How to get M8 colors to be more like Velvia, Provia or Astia?

drjoke said:
I like the resolution and convenience, but the colors cannot beat slide film (in my subjective opinion). There are many plugins out there (Eye Candy Exposure 2). I use Aperture mainly. What do you guys do? Even searching for M8 pictures on Flickr results in images that look very digital.
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You could try DXO Film Pack:

http://www.dxo.com/intl/photo/filmpack/overview

I found their Velvia too garish, but here were are talking personal taset anyway.

What I like is that indeed you can get away from the flat brownish product most digital camera's turn out as standard
 
Find out from Fuji how they did it?

Find out from Fuji how they did it?

In the name of the new Finepix S100FS, the FS stands for "film simulation". The camera has functions to create images that look like Velvia, Provia, Astia and others. I am sure for a modest amount from Leica they would sell their ideas. But, the camera sells for under $800, and has a host of other features Fujifilm has had great success with.

I'd just buy the camera, or as mentioned, shoot Velvia, Provia or Astia in one of the six Fuji film camera's I use.
 
There are some Photoshop plugins with presets for at least some of these film types. I have one that is freeware - I think it is called "virtual photographer." You may wish to give it a go. http://www.optikvervelabs.com/ There are also many more presets you can download from another page the same site. (there is a link on the main page) The thing I have learned in several years of digitial photo shooting is that post processing is everything Without a considerable amount of work in Photoshop after downloading digital shots are very lacking. Although different cameras can give somewhat different results in their out of the camera images (I shoot mainly a NIkon D70s and a Panasonic L1) they still need considerable tweaking to get them I want them. I imagine someone has some PS actions that you could download specifically to give a specific film "look." generally though I just experiment till I egt what I want.

But in general I would be a little critical of M8 photos for another reason . When I look at M8 shots on Flickr etc there is a certain "sameness" about almost all of them. But this may be as much about the M8 being seen as a "street shooter" and many users just shoot close in head and body shots in over contrasted black and white. Supported of course by the fact that Leica M lenses tend all to be below 90mm with none longer than 135mm.

I was only thinking the other day as I looked over some shots on the net, that there are VERY few M8 shots I have seen that I would look at and say "that is special, I wish I had done that." On the other hand there are many photos shot with other digitals (SLRs) where I can and do think that.
 
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peterm1 said:
There are some Photoshop plugins with presets for at least some of these film types. I have one that is freeware - I think it is called "virtual photographer." You may wish to give it a go. http://www.optikvervelabs.com/ There are also many more presets you can download from another page the same site. (there is a link on the main page) The thing I have learned in several years of digitial photo shooting is that post processing is everything Without a considerable amount of work in Photoshop after downloading digital shots are very lacking. Although different cameras can give somewhat different results in their out of the camera images (I shoot mainly a NIkon D70s and a Panasonic L1) they still need considerable tweaking to get them I want them. I imagine someone has some PS actions that you could download specifically to give a specific film "look." generally though I just experiment till I egt what I want.

But in general I would be a little critical of M8 photos for another reason . When I look at M8 shots on Flickr etc there is a certain "sameness" about almost all of them. But this may be as much about the M8 being seen as a "street shooter" and many users just shoot close in head and body shots in over contrasted black and white. Supported of course by the fact that Leica M lenses tend all to be below 90mm with none longer than 135mm.

I was only thinking the other day as I looked over some shots on the net, that there are VERY few M8 shots I have seen that I would look at and say "that is special, I wish I had done that." On the other hand there are many photos shot with other digitals (SLRs) where I can and do think that.
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Virtual Photographer is a lot of fun to play with!
 
peterm1 said:
When I look at M8 shots on Flickr etc there is a certain "sameness" about almost all of them.
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I thought the mantra here on RFF was that the camera didn't matter. Is your observation only applicable to M8 shots on Flickr?


"::sigh::"



The funny thing is, no matter what you shoot, somebody will come up which has a personal preference which cannot understand it. Cat shooters will deride street photographers, and street photographers will deride flower shooters. Etc. etc. etc.


I'll go and reflect on the unkumbayaness of absolutists:

 
It's not just jacking up saturation that will blow colors out to the limit.

But it's more like the deepness of colors.

I cannot really explain it. I wish I could.
 
color curves. digital sensors are sensitive to light in a linear way where film has s shaped curve sensitivities. That's about as much as I know in color land, but for b&w it's a similar deal, you have to apply a bit of s-curve action to b&w files to get rid of the flatness, not just a simple contrast or saturation deal.

and where the deuce is jaapv on this thread? his color shots are stunning.
 
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I thought the mantra here on RFF was that the camera didn't matter. Is your observation only applicable to M8 shots on Flickr?

I think its quite a bit more prevalent with M8 shots, at least thats my feeling. What I was getting at was that I suppose (being fair to the photographers) M cameras are great but they have limits. Those limits encourage people to shoot certain kinds of shots. (And also perhaps more M shooters by comparison with those using other kinds of camera, fancy themselves to be Cartier Bresson of Capa or something of this sort so they limit themselves by their preference and choice.) I am an M shooter myself (M4P that is) and I guess if I am being honest, I too tend to shoot certain types of photos when using an M rather than when using an SLR.

So when I look at M8 photos I too often see similar characteristics. Informal and situational portraits, street shots looking for the decisive moment etc OR worse still, the kind of photos camera buffs take when they are trying to prove how great their lenses are or what fantastic boke it has - boring shots of a potplant or the family cat. (Sorry if it sounds harsh.)
 
peterm1 said:
So when I look at M8 photos I too often see similar characteristics. Informal and situational portraits, street shots looking for the decisive moment etc OR worse still, the kind of photos camera buffs take when they are trying to prove how great their lenses are or what fantastic boke it has - boring shots of a potplant or the family cat. (Sorry if it sounds harsh.)
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So you're ascribing the majority of owners' photo and processing skills squarely on the M8, not on...emm...the majority of said owners' photo and processing skills. Hmmm.

Funny how this argument is used as a negative and it's ok, but when used as a positive, a good chunk of RFF semi-regulars blast it as elitism. 😱


Here's a photo that's evidently taken with an M8:

Nico2.jpg
 
Just wonder what you all think of this image from the standpoint of color, especially reds and greens. Taken at the 4th of July parade in Montpelier, VT, overcast day, M8, 85/3.5 VC Apo-Lanthar (S-mount with converter), processed in CS3.

If this image's color interests anyone, I'll be happy to explicate.
 

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It doesn't work.

You might get the colors close to film but you'll never be able to replicate the texture which digital simply does not have.

The best option with digital is really high-end DSLRs and high-end lenses - that gets you close but still the texture won't be there.

You might ask what is this texture that I'm talking about? Well, check photos of Alex Webb on magnum website.
 
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