Velvia 50

Fate · Aug 12, 2007

hey all,

was wondering - would velvia 50 be ok for some general portraiture/landscapes on an expedition im going on. or is the ISO too low for that really.

Just wondered

thanks!

Dave

dinodan · Aug 12, 2007

It could be a bit too slow, depending on lighting conditions, what lenses you're using, and especially on whether or not you plan to take along a tripod. Really nice film, though. I've been on lots of backpacking expeditions with a lightweight aluminium tripod strapped to my pack, shooting Kodachrome 25. So, it's certainly possible.

Off topic: Where in Worcs are you? My parents lived in Droitwich back in the 70s. I was in college in the US but spent alot of time there in the summers. Fond memories...

Dan S.

Fate · Aug 12, 2007

dinodan said:
Off topic: Where in Worcs are you? My parents lived in Droitwich back in the 70s. I was in college in the US but spent alot of time there in the summers. Fond memories...

Dan S.

Um near Pershore if that means anything to you

i go to school in Worcester. Yeah you gota love worcestershire, flooding aint been great this year, but aside from that its grand!

Thanks for the film advice as well!

nealjpage · Aug 12, 2007

I shoot Agfachrome 50 in my MF--works just fine. I use it in bright light, though, and change backs as soon as it starts to get dark.

selmerdave · Aug 12, 2007

Geez, Kodachrome 25, Agfachrome 50, where do you guys get this stuff?

FWIW I really wouldn't recommend Velvia 50 for portraiture, skin tones do NOT come out well. They end up orange and radioactive looking. For landscapes it's great, the only issue with the speed is make sure you have a good tripod as you'll probably want it for most or all shots.

Dave

dinodan · Aug 13, 2007

selmerdave said:
Geez, Kodachrome 25... where do you guys get this stuff?

In my case, that was some years ago.

Alex_B · Aug 13, 2007

would not advise velvia for potraiture either. it is not made for good skin colours, but for saturation and contrasts as you might enjoy them in landscape and wildlife work.

you should also consider the Velvia 100F which from my personal experience is very similar to velvia 50 with respect to grain and colour. You can hardly see any difference and it is very good to scan - even at 4000 dpi, which gives you a very good resolution in the final image (depending on your lens you might get an effective resolution of actual 2000 dpi or more even after grain reduction with neatimage ... if you shoot MF that is a biiig file

). And the ISO 100 can be a great advantage over 50.

Fate · Aug 13, 2007

kk thanks for the advice

Anyone recommend a nice slide film for portraits? ty

nealjpage · Aug 13, 2007

Fate said:
kk thanks for the advice

Anyone recommend a nice slide film for portraits? ty

I like Kodachrome 64 or Kodak Ektachrome.

selmerdave · Aug 13, 2007

I'm also kind of a Kodak guy (would agree with the above recommendations as well as 100G or 100GX), but recently I started using Fuji Provia and darned if it doesn't look "pretty good". With Kodachrome in particular I would say do NOT underexpose with portraiture, saturation goes way down and skin turns greyish. Properly exposed it comes out great.

Dave