Best 35mm negative printing process?

Garbz

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I was at the local gallery recently and they put an entirely new section up to celebrate the Simpson desert. The pictures looked fantastic and I noticed they specified FujiFilm Velvia as the film used. I'm wondering how they ended up with the giant poster sized prints.

I know the best positive process and indeed the best quality from the 35mm format I've seen so far was done via the Ilfochrome process, and I have found a lab in Brisbane which can do this. But as far as I've figured out this is a positive only process. So what's the best printing method for poster sized prints from 35mm negatives?
 
Garbz said:
I was at the local gallery recently and they put an entirely new section up to celebrate the Simpson desert. The pictures looked fantastic and I noticed they specified FujiFilm Velvia as the film used. I'm wondering how they ended up with the giant poster sized prints.

I know the best positive process and indeed the best quality from the 35mm format I've seen so far was done via the Ilfochrome process, and I have found a lab in Brisbane which can do this. But as far as I've figured out this is a positive only process. So what's the best printing method for poster sized prints from 35mm negatives?

Acceptable size in a print is really down to what happens when the circles of confusion are affected. In film this manifests itself as grain in the print.

Velvia is a super duper low grain slide / positive film. At 50 ISO it's arguably the lowest grain 35mm colour film.

Deserts are bright and usually there isn't a massive amount of contrast in the majority of the scene (unlike say autumn fall). Therefore it suits a low ISO film such as Velvia and you'll be able to make HUGE prints without seeing the grain, or perhaps the sand will disguise it!? In my opinon, the negative #2 place film to Velvia is Superia Reala 100, which if exposed properly, can be very very close indeed.

You have to suck it and see. Go out and take a scene and expose it PERFECTLY. Then get it developed by a pro lab and printed up huge by them. If you're happy then that's fine. If you're not, it's time for medium format.

Rob
 
Are you sure that the large prints were made from 35mm film? If I'm not mistaken, I think that Velvia comes in medium format...maybe even available in sheets for large format.
 
Yes I do know because they only use one med format camera a Pentax 67, and it was not the camera used on that trip. It was definitly 35mm.

Wait I was under the impression that Velvia was also available in negative format? Maybe they did use the Ilfochrome lab then!
 

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