It's been like 4 days now. I couldn't wait any longer, so I called the lab to inquire more so about my slide film.
He said they looked good, and I was like around 1/2 stop off to the over exposed side with regard to the landscape shots. I figure I can tweak them when I get my scans in.
I split the roll up between some golf course holes, and a model with some latex. He said she looked fine, and skin tones were good too.
Loving this film thing. It seems like every time I send film off, it's like Christmas eve when i was 7...
Andy Pearlman
Posts: 3,411
Los Angeles, California, US
Not to burst your bubble, but tweaking slide film (assume after you've scanned it) is not like tweaking digital. There is no recovery from over-exposure because there is nothing there. Under-exposed gives you something to work with, but not much. That is why one of the necessary skills in photography used to be learning to trust your light meter (especially shooting chromes - slides - which is what most commercial/publishing photographers used). Its tough these days because the labs are dying off, so sending out for processing is often necessary. When the lab is close by, if you shot the whole roll at the same exposure and the light wasn't changing, you could have them do a snip test: process the first 3 or 4 frames normally, and let you tell them how to adjust the processing (over develop, or under but not good for the color). My "normal" was to have my snips done at +1/3 of a stop so if I was over, I could back off to normal without the color going flat. The alternative, if you can't do snips and/or are impatient, is to bracket. That means usually shooting the same thing 3 times - one frame slightly under, one normal, one slightly over. You're virtually guaranteed to get 12 frames on the roll perfectly exposed, and often you'll find a nice variation of at least 12 more. This doesn't work so well for sports or news where you only get one chance, but for in-studio fashion or portraits (or I've done it at the beach), it works well.
KODACHROME heres to nice bright colors heres to green and yellows, ohh wait its gone forever, you shoot transparency get it spot on in camera everytime.
liddellphoto
Posts: 1,698
London, England, United Kingdom
Slide film just look awesome by itself, especially 4x5 and to a lesser extent 6x6/6x7/6x8 (never seen 8x10 in person!). I can't say I miss the tiny DR though.
photoimager
Posts: 4,162
Stoke-on-Trent, England, United Kingdom
To me slide film is an ultimate test of technique. What you capture is what the image shows. I still like the quality that can be achieved with a transparency, the difficulty is then getting it reproduced in a reflective medium in a way that does it justice.
I'd be thinking that if a lab can remember your one film at that time then I'd be thinking that either they are having a very low throughput or there must be something that stood out about it. 1/2 stop overexposed on slide - you will not get the highlights back and saturation / contrast will not be compromised. If you are looking to digitise it in anycase, why not use negative film where the exposure lattitude is much wider ?
I've seen some of you're film images you have posted
Here on mm . I think you've found you're calling
Sell you digital camera and buy more large format cameras
4x6 slide film will make your head explode !
Closest thing to being on LSD, (oh the colors)
Kaouthia
Posts: 3,080
Lancaster, England, United Kingdom
Andy Pearlman wrote: There is no recovery from over-exposure because there is nothing there.
Overexposed doesn't necessarily mean blown out. If you shoot an 18% grey card, and it's a stop overexposed, it's still grey, just lighter grey, but not blown out, the detail (well, as much as you can get on a piece of grey card), is still there.
salvatori.
Posts: 2,747
State College, Pennsylvania, US
PhillipM wrote: Thanks folks for the insight.
I am shooting color negative as well.
Folks here just suggested to shoot some slide for the experience, since I was blown away by my first couple of rolls of Ektra100.
Hence the experiment with slide
I always like to push myself, and I figure slide should do it.
Now I have some Portra 160 that I'm playing with to get a comparison to the Ektra...
This film work is new to me.
As a 100% film shooter, I of course applaud anyone who embraces film work. I stopped shooting color a couple of years ago, but did shoot Ektar 100 and found it great for landscapes but crappy for portraits. Portra is fab for people pics and I just shot a roll of consumer Kodak 100 Gold for a bit more of a retro look (portraits). So, like you, I am sitting cookies and milk out for Santa waiting for the film to come back
Something you might want to try out - processing your own slides You can get a processing kit and as long as you have running water and developing tanks you can regulate the temperature It is not as good as lab processing but when you pull that roll out of the tank - especially a medium format roll - it is like a bit of Christmas!
intense_puppy
Posts: 846
Brighton, England, United Kingdom
PhillipM wrote: He said they looked good, and I was like around 1/2 stop off to the over exposed side with regard to the landscape shots. I figure I can tweak them when I get my scans in.
Hey.
Don't worry about the slight overexposure. Unless you're shooting a VERY high contrast stock, slide film isn't nearly as sensitive to overexposure as a lot of people would have you believe (half a stop is certainly recoverable).
Don't forget to post the pics when you're done - I'm very interested.
Don't worry about the slight overexposure. Unless you're shooting a VERY high contrast stock, slide film isn't nearly as sensitive to overexposure as a lot of people would have you believe (half a stop is certainly recoverable).
Don't forget to post the pics when you're done - I'm very interested.
Huh? I shot Kodachrome in the studio for about 10 years.
Back when it took skill to be a photographer (joke).
There's basically zero latitude at the high end. If you blow it out at the top the information is gone. Period. It's not like shooting raw where you can recover the highlights. You actually have to get the exposure right. I never bracketed, waste of expensive film/processing in my opinion. But I did do a polaroid test at the beginning which can make all the difference in catching problems early.
intense_puppy
Posts: 846
Brighton, England, United Kingdom
John Allan wrote:
Huh? I slot Kodachrome in the studio for about 10 years.
Back when it took skill to be a photographer (joke).
There's basically zero latitude at the high end. If you blow it out at the top the information is gone. Period. It's not like shooting raw where you can recover the highlights. You actually have to get the exposure right. I never bracketed, waste of expensive film/processing in my opinion. But I did do a polaroid test at the beginning which can make all the difference in catching problems early.
Well, there you go then. I can't argue with 10 years experience.
I don't think any one shot stuck out over any other with the lab guy. I just basically asked how the golf course shots looked, and he pulled them and told me what he saw.
It was very late in the day, and there were some very, very, late sun shining across one green best I can remember.
I'll post some of them, later this week. I think they'll be here this Tuesday
Done and Gone
Posts: 7,650
Chiredzi, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
ArtGlo wrote:
not necessarily
Note the "usually" at the end of my sentence.
Used to run a Kodak Q lab for E6 and Type R prints, dip and dunk.
Seen a LOT of slide film and all manner of exposures. Was very common for some friends who shot "fashion" on a local level to over expose 1/3 to 1/2 a stop. In flat light it isn't going to be a problem unless everything in the image is white.
Jim McSmith
Posts: 556
Aldershot, England, United Kingdom
Bang on is best with slide film, no doubt about it. Normally a 1/3rd either way isn't too bad. A half stop is the absolute limit of error and can be ok depending on the subject matter. If your subject has even contrast and lots of mid tones like blue sky and green grass then you can get away with it. If your subject is wearing white clothes or you have a high contrast scene then your stuffed.
Shooting slide film is where standardization of equipment and procedure is important. That way you begin to instinctively know what your settings should be and trust your metering under a variety of lighting conditions.
Back in my film days I always rated 64 ISO slide film at 80. And I would bracket a half stop each way. Conversely I would slightly over expose negatives by about a quarter stop or so.
Chris Macan
Posts: 12,753
HAVERTOWN, Pennsylvania, US
John Allan wrote: Huh? I shot Kodachrome in the studio for about 10 years.
Back when it took skill to be a photographer (joke).
There's basically zero latitude at the high end. If you blow it out at the top the information is gone. Period. It's not like shooting raw where you can recover the highlights. You actually have to get the exposure right. I never bracketed, waste of expensive film/processing in my opinion. But I did do a polaroid test at the beginning which can make all the difference in catching problems early.
Ohhh give me a break.
First off you don't have a clue what he was shooting.
For much/most work being on the over exposed end by a bit will not kill you.
(it's not ideal... but not always the end of the world)
high contrast..... sure you need to be pretty close to right on......
But for most work.... in the neighborhood is workable.
johnny every dude shot slide for for like 40-50 years many of which they had piss poor or no light meters..... and they got some pretty damn good images.
I mostly use slide film for my pinhole work....
and guess what... I don't use a meter.
Shockingly I get good exposures almost every time.
(true I shoot a two image bracket every time because as you said... you don't want to lose the highlights)
It's not rocket science... but really for most images 1/3 to 1/2 stop variation will not kill you.
PhillipM wrote: It's been like 4 days now. I couldn't wait any longer, so I called the lab to inquire more so about my slide film.
He said they looked good, and I was like around 1/2 stop off to the over exposed side with regard to the landscape shots. I figure I can tweak them when I get my scans in.
I split the roll up between some golf course holes, and a model with some latex. He said she looked fine, and skin tones were good too.
Loving this film thing. It seems like every time I send film off, it's like Christmas eve when i was 7...
4 days would drive me and the model completely nuts. I used to clip test, have lunch, be picking up the goods by mid-afternoon.
1/2 stop over is perhaps better than 1/2 stop under, really depends on subject and what you were shooting.
PhillipM wrote: It's been like 4 days now. I couldn't wait any longer, so I called the lab to inquire more so about my slide film.
He said they looked good, and I was like around 1/2 stop off to the over exposed side with regard to the landscape shots. I figure I can tweak them when I get my scans in.
I split the roll up between some golf course holes, and a model with some latex. He said she looked fine, and skin tones were good too.
Loving this film thing. It seems like every time I send film off, it's like Christmas eve when i was 7...
Typically I'd underexpose slide film 1/3 stop. It enhanced saturation.
4 days? yikes.. Since digital has out-sold film so much the lab across from my studio use to get my film back in 45 min.. Those were the days. They don't even process E-6 to my knowledge, any more.
We'd snip test the film. They'd cut off the first few inches of the roll, approximately 4-5 frames and run it normal. If we wanted to lighten the film we'd have them push he processing and make an educated guess as to how much. We could also pull the processing and darken it a bit. But like the exposure control in digital, you can quickly start loosing image quality and blocking up the high end of the exposure.
I attribute my experience with shooting transparency film, as a great learning experience to properly exposing digital files and holding the highlights.
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