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Thread: Velvia user giving Astia a try

  1. #1

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    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    I primarily use Velvia 50 and Velvia 100f for landscapes ( I don't like the reds in Velvia 100). Of course I love the deep saturated colors I get especially when it is cloudy. However, I'm interested in getting better neutral colors and a wider contrast range. Thus, I may try some Astia. My question for photoshop users is why not always use Astia and just adjust color saturation in photoshop? When has Astia not been the right film despite having control with an image editor?

  2. #2
    Jack Flesher's Avatar
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    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    My question for photoshop users is why not always use Astia and just adjust color saturation in photoshop?

    That is precisely what I do. IMO Astia is great to scan due to its broader latitude and then the contrast and saturation can be easily pumped later in PS to suit.
    Jack Flesher

    www.getdpi.com

  3. #3
    Michael E. Gordon
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    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    I do always use Astia Astia is not the 'right' film when high contrast in the scene dictates NPS.

  4. #4

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    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    I wonder if some of the reason might be the view of Photoshop by a particular target market?

    The reason I ask is because about 80-90 percent of people that have purchased prints from me have asked whether or not the image was modified in Photoshop. I'm sure this isn't the case everywhere, but the large majority of people I've spoken to look very negatively upon color modification/enhancement. It's frustrating for me, in that I sometimes don't take a lot of images when it isn't possible to obscure the undesirable scenery (powerlines, etc), because of the fear of people calling my images "manipulated".

    If you haven't noticed this kind of issue, then I would say go for it! Every time I have used Astia, I have been very pleased, although, 95% of my displayed work is on Velvia or Provia.

    Cheers,

    Ben C

    http://www.benchasephoto.com

  5. #5
    Daniel Geiger
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    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    I gave Astia 100 and Astia 100F a try for landscapes. The greens are horrible in my opinion. I mainly shoot Provia 100F and like a lot. I recently did some comparisons with Velvia 100 (nonF), and found it very similar to Provia 100F, just the shaddows get darker, while highlights stay the same at same exposure. I would give Provia a try before going Astia, but given that you don't like Velvia 100, chances are you won't like Provia 100F either. So Astia or some Ektachrome may be your film.

  6. #6

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    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    I agree with Daniel Geiger. I tried Astia 100F for landscapes and was disappointed. As a Velvia shooter, I'm sure you know the joy of dropping a well exposed Velvia tranny on the light table. It takes your breath away, doesn't it? Compared to Velvia, Astia's colors look washed out to me and, like Daniel, I don't care for Astia's greens.

    When I tried Astia I also thought I could just bump the saturation in Photoshop but it didn't turn out to be quite that simple. I still haven't successfully made an Astia slide look like Velvia. Close but not quite. Of course, my Photoshop skills are pretty weak. It's likely other people have had better results.

    Again, I agree with Daniel, if the light isn't right for Velvia, give Provia 100F a try.

    Cheers,
    Never is always wrong; always is never right.

    www.LostManPhoto.com
    www.MarkStahlkePhotography.com

  7. #7
    tim atherton's Avatar
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    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    I'll be truly glad the day Fuji dumps Velveeta

    Astia is a far better film for landscapes - it's about working in colour rather than working with colours
    You'd be amazed how small the demand is for pictures of trees... - Fred Astaire to Audrey Hepburn

    www.photo-muse.blogspot.com blog

  8. #8
    tim atherton's Avatar
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    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    btw - a lot of Chris Jordan's work recently was done with Velvia 8x10 (and Portra sometimes as well) I think
    You'd be amazed how small the demand is for pictures of trees... - Fred Astaire to Audrey Hepburn

    www.photo-muse.blogspot.com blog

  9. #9

    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    Hi, I have just tried Astia 100F in QuickLoads and, I have to admit, that greens had a bit of a light yellowish tint and were otherwise drab, in my opinion. However, pastel hues in dawn and sunrise exposures were very good. My staple film is Kodak E100VS and, after having seen my first 10 transparencies in 8X10 using this film, well, I am a happy camper. I use "A and I" to process all my transparencies.

  10. #10

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    Velvia user giving Astia a try

    If one desires a lower contrast, lower color saturation film in order to achieve wider exposure latitude, my suggestion would be to go all the way and use print film (I've used 160VC and most recently Pro 160S). Astia has roughly a half stop more latitude than Provia, which in turn has roughly a half stop more latitude than Velvia. Print film on the other hand will give you roughly two more stops of latitude than Astia while providing similar color saturation. And if one is concerned about film grain, Pro 160S has such a small grain structure that I can't imagine it causing any type of problems.

    For my landscape work, I use Velvia or E100VS (for overcast conditions or the first few minutes after sunrise or before sunset), Provia (for moderate contrast scenes) or print film (high contrast scenes). For me, Astia ended up being a bit of a tweener, which is the only reason I don't use it; it is an excellent film and has performed well when I have used it.

    The only concern I have about using Photoshop to increase saturation or contrast is that, if you use a low contrast film on a low contrast scene, the film may not record as much texture (the so-called "micro contrast") as desired, and you can't create texture in Photoshop that wasn't recorded on film in the first place. That's why I try to match film stock to the particular contrast or color saturation requirements of each shot. But that's just my preference; a lot of folks have found Astia just right for their needs, and have produced absolutely stunning work (Chris Jordan is a case in point).

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