astia or provia?

[skatephoto]

what would be the difference between these two slide films. thanks

 

[voodoocat]

I have yet to try Provia but here are some shots I did with astia. The grain and colors are great but it likes to be slightly underexposed. I also shot with a warming filter which caused the skin to be a little pink for my liking.
http://www.voodoocat.com/pictures/013004/

The first shot is underexposed 2 stops (accident) and you can see some of the shots the skin is a bit washed out. I think 1/3 - 1/2 stop underexposed is the way to go with Astia.

As much as I love Astia and Velvia, I am sure to love Provia. It's a very fine grained slide film with wonderful true colors.

 

[skatephoto]

i guess what i need to know is, what would be the best all around slide film(not just including astia or provia) that would do well in variable light conditions. Ill probably be shooting anything from snowboarding(day and night) to scenery, to skateboarding ect. thanks

 

[voodoocat]

These are ISO100 films. So if you're looking for a fast slide film I would try Sensia 400. If you have a fast prime lens and bright lighting you could get by with slower film like that.

 

[ksmattfish]

Astia 100: pro version of Sensia, lower contrast (as E6 goes), natural colors, handles a variety of lighting well, nice skin tones.

Provia 100: high contrast, saturated colors, goes blue in the shade, finer grain than Astia.

Velvia 50: high contrast, very saturated warm colors, can look weird in some lighting, finer grain than Provia.

I would recommend starting out with Sensia, that way you can afford twice as much film.

 

[jack]

provia is reputed to be the finest grained film of its type (100)
on the market. i'm in the process of shooting a roll at the moment (when it stops raining!). i havent shot with the others though, so i cant say myself. i have a article here comparing the films (practical photographer oct 03). matt says velvia is finer- i'll try to use of roll of that next in that case.. //jack