Best SLIDE film to use?

[Deja Q]

I currently use Fuji Reala film; on my Nikon Coolscan V scanner I can get the equivalent of 14MP out of it, after cleaning up the grain artifacting.

I've used the Sensia 100 film. Equivalent to MORE than 24MP (6000x4000 and it's hard to see ANY grain)! Great for bright light conditions, but it can't be pushed down to 400 ISO for low light shots. I like this film, but, for slide film, it's very fiicky about light and playing with exposure conditions.

I've heard the latitude for the Sensia 400 makes it not worth considering at all.

I've been reading up on the Provia 100F slide film - looks SPECTACULAR but be sure to use a warming filter or risk getting blue color cast in low-light photos.

Has anybody used Kodak slide film? I couldn't find any reviews.

The Provia might be the one I try next; at $4.50/roll it's reasonable and I've got a warming filter (and a computer to correct color casting anyway :dunce: )

I'll have some Sensia pics up shortly. Generally good, but when it overexposes a pic it does so in a weird way (reds turn magenta/red and orange) The reds in the properly exposed pics were flat anyway, though the other colors (orange-purple) were better than the Reala.)

Thx!

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. Kodachrome 25 has been the magazine

standard film for years.

It is great stuff.

[Schema Thing]

2. KR25 hasn't been made for years

And hasn't been practical to shoot for even longer (long turnaround and few labs for processing). It's too bad; e-6 films from both fuji and kodak have gotten incredibly good, but they still aren't better than Kodachrome was. I miss it.

If you like shooting transparency films, I'd recommend having at it while you can. It's not long for this world, no matter what brand name you like.

[Deja Q]

4. but when you say slide film is not long for this world,

are you implying that 35mm processing, et al, is about to go bye-bye in favor of digital?

Then they'd better perfect the sensor technology and get those toy cameras down in price first. :D $1000 for a 6MP D-SLR camera is asinine when 100ISO slide film delivers 24MP quality... never mind how the majority of print publications STILL won't take digital... and how film is still rather better at capturing shadow detail properly.

Besides, most print publication still deal in film only.

There are also legal issues; no court in their right mind should allow a digital photo to be used as evidence; only a film negative - hard copy evidence that can't be tinkered with.

I am aware of digital's (D-SLR's anyway) advantages (particularly the lack of grain for higher ISO numbers) and I also know that most print developers don't give a fritter and screw up overexposing the print itself.

I dunno. But the price/quality issue of digital has GOT to be resolved first. I will not pay $3000 for a camera that requires me to take approximately 9100 exposures to make up for the cost. (at 33 cents per exposure; covering both cost of film and processing prints; I get 36 exposure film for $6 and it costs $6 for me to have it processed. $12 divided by 36 exposures is 33 cents each. (meanwhile, any store will make prints of digital files for 25 cents each. Big savings for the consumer? $2.88 if they process 36 exposures. And consumers often use those $300 piece of trash cameras. Might be perfect for them, but prosumers like me often get to pay up the slack and we ain't rich either.

I also laugh when I see "the masses" go out to take photos. They just point, shoot, and drool. Not realizing that it's broad daylight and they've got the flash on... or for fireworks photos, the nit-wits use the flash, so you know the exposure settings they haven't even begun to properly set will only be a waste of their time in the end. :eyes: And when they're near me and I'm trying to shoot fireworks/nighttime, you bet I'm going to open my flap. I don't want their flash ruining a shot I'm taking (you'd think a person would look up rudimentary photography first! Learning is one thing, but everybody sells little $3 pamphlets, most of them hype digital in ways I could readily respond to their inaccuracies on...)

On the plus side, I don't think any of us is long for this world anyway. Too many people and too few resources and too many madmen who never learned how to govern are in power. * is bound to upset China, N Korea, Iran, the EU, Russia, or any number of countries sooner rather than later and a DU post somewhere postulated that we'd have a nuke war within 5 years.

The film prices I used above were for my typical film (Fuji Reala 100.) Provia slide film is $11+$4 processing = $15 for a 36 exp roll (42 cents each exposure). This means I'd have to take over 7100 snaps to make the price.

[ET Awful]

3. My still-using-film friends say to try Fuji Velvia 50 and 100F

Pricey, but super sweet :). I can't say myself, since I'm strictly a digital dude, but my buddy swears by it.

http://www.popphoto.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=683

edit: No, my buddy had nothing to do with the article, it's just the first really informative article that came up during a Google search.

[Deja Q]

5. I just bought a roll to test the other day!

Thx for the link! :D Seems I'll be in safe hands.