Slide film latitude: Is there any difference?

[Alex Horvath]

I have been using Fuji Velvia for a while now. It's a fantastic film but there are times when I would like to shoot during midday. Is there any significant latitude difference among the transparency films? I suppose Prov ia has less contrast than Velvia, but how much less? Any other recommendations?

Thanks

Alex

[Ellis Vener]

Astia.

[Howard Slavitt]

I've been meaning to try out Astia. I normally rate Velvia at 40 and Provia at 80 for my light meter. Can you give me a guesstimate rating for Astia? Would you start by rating it at 80 or 100 ASA?

[Steve Singleton]

I think of "lattitude" as tolerance to under and/or overexposure. According to that definition, I don't think any transparency film is very forgiving. Contrast range is another story. Provia has a lower contrast range than Velvia, as does Astia, making them both more suitable for hard contrasty light situations where you want to maintain as much highlight and shadow detail as possible. Besides lower contrast, both also allow longer exposures before reciprocity compensation is needed, making them more suitable for time exposures in low light situations. Velvia's snap, crackle and pop is great when conditions allow, but it it will sure block shadows in contrasty lighting conditions. My experience too is that Fuji films need to be rated lower than stated, for me Velvia at 32 and Provia/Astia at 64.