Which Velvia for forest scenes

[anchored]

I'm a fairly heavy user of Velvia, and stock all three. The only other color film I stock and shoot is Provia 100F and Fuji Tungsten 64. My opinions of the different three Velvias (only by personal feelings, with no data for backup):

Velvia 50: Best for general colors in excellent lighting. My go-to Velvia for sunrise and sunsets and colorful scenes. Only use it when light conditions are perfect. Excellect rendition of blues and greens... a bit too hard saturation pushes on reds and yellows.

Velvia 100: I use it when light conditions aren't quite as perfect (but still doesn't do well with harsh lighting). Saturation kicks not quite as hard as Velvia 50, especially in reds and yellows.

Velvia 100F: Dreadful for green scenes (the green-tones are off-yellow). The best film there is for predominantly blue scenes. More docile than V50 for reds and yellows. I never use it for forest-type shots.

When lighting is perfect and/or I want a saturation boost, I usually shoot Velvia 50 or 100. When lighting is perfect and the scene is heavy in blues I shoot Velvia 100F. For most other conditions I personally reach for Provia. I've tried Astia and like it for pastel-toned scenes, but have never developed a heavy liking for it in other conditions.

Disclaimer: Personal opinions all the above.....

[Don Dudenbostel]

Sorry, but I gave up on velvia a while back. Too contrasty and a short scale. I find Astia a bit more forgiving and it scans well, too.

Exactly my feelings too. Velvia is just too contrasty and easily blocks shadows and blows highlights out. My Fuji rep turned me onto Astia and told me it is designed to be scanned. Yes its lower contrast and saturation but its much easier to add color and contrast after scanning rather than try to pull contrast down in a contrasty transparency. You can't add detail/information where it doesn't exist as in blocked shadows or blown out highlights. E100vs gives the extra color saturation without boosting contrast. E100 films are superb. I have been a big fan of the E100 films and Provia for years when shooting commercial work on film. I've shot quite a few thousand rolls and sheets of each.

[Jim Becia]

Sorry, but I gave up on velvia a while back. Too contrasty and a short scale. I find Astia a bit more forgiving and it scans well, too.

Without stepping on anyone's toes here, I think that Velvia is a wonderful film as long as it is used under the right conditions. And when used in the right conditions, it is extraordinary. Yes, it will block up shadows and blow highlights in the wrong conditions, but then I don't use it at those times. I personally find Astia the "ugliest" film I've ever used. To me it had a sickly cast that turned me off of the film. I will have three or four films with me when shooting to handle different lighting situations - Velvia 50, Velvia 100F, Provia or E100G, and E100VS. Please note, I like transparency films and continue to use them. I guess I'm addicted to looking at transparencies on a light table and getting them scanned when I want to print. I think it's important to understand how the films work and how they relate to the conditions in which you are working. In my case, I don't use just one lens and I don't use just one film. Your mileage may vary. Jim

[gnuyork]

Why not try Portra 160NC? I really like having the latitude of neg film and the portra properly scanned is breathtakingly high quality... If you need more contrast, then its very easy to add in later on?

I also will make a case for E100VS and EPP. both are easier to work with than velvia.

I did just shoot some E100VS, but have not had it processed yet, so I can't tell how I did with it. I do shoot this regularly in 35mm though and I have great results with it.

I have never shot Velvia in any format, and I want to give it a try.

[gnuyork]

IAnd I don't really get why you'd use the 50 ASA. The 100 (non-F) has equal, if not better, grain/sharpness and you get the extra stop.

I've never used any version of Velvia, hence my asking in this thread. I really don't see the trouble of long exposures. I can see wind may be an issue, but it's something I can wait out if I had to. I am used to MUCH longer exposures with my pinhole cameras.

I am more concerned with the differences between the overall look of the films, particularly greens. I was reading more into this on photo.net, and most concur that the 50 ISO has more of a warmer glow to it. I even saw some examples of the same shot with ISO 100 and ISO 50 velvia and in most examples I saw, I liked the 50ISO better, however I did not have a problem with the 100 either.

[gnuyork]

I'm a fairly heavy user of Velvia, and stock all three. The only other color film I stock and shoot is Provia 100F and Fuji Tungsten 64. My opinions of the different three Velvias (only by personal feelings, with no data for backup):

Velvia 50: Best for general colors in excellent lighting. My go-to Velvia for sunrise and sunsets and colorful scenes. Only use it when light conditions are perfect. Excellect rendition of blues and greens... a bit too hard saturation pushes on reds and yellows.

Velvia 100: I use it when light conditions aren't quite as perfect (but still doesn't do well with harsh lighting). Saturation kicks not quite as hard as Velvia 50, especially in reds and yellows.

Velvia 100F: Dreadful for green scenes (the green-tones are off-yellow). The best film there is for predominantly blue scenes. More docile than V50 for reds and yellows. I never use it for forest-type shots.

When lighting is perfect and/or I want a saturation boost, I usually shoot Velvia 50 or 100. When lighting is perfect and the scene is heavy in blues I shoot Velvia 100F. For most other conditions I personally reach for Provia. I've tried Astia and like it for pastel-toned scenes, but have never developed a heavy liking for it in other conditions.

Disclaimer: Personal opinions all the above.....

Thanks for your assessment. This is helpful. And actually thanks to everyone else who chimed in as well. I think maybe I will get a couple of 10 sheet boxes of both 50 and 100 and give each a shot.

[AFSmithphoto]

I'm a fairly heavy user of Velvia, and stock all three. The only other color film I stock and shoot is Provia 100F and Fuji Tungsten 64. My opinions of the different three Velvias (only by personal feelings, with no data for backup):

Velvia 50: Best for general colors in excellent lighting. My go-to Velvia for sunrise and sunsets and colorful scenes. Only use it when light conditions are perfect. Excellect rendition of blues and greens... a bit too hard saturation pushes on reds and yellows.

Velvia 100: I use it when light conditions aren't quite as perfect (but still doesn't do well with harsh lighting). Saturation kicks not quite as hard as Velvia 50, especially in reds and yellows.

Velvia 100F: Dreadful for green scenes (the green-tones are off-yellow). The best film there is for predominantly blue scenes. More docile than V50 for reds and yellows. I never use it for forest-type shots.

When lighting is perfect and/or I want a saturation boost, I usually shoot Velvia 50 or 100. When lighting is perfect and the scene is heavy in blues I shoot Velvia 100F. For most other conditions I personally reach for Provia. I've tried Astia and like it for pastel-toned scenes, but have never developed a heavy liking for it in other conditions.

Disclaimer: Personal opinions all the above.....

I'm a die hard Velvia fanatic and pretty much agree with everything said in this quote, but I'm a little more partial to the 100f and FAR more partial than the rest of the thread seems to be.

In my opinion its got the tightest grain of ANY of the Velvia films (Not really an issue for 4x5 though) and the BEST lattitude by about a stop. I've never done hard a-b testing on it so take my two cents for what they're worth. I typically use it where most would use Provia but you want that super blue sky that velvia tends to nail. Probably not so useful in the forest.

I'd recomend you take the tried and true velvia 50 and something with a little more lattitude for the hard sunlight shots. Good luck

[Robert Hughes]

Yeah, but can't you get the same effect with Portra, and pushing the saturation in PS up +100? Same difference...

[gnuyork]

Yeah, but can't you get the same effect with Portra, and pushing the saturation in PS up +100? Same difference...

Really??? I wouldn't think that would be the same at all. I'd rather use each film for it's unique characteristics without too much manipulation.

On a trip to Mexico last summer I shot 35mm film for the first time in a long time since using digital. I shot Trix, portra 160, Ektachrome E100VS and Kodachrome. Each film had it's own unique character.

That was also my first time shooting portra, and I much preferred the slide film.

[Jeffrey Sipress]

Regarding saturation and contrast, more is not always better. And, just because you can doesn't mean you should. I find the most pleasant image viewing experiences are less than max contrast and with softer colors. I've had enough intensity in my life already, I want something relaxing and soothing. That doesn't mean I don't want my images to have impact, though.

I never shoot in direct sunlight anymore. I don't want skies in my 'scapes unless they are dramatic. Yeah, I've become picky, but I'm at the best photographic point in my life now.

Another aside is that I've come to dislike the short scale of all color tranny films more and more, and with my high end digital equipment, I'm getting more satisfying results IN SOME conditions, such as lotsa daylight and high contrast scenes. My sensor is good for about 8 stops, much closer to BW negative materials.