The right slide film....?

[mumbleman]

Hi

I've just started usinng slide film as I'm going travelling in september and wanted to shoot onto something that would enable me to possibly sell some shots when I come back.

For day time stuff I'm quite happy with Fuji Velvia 50 (although just trying the new 100) but I need something that will be good for night shots. I've got a tripod and I'll mostly be shooting night skylines and neon. Is it worth investigating tungsten film? I quite like the orangey glow of daylight film in these circumstances but have never tried tungsten.

Also is it really necessary to use 400asa? I've heard it can be quite mucky with slide film, would I be better with a slower film. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[wharrison]

Mumbleman:

!. First of all, I wish to remind you of the old Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared"!! Compared to the time and costs of a trip, film is cheap, so bring plenty with you and be prepared for all types of lighting conditions;


2. When I was heavily into shooting slides, I made almost exclusive use of Kodachrome II or 25 and eventually switched to Kodachrome 64. In the past, I've tried Fuji film, but found that the dyes don't hold up and even though I haven't tried the newer Fuji films, I personally would be hesitant about using these films on my vacation;

3. With that said, I have also taken along a few, short exposure, rolls of high speed Ektachrome - ASA 160 - I believe and did a number of available light shots with that film and was more than pleased with the results;

4. But I have also made use of Kodachrome 64 for many of my night shots and interior shots as well and have been extremely pleased with the results.

Most of them have been hand held and a few were made with the use of a tripod or with the Leitz/Leica table top tripod and ball head. Of course, all of the photographs -outdoor, interior, and available light were taken with a Leica M-4 rangefinder and Leica lenses and I have no problem with using these lens at or near wide open for available light photography;

5. Besides taking along your tripod, you might search Ebay for the Leica Tabletop Tripod and the Leica Ball Head. Although they still may cost and arm and a leg even in good/excellent condition, they are wonderful devices to enable you to shoot interiors, etc.;

I photographed the interior of a famous cathedral outside of Quebec using the table tripod and the ball head propped against a piller or a pew using my 35mm Summicron, Kodachrome 64 film and my Gossen Luna Pro with the incident light meter attachment in place;

Of course, if you don't wish to spend your available budgeted monies, I suspect that there are several excellent small table top tripod with heads that might do the job quite well for you. Besides, they would be easier to carry around. Despite whether you opt for the Leitz/Leica combination or a less expensive route, these small tripods also make for excellent chest pods when needed; with my Leica, I could easily make use of either 1/8 or 1/15 second shutter speeds when using the table top tripods as a chest pod. Of course, stablized on a fixed surface, i.e. church piller, any shutter speed, including timed exposures can be used.

Hope this useful information!

Bill