Help with film choice

[Brad Bireley]

I'm new to large format. I have a B&J 4x5 press with a Kodak Ektar 127mm 4.7 on it. I planning on shooting the fall colors here in North Central PA in a 3-4 weeks. I was thinking about print film versus slide because of the latitude. I will shooting longer exposures of streams. I was thinking about fuji Pro 160S.
There is a good deal on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Fuji-Professiona...QQcmdZViewItem

Any opinions from anyone?
Thanks in advance,
Brad

[Ron Marshall]

Fuji Pro 160 is a wonderful film and also scans well. Good exposure latitude and good color saturation.

[65Galaxie]

I've been shooting print film for most of my life but in 4x5 mode I have only done tranparency film. I do know that my scanner (epson 2450) does a better job of scanning slides than print film if both are properly exposed. I think the reason is that the contrast has to be boosted via scanner software or photoshop and inscreasing contrast brings out some awful artifacts with print film (lines, etc. at 100 &#37.

What's your final output? I use Miller's lab for printing and they only develop print film and that would be a plus. They will also print print film via custom job at high dollar. I find that if I scan slide film, put it on a cd and send it to them to print on regular photo paper (or proof on my Epson printer) I have more control. I do run print film with my 120 back (Fuji 160C and 400H).

I usually buy outdated quickload films and usually pay about $35 for 20 sheets. $35 for 50 sheets is a very good price.

[Brad Bireley]

I've been shooting print film for most of my life but in 4x5 mode I have only done tranparency film. I do know that my scanner (epson 2450) does a better job of scanning slides than print film if both are properly exposed. I think the reason is that the contrast has to be boosted via scanner software or photoshop and inscreasing contrast brings out some awful artifacts with print film (lines, etc. at 100 %).

What's your final output? I use Miller's lab for printing and they only develop print film and that would be a plus. They will also print print film via custom job at high dollar. I find that if I scan slide film, put it on a cd and send it to them to print on regular photo paper (or proof on my Epson printer) I have more control. I do run print film with my 120 back (Fuji 160C and 400H).

I usually buy outdated quickload films and usually pay about $35 for 20 sheets. $35 for 50 sheets is a very good price.

I was planning on scanning them with an Epson V700 then have them printed at H&H Color lab.

[Ted Harris]

Brad,

Your v700 should do a good job of scanning your 4x5 film, either trannies or negatives. For fall foliage I'd recommend Velvia or Provia instead of 160S. Provia gives you almost as much exposure latitude as negative film and I prefer working with transparency film on a light table. The 2450 referenced by another poster is some 4 generations behind the V700 in its scanning capabilities.

I took a look at the eBay listing. It's an ok price but not a fabulous price for out of date film and I would exercise caution in buying out of date film unless you know how it was stored. In this case it is only a few months out of date so it shouldn't be a worry but still .... You can usually find good bargains on out of date or short dated film from Hunt Photo.

Finally, why send it to a lab to process? For the price you will pay the lab you can do an excellent job printing your self up to 11x14 for an outlay of $600 for the HP B9180 printer .... seems it would be useful in your studio as well.

[Wilbur Wong]

I switched from 4 x 5 slides to color negatives 12 years ago and had better results in my wet darkroom. As small quantities of chemistry got harder to purchase, I began scanning my negs and have been doing so ever since without switching back to slide film. I photograph landscapes and I use Portra 160VC in quick loads.