Why so many color reversal quickloads?

[Francesco Gallarotti]

Hello all,
I have a quick question. I haven't bought my first LF camera yet and I am trying to understand better which type of films are available and what different solutions are offered for 4x5 LF photography.
While browsing a Quickload catalog online I noticed that most color quickloads are color reversal films. Is there a particular reason for this? I don't think people use projectors for them so I can only think that printing would be harder with them, right? I was in fact expecting to find only color negatives and was very surprised.
Could you shed some light on this aspect and explain what people do with their 4x5 "slides"? Are they been used essentially only for scanning purposes?

Thanks,
Francesco

[Walter Calahan]

I suggest you go see a quickload holder in person.

[Francesco Gallarotti]

How is that relevant? I will look at one soon (couple of months) but this comment doesn't help me understand why there are more chromes than color negs. Can you be more specific?
Thanks?

[Gene McCluney]

Of course. Glad to explain. The 4x5 format has been the "standard" size of color transparency for commercial and advertising photography for many decades. These jumbo "slides" are scanned and reproduced as part of magazine, catalog and poster art. They are big enough that the client can view the images without a loupe on a light table.
Since 4x5 color transparency film was (and still is, to a limited extent) so universally used for commercial work, the film manufacturers of transparency film (Fuji and Kodak) offered many choices. Most color commercial work (not Weddings and Portraits) was for decades produced on 4x5 or 8x10 color transparencies, as they are big enough to evaluate on the light table, and they do not require proofing (proof sheets).

The Quickload format of 4x5 was very appealing to commercial photographers, as they did not have to preload and carry multiple film holders on a location shoot. The fact that a Quickload is more expensive than individual sheets of 4x5 film is of no concern to a photographer who is going to bill the client for all the film used.

[Gene McCluney]

Large-format color transparencies are excellent to use if you are going to scan and print by digital media. So, you shouldn't let the fact that they are not negatives influence your use, if you intend to scan for print.

[Francesco Gallarotti]

Of course. Glad to explain. The 4x5 format has been the "standard" size of color transparency for commercial and advertising photography for many decades. These jumbo "slides" are scanned and reproduced as part of magazine, catalog and poster art. They are big enough that the client can view the images without a loupe on a light table.
Since 4x5 color transparency film was (and still is, to a limited extent) so universally used for commercial work, the film manufacturers of transparency film (Fuji and Kodak) offered many choices. Most color commercial work (not Weddings and Portraits) was for decades produced on 4x5 or 8x10 color transparencies, as they are big enough to evaluate on the light table, and they do not require proofing (proof sheets).

The Quickload format of 4x5 was very appealing to commercial photographers, as they did not have to preload and carry multiple film holders on a location shoot. The fact that a Quickload is more expensive than individual sheets of 4x5 film is of no concern to a photographer who is going to bill the client for all the film used.

Thank you for the explanation. It does make a lot of sense.
Please read my comment below to better understand my surprise.

Large-format color transparencies are excellent to use if you are going to scan and print by digital media. So, you shouldn't let the fact that they are not negatives influence your use, if you intend to scan for print.

I have pretty much only used Provia and Velvia chromes on my Hasselblad since the day I purchased and I absolutely love the results.

But while discussing with some photographers online I was told that I was mistaken to be using chromes since the dynamic range they allow is pretty shallow (even less than digital?) and they all told me to switch to color negs. And, those comments were from all medium format users.

Hence I thought that even more LF user would be stressing about quality and dynamic range and therefore never use chromes and prefer to them b&w and color negs. Especially since bracketing in LF can get to be very expensive!

Thanks for your clarifications though. And by the way I am pretty happy to see my favorite film available in QL!! Now if only they had some Fuji Fortia 50 :-) I love that film!

[Alan Davenport]

Chromes are sexier than negatives. That's it in a nutshell.

[Francesco Gallarotti]

Chromes are sexier than negatives. That's it in a nutshell.

I didn't know LF photographers spoke like that LOL... I thought it was a group of uptight landscape photographers just worried about perfect exposure and nailing the right ZONE... ;-)

Totally agree with you, by the way!

[Gene McCluney]

Transparencies ARE contrastier than color negatives, This makes them look punchier. Some films such as Velvia have no counterparts in other media.

[Gene McCluney]

Thank you for the explanation. It does make a lot of sense.
Please read my comment below to better understand my surprise.



I have pretty much only used Provia and Velvia chromes on my Hasselblad since the day I purchased and I absolutely love the results.

But while discussing with some photographers online I was told that I was mistaken to be using chromes since the dynamic range they allow is pretty shallow (even less than digital?) and they all told me to switch to color negs. And, those comments were from all medium format users.

Hence I thought that even more LF user would be stressing about quality and dynamic range and therefore never use chromes and prefer to them b&w and color negs. Especially since bracketing in LF can get to be very expensive!

Thanks for your clarifications though. And by the way I am pretty happy to see my favorite film available in QL!! Now if only they had some Fuji Fortia 50 :-) I love that film!

Commercial photographers, like myself use various key, background and fill lights to bring the contrast ratio into what we want on the transparency. Outside, we use reflectors, or we shoot, previsualizing what the transparency will look like. A long tonal scale is not all there is, and a long tonal scale image can look flat.