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Thread: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

  1. #41

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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    I love the "newer" Velvia 50 compared to the much earlier version. Less grain and great for low light situations, notwithstanding its speed. I suggest you try a polarizing filter (linear not circular) which should not be terribly expensive. Grad gray filters are also useful but obtaining the correct exposure is a bit challenging.

    The polarizer does not have to be used to its fullest for interesting effects and can reduce contrast in many situations, a plus with the limited dymanic range of this filml

    Make sure you know the reciprocity characteristics of this film and in particular the need to add extra seconds once you pass 4 second exposures. In low light, which is where this film shines, at f32-45, you will find the need to shoot at calculated speeds of 32 seconds, and with adding time for reciprocity failure, doubling that to 64 seconds. This requires a steady tripod, camera screws that tighten down, and careful use of a cable release so as not to move the camera while the shutter is open. I've been using this film for years and when the conditions are right, it is truly the best color film you can shoot.

  2. #42

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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    Just to add to my prior post, when you start adding filters, your loss of light must be calculated (2/3 to 1/1/3 stops loss for polarizers depending on degree of polarization). One easier way of dealing with this is to use an old calibrated 35mm camera with say a 50mm lens, adding the polarizer to the lens to obtain exposure for the 4x5. do some testing to make sure this works for you. In adding filters with this film, your chance of moving into the realm of reciprocity is considerable.

    Good luckl

  3. #43
    retrogrouchy
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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    Quote Originally Posted by pdmoylan View Post
    Make sure you know the reciprocity characteristics of this film and in particular the need to add extra seconds once you pass 4 second exposures. In low light, which is where this film shines, at f32-45, you will find the need to shoot at calculated speeds of 32 seconds, and with adding time for reciprocity failure, doubling that to 64 seconds. This requires a steady tripod, camera screws that tighten down, and careful use of a cable release so as not to move the camera while the shutter is open.
    Make sure also that you're aware that this will result in a bright green photo from RVP50. The colour channels fail at different rates, causing a significant green cast with long exposures. In principle you could correct with a magenta filter on-camera (someone publishes a table telling you how much to use out to about 60s) but I just don't bother shooting RVP50 for more than 4s ever. If the exposure is going to be longer, I recommend RDPIII (Provia 100F) which has excellent reciprocity performance out to many minutes at least.

    I've been using this film for years and when the conditions are right, it is truly the best color film you can shoot.
    In velvia-compatible conditions, absolutely. But it's not the most flexible and is quite unforgiving with exposure and contrast.

  4. #44

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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    Quote Originally Posted by MumbleyJoe View Post
    Bottom line advice, hold off on using Velvia when the contrast is really harsh and save it for scenes with more consistent light (which just happens to coincide with overcast days, which is why it's a consistent suggestion for when Velvia really works, but not to the exclusion of all other scenarios, as DanielStone deftly demonstrates above).

    /YMMV
    /Test, test, test, or at least take lots of notes while you get acquainted
    /writing a lot doesn't make what I have to say any more valid than anyone else's advice. I'm always learning too.
    Tyler...I will definitely keep this mind.

    Thanks a lot.

    Avi

  5. #45

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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    Quote Originally Posted by DanielStone View Post
    Some of MY best photographs made on REVERSAL(slide) film have been during high noon. That's when, IMO, the colors are "purest". Yes, dynamic range sucks, but I know that I'll be happy, cause I can represent those colors I see with my eyes faithfully. Our eyes don't see deep shadow detail when looking at the big picture, so why should I concern myself with getting super fine detail in all the deepest shadows? Sometimes I feel it adds dimension and scale, along with depth, to the photograph. I still have a nice stash of EPN Readyloads I'm slowly whittling down, and enjoying it actually more as they age! The contrast is slightly lowering, but I'm not seeing any increase in base fog, or grain size. These boxes are being stored in the back of a cool(under 70deg F) closet. So not in the freezer, much less a fridge.

    -Dan
    Dan,

    Great pics.

    Avi

  6. #46

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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    Make your life easy and try Ektar or Portra. There was a day when 1) Transparency film had better grain and color fidelity, 2) the entire graphics art industry was set up for trannies and die transfer printing, and 3) Scanners had a terrible time with negative films, so you really couldn't be sure what you had with negatives. If you wanted to be taken seriously, or ever sell anything, it had to be on transparency film. All of that has reversed. In a commercial sense, or for prints/the web it really doesn't mater what your work flow has been... it is all about what your file or print looks like. And if you are shooting film unless you have the right subject, perfect lighting, terrific technique the easier path is going to be using negative film.

    If you do use Velvia in the daytime you need to consider graduated filtering, polarizing filters, and even shooting multiple exposures and sandwiching bits.

    Personally I find the oversaturated Velvia look about as dated as disco, but mostly I threw that in because it will surely be controversial.

    Of course it is awful nice to see a good tranny on a light table.

  7. #47
    aka Tyler MumbleyJoe's Avatar
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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    Velvia is pretty rich, for sure. Sometimes it's too much, but sometimes I still think it's miraculous stuff. To each his or her own, for sure.

    I will say however, that after shooting a couple boxes of Portra I feel I've wasted a lot of time and film. I haven't been able to get the color right in any scan (and I'm fairly competent at using photoshop to restore color balance, and I've worked with Epson Scan, Silverfast, and Vuescan). I know others have had good results, but I'm still struggling to get there. I keep shooting it because in scenes like O.P.'s examples, it would be a more appropriate selection, and I encounter those high contrast scenes as well. But so far I haven't been able to eek out the color I want from them (or anything close).

    In other words, there's no guarantee that shooting Portra would necessarily make the workflow any easier. In my opinion it trades one set of challenges for another.

    /really learning to appreciate monochrome
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  8. #48
    Daniel Stone's Avatar
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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    Here in lies the problem(or advantage, depending on whom you're speaking with), IMO, with using color negative materials: you don't know EXACTLY what the color is supposed to look like. This lack of 100% assurance/knowledge on exact color balance lies in how the file is processed after scanning, or adjusting of color balance and density in each color channel during scanning or printing.

    I like CN films for SOME things. Photographing people is one of them. In studio or outside. A lot of the time, I've found that skin tones are more accurately reproduced with CN materials than with transparencies. Probably due to generally lower contrast with CN films vs chromes. Sometimes however, the higher general contrast of a slide is an advantage, you know, when you want that "Velvia 50 look", or that super saturated shot of a model in a cyan, teal and magenta bathing suit in a pool whilst shooting at high noon. Extremely hypothetical situation I know, but sometimes its what's called for .

    However, if I'm photographing anything else(which is usually nature-related), I love using slide film. Its nice opening that film box just after the delivery man has dropped off the processed E-6 film from the lab . Its like Christmas every time, except YOU'RE Santa Claus . With color negs, I either need to scan them, or make a contact sheet(and I'm not set up for color at home). But I do have an overhead projector which works well for showing friends masked 4x5 or 8x10 transparencies from a trip !

    -Dan

  9. #49

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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    The latest Silverfast software gives me great scans on CN film... older software was terribly frustrating because I had to do too much of the adjusting and typically got it wrong despite my best efforts

  10. #50

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    Re: 4x5 Velvia 50-First Outing

    Personally, I feel like almost any film is going to react pretty badly to mid-day sunlight unless that's the look you are looking for.

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