[PRCo] Re: Color Films Tested

[prcopcc at p-r-co.com]

Fred!
.
.
Try this:
.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=velvia+provia+astia&btnG=Google+Search
.
Will try to feret out other responses from Actual Individuals when I get 
home  --  but those responses can take a  *-Weak-*  or two!!
.
Thought you had a Digicam  --  if not, have you considered same?       
Results are extremely good  --  John Bromley is sold on the technology.      
You can always software manipulate for desired results.       Most recent 
Canon seems extremely good with negligible noise.
.
.
Jim__Holland
.
.
I__Like__Ike.......And__PCCs!!
.
down with pantographs ---- UP___WITH___TROLLEYPOLES!!!!!!!
.
.
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: 	[PRCo] Color Films Tested
> Date: 	Fri, 16 Sep 2005 17:09:58 -0400
> From: 	Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> Reply-To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org, Russ Jackson <rejmhj at netzero.net>, 
> Jack May <Jack.May at americomm.net>, Don Duke <trainbook at earthlink.net>, 
> Rich Allman <AllmanR at einstein.edu>, Bruce Bente <bbente at cytechusa.com>, 
> Bill Middleton <wdmiddleton at earthlink.net>, Frank Miklos 
> <miklosfrank at comcast.net>, ALAN L SCHNEIDER <alschneider2 at juno.com>, John 
> Swindler1 <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
.
.
.
> Subjective opinion department:
.
> Because of the gradual lengthening of processing times and rumors of
> its demise, I've been looking for other films that might be suitable
> as a substitute for Kodachrome. I understand that the yellow box is
> hard to beat. There are slides of me romping in Lake Erie at Presque
> Isle 64 years ago that are not noticeably faded. And then there are
> my Ektachromes of Europe taken by me in 1960-61 that are horrible.
> Anscocolor and Anscochrome that dad used in the period from 1946 to
> 1956 have had similar problems with fading of the cyan and yellow dye
> layers. I admit I am leery. But I have been told that most of the
> E-6 compatible films are now good for 75 years and I know I'm no
> longer good for that long, so what the hell.
.
> For want of something better, I started my search not with the yellow
> box but with the green box. Having heard just too much about cash
> losses and staff furloughs including a severe brain drain in
> Rochester, I really wasn't too interested in replacing one Kodak
> product with another.
.
> My first try was the readily available Fuji Velvia. Nice stuff if
> you like high contrast and extreme color saturation. This is clearly
> a film for amateurs. The first few rolls were enough to convince me
> I wasn't all that interested. This is for people who want their
> color to jump off the screen and into their laps.
.
> Second try was Fuji Provia. Ah. Now this is a lower contrast film
> than Velvia but higher contrast than Kodachrome. My thoughts are:
> nice film to keep in inventory for dull days. Provia to bring out
> the foreground and a split gray filter to darken the sky and you've
> got a pretty much unbeatable combination when the weather doesn't
> like you. I think I'll continue to keep some inventoried. I have
> some rather nice images on Provia of ships in the fog in Plaqamines
> Parish south of New Orleans last March.
.
> The third try was Fuji Astia. Rich Allman and I went out for the
> second day of renewed rail service on SEPTA route 15 in
> Philadelphia. It was one of those absolutely picture perfect
> days ... deep blue sky and fluffy clouds that create a great
> contrast with a polarizing filter. Rich told me he had heard Astia
> was so good that it "out Kodachromed Kodachrome." My thoughts are
> that the contrast range is about the same except at the lower end
> where shadow detail is actually a little better on Astia. I could
> see detail in the white paint on Kawasaki cars and in the wheels
> under them. Color saturation is a little stronger on Astia ... maybe
> closer to the now discontinued Kodachrome 25 than Kodachrome 64.
> Grain is supposed to be very fine on Astia --- exceptional for a film
> of 100 ASA --- but I did not get out a microscope. I did not feel
> bothered that any one color was off. I simply liked the results. I
> bought 10 rolls the first time. Would I buy another 10 or 20?
> Yes. But I'm going to be totally honest: I did not take any
> comparison images on Kodachrome. This is a purely subjective
> analysis of Fuji Astia.
.
> I have not tried the orange box since 1963. Even back in 1960 I had
> less problems with fading with AGFA films than I did with any other
> E3 or E4 processes.
.
> I welcome anyone else's subjective opinions.