 and dipping it in Diafine.

Eeep! Why not just use FP4+, rate it at 100 (like you would Pan-F for developing in Diafine) and develop w/D76 1:1 or Rodinal 1:50 if you want delicious tones? Pan-F in Diafine will give it a grain that will negate the reason for having used Pan-F in the first place! Then again, that's just me, perhaps you have a very specific reason for doing this.

Other than that, what I would suggest is that you pack Fuji Xtra 400 or 800; you never know when you're going to be indoors wanting to shoot wide open.

And oh my oh my oh my! The f-iddily word! 😉

 

[wlewisiii]

Hmm. Those are some interesting 😀 choices. I really think that, from the sound of the outing, the Velvia and the Pan-F seem out of place. You have no lattitude to speak of with the Velvia (some shots will be FUBAR) and the Pan-F is almost as ugly as the Delta films in Diafine... which, unfortunately I know from experiance 🙁

For what you have described of the outing and given the equipment you'll be using, I'd go with color print film instead of the slide film - Fuji Superia if wanting 400 or Reala if wanting 100. Then, since I use Diafine for my B&W developement too, I'd take Plus-X and rate it at 400. That is a simply fantastic combination in Diafine on a nice sunny day. Absolutely yummy.

Now, I realize some of this is predicated by what you have at hand as well as by personal preferences. But I'd especially ask if you've tried Pan-F in Diafine yet as they really don't play nice together. I'm really not sure why, but Tri-X and Plus-X handle Diafine better than any other films I've tried. Even simply taking more Tmax would give you, I believe, much nicer shots in the end.

Hope this blather is of some use,

William