The last batch of 8x10 Velvia 50

[David R Munson]

I doubt he's using Velvia, but Jock Sturges definitely shoots a ton of 8x10 chromes.

[Otto Seaman]

It's the photo equivalent of buying the last Twinkies....

[EOTS]

Haha Otto, Twinkies, have you seen the film "Zombieland" lately? :-)

[Drew Wiley]

Wouldn't be Burkett - Velvia 50 isn't dimensionally stable so won't hold register in the multi-masking technique he uses; and not a Ciba friendly film anyway (too
contrasty), and third, those who hold remaining stocks of Ciba must use them very judiciously - so unlikely one is going to go out there and shoot tons of finicky film
for no apparent usage. Rodney L. was mainly an Astia user. Could be some studio user for all I know ...

[Jim Becia]

Wouldn't be Burkett - Velvia 50 isn't dimensionally stable so won't hold register in the multi-masking technique he uses; and not a Ciba friendly film anyway (too
contrasty), and third, those who hold remaining stocks of Ciba must use them very judiciously - so unlikely one is going to go out there and shoot tons of finicky film
for no apparent usage. Rodney L. was mainly an Astia user. Could be some studio user for all I know ...

Drew,

That simply is not true. While I am no expert on Ilfochrome printing, Burkett's website clearly states that he uses Fuji Provia and Velvia 50 exclusively. The Velvia 50 being used in the less contrasty situations. And much of his work is exactly that, overcast light on his scenes. Also, several long talks with the people at Andrew Smith Gallery in Santa Fe, they repeated the exact same thing, that he uses Velvia 50 quite regularly. Fatali used to use it up until E100VS came out and he masks his film for his Ilfochrome prints also. Now whether Burkett was the one is certainly just a wild guess. According to the article I read, while it was shipped from Japan to New York, it doesn't state the photographer was from NY.

[Jim Becia]

Vinny,

I read it was shipped to NY, but saw no mention of the photographer being from NY. Did I miss that?

[Brian Ellis]

Maybe he's buying them to re-sell in small lots at a profit down the road. Probably a good deal for him if he doesn't mind losing the interest on his purchase price (and who would mind at today's rates?) or paying interest on a loan, already has the storage space, and doesn't mind the wait for his return.

[Drew Wiley]

Jim - he might be using Velvia in medium format, where the choice is acetate or nothing. A lot of his recent work is MF. Trying to keep 8x10 film in register using acetate can drive one insane. Velvia 100F and Astia 100F sheet film are polyester-based, the 50 stuff and Provia are miserable triacetate. I switched to E100G
for mid-contrast trannies, supplementing this with Astia 100F, but was indeed forced to use a lot of Provia for a decade or so. I should probably just visit Burkett
someday just for fun, but otherwise discovered a lot of shortcuts in high-end Ciba work anyway, and it's all academic for me at this point - I've already switched
over to printing color negs and wouldn't go back to Ciba even if it was still around. I knew it was just a matter of time, so got a running start on a replacement.

[Corran]

That article seemed to confirm that Velvia 50 in 4x5 is GONE for real, which I have heard conflicting reports of. VERY disappointed. I need to get on eBay and start buying up as much of it as I can find - I only have 44 sheets left, 40 of which may be ruined from heat on shipping.

[dsphotog]

Whoever it is, they must also be assured of a long term supply of E-6 chemistry.