Suggestions on fast color print or transparency film for available light shooting?

-- Hank Graber (hgraber@narrativerooms.com), May 07, 2001

Answers

Fuji 400 or 800 speed films, even the consumer variations, have worked great for me. I expose at 320 and 640. The local Longs drugs happens to have a half million dollar Fuji machine that uses the Fuji chrystal archive paper, and that may be part of the reason why they do such a good job on the Fuji film.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), May 07, 2001.

Shooting with an f:1.4 lens, I've always found Ektachrome 160T plenty fast. I've had no need to try 320T.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), May 07, 2001.

Transparency: Kodak Elite (Ektachrome)400 pushed 1 stop rated EI 640 Print: Kodak Portra 800, rated at 800.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 07, 2001.

Fuji makes a consumer 1600asa color neg film that is top shelf...rate it for 800 and process normally. Cheers.

M

-- Michael Hintlian (michael@hintlian.com), May 07, 2001.

I just shot a couple of rolls of Fuji NHG II 800 rated at 640, in a dim cocktail lounge in NYC.

The results are indeed very satisfying. Even the dreaded florescent light green was reduced to minimum.

-- Hon K. Siu (siuhk@hotmail.com), May 07, 2001.

For negatives, Fuji NHG II at EI 640. For positives, Kodak EPJ 320T at EI 1,000 with a two-stop push. I tried Provia 1600 (at 1600) and liked it, but it was discontinued. I'll be trying the Ektachrome 1600 sometime soon.

Photo below is EPJ.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), May 08, 2001.

When you shoot the Fuji NHG II 800 at 640 do you have it processed as normal?

-- Hank Graber (hgraber@narrativerooms.com), May 08, 2001.

Try Kodak Supra 400 or 800. Each can be pushed if needed and offer good color, great sharpness and little degredation of high speed film...so many choices...all the other films mentioned will also do the job.

I like these two films for the limited use I make of color film.

-- Steven Alexander (alexpix@worldnet.att.net), May 08, 2001.

Hank,

Yes, shoot at EI 640 and process it normally.

-- Hon K. Siu (siuhk@hotmail.com), May 08, 2001.

I'm still experimenting with print film, but for slide film, I have settled on Fujichrome Provia 400F. Very fine grain for a fast slide film and produces very good colour saturation, especially with Leica lenses (it seems that way to me!). Before Provia 400F became available, I used Provia 100F exposed at ISO 320 and push-processed 2 stops. The result: nice colour saturation but noticeably grainier than using Provia 400F straight.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), May 08, 2001.

Hon K, how's the colour saturation like using the NHG II 800 rated at EI 640? I'm looking for a high saturated fast print film (higher than ISO 400, pushed or normal) to photograph a wedding in a medieval Italian church (whose interior is predominantly gold and reddish brown), in which flash is not allowed (I'll be using M-mount bodies and lenses only). Nevermind the wedding part, I just want to capture the rich intense colours of the church interior. Any recommendations, anyone?

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), May 09, 2001.

I like Fuji NPH rated at 250 (exposed at 250 & processed at 400. I prefer the contrast of this film when rated at 250 than when rated at 320. This is an especially nice film for 'people' photography. I also recently used Fuji Superia 400 (also rated at 250) for an extensive project and liked the results.

-- KL Prager (www.pragerproperties@att.net), May 09, 2001.

Hoyin,

If I have to describe it, I would say it is a bit more saturated than the Kodak Portra 400 VC.

If someone tells me how to post a jpeg here, I will do it. Will cut and paste do?

Maybe I will send you a jpeg to your email address.

But jpegs (I use an old Minolta Dimage Scan Dual) do not do real photos justice.

-- Hon K. Siu (siuhk@hotmail.com), May 09, 2001.

Hoyin,

How exciting to shoot in a Medieval Italian church?

I have been in Italy in four consecutive years and love to photograph everything in sight. I used mostly Reala, some Portra 400 VC.

Looking at my NYC pictures again, including pictures of a wedding reception, I would say the tone of the NHG II 800 is somewhat close to that the NPH 400. Those photos were taken in Harvard Club, an old establishment full of wood panels. But I am talking with only two rolls of NHG II 800 experience.

Considering my little experience with NHG II 800, but more with NPH 400, it should be fine with your shooting session.

I would suggest to you to bring along some NPH 400 as well, and a Leitz table tripod.

-- Hon K. Siu (siuhk@hotmail.com), May 09, 2001.

Thanks so much, Hon! Will go try out some NHGII 800 (as well as some Supra 400 and 800) this weekend. :-) Last year I shot another friend's wedding in a 18th century church in Florence using Superia 400. The colours in the prints (custom print job in a pro-lab) seemed to be more vibrant than those produced by NPH 400, but still not quite what I was hoping for.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), May 10, 2001.

My suggestions would be NHGII (at EI640), but if I needed EI800, I would shoot Fuji Press 800 (remarkably good color saturation at EI800), if that wasn't available, I would shoot Superia 800. If I needed EI1600, I'd probably shoot Press 800 with a one-stop push, or shoot NHGII at EI1250 with a one stop push.

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), May 10, 2001.

Fuji NPH 400, EI at 200 and normal process

-- Eric Laurence (Edgar1976@hotmail.com), May 20, 2001.