Color Film Sources - Early Spring Coming!

[tim atherton]

I think most of the 8x10 film at Badger is special order. Not sure how long it takes to come in

[Ed K.]

Update

It turns out that indeed, Samy's isn't planning to stock 8x10 Velvia, however Cynthia at the Pasadena Store orders every two weeks. I put in my order, and I believe tomorrow it will be placed. Film is supposed to arrive in a couple of weeks. If that's the case, then it's only a minor adjustment for now, however I'm getting a bigger fridge. This is definitely an indicator that it is wise to get stuff earlier than usual though.

[Eric Leppanen]

Ed,

I assume your order with Cynthia was for Velvia 100? I live in Orange County, and may piggy-back on your order with Samy's tomorrow. I'm looking for a higher contrast/saturation film to supplement the Provia 100F I already own. I've used E100VS in the past (Velvia 50 is too slow for me), but Velvia 100 is intriguing (even though it reportedly only comes in 10 sheet boxes).

[Ed K.]

Eric, yes - with Juan and Cynthia, Pasadena store. I ordered only 5 boxes because I wanted to see if I could get 50 sheet boxes. There are 50 sheet boxes from Megapearls, however I think shipping and all that could add up fast.

I like what Velvia 100 does in terms of saturation and contrast, especially for dusk shots and so on with it's lack of reciprocity for most conditions. Definitely not a film for shooting people though. Makes buildings in architectural shots really pop nicely, and is very capable in the reds and oranges without going magenta. Skies are more natural although still saturated. Underexposure gives surreal and disturbing superstaturation. Less exposure latitude than EPP. I find that the E100VS for me gives deep, almost surreal blue sky, however the shadows go so very cool. If Velvia 100F is a slightly more saturated Provia, I'd say Velvia 100 is an easier to shoot Velvia 50, and maybe 1/3 of a sort of Provia feel in it, if that makes sense. I'm especially happy with it when I shoot things that are very rich in color to begin with. In 8x10, the Velvia 100 is amazingly sharp and smooth. I like Provia too as a general purpose chrome. The Velvia 100 is a great partner to it for exactly the reasons you state. My lab processes them both just fine too.

If you haven't shot the stuff, you probably should not order a bunch of it - just enough to see how it suits you. It is avaialble in 4x5 Quickloads - you could test a couple of 4x5 sheets. Too bad they don't just open up a "take one free" box for samples! I'd like that better than the candy jar most shops have on the counter.

Hope this helps.

[robc]

I would suggest asking those who have spent a lot of time and effort telling us that supply of large format film is not going to be a problem in the forseable future.

[Eric Leppanen]

Thanks, Ed. I actually was thinking of ordering fifty sheets too. I'm sure it will be fine for me, I'm not especially sensitive to differences in color rendition for my landscape shots. We'll see what box size they come up with!

[David Fisk]

In addition to Samys in Pasadena, try AIM just around the corner and up a block on Marengo.

[Ed K.]

Nice people to be sure, but no 8x10 in that Fridge ever that I've seen. 4x5 and especially roll film are another matter. AIM is no longer open until nine, and is closed most of the weekend these days too. Gone are the late nights.

[Philip_5765]

Calumet in LA has Provia in stock and EPP as well as a bunch of boxes of 8x10 Velvia 50 for 300 bucks. What else do you need?

[bglick]

Did B&H stop stocking 8x10 Velvia?