film choices

[roadrunner]

I have two questions, the first is sort of a poll of much interest, and the second is a personal desperation...

1. What do you prefer for 35mm film?
I mostly shoot ISO400 negative. I've also noted that many professionals use very low speed positive, even stopping it down for deeper color saturation and asking their lab to compensate. Coupled with a heavy telephoto with its reduced light-gathering ability, I can hardly imagine that. It seems like a physical impossibility, for shooting birds.

2. Where do you process your 35mm film?
There are no labs here in Scottsdale, Arizona. The only two labs within the greater metropolitan Phoenix area, within driving range, have been extremely disappointing. I'd like to start mailing out my canisters to a good processor (I've heard of a reputable one in New York). If you mail your work, I'd like to know your opinion on quality and service. Specific recommendations, maybe website url too, would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
roadrunner

[eospete]

Film choice is Velvia for still subjects and Provia 100F sometimes uprated to 200 for action (a one stop push). My fastest lens is f5.6 which sometimes compromises film choice

I get Peak in Derbyshire UK to process the film

Although now I am largely digital so do my own processing.

P

[Jeremy]

Like Pete, I am now standardizing Fuji Provia 100 (sometimes uprated to 200) for colour slides. I have also used some ISO 400 print film lately, but generally find it too grainy for good quality scans. Fine for smallish prints, though. I use Metro Colour Labs for Processing in the U.K. Not much use to you in the U.S. though!

[Leif]

I have two questions, the first is sort of a poll of much interest, and the second is a personal desperation...

1. What do you prefer for 35mm film?
I mostly shoot ISO400 negative. I've also noted that many professionals use very low speed positive, even stopping it down for deeper color saturation and asking their lab to compensate. Coupled with a heavy telephoto with its reduced light-gathering ability, I can hardly imagine that. It seems like a physical impossibility, for shooting birds.

2. Where do you process your 35mm film?
There are no labs here in Scottsdale, Arizona. The only two labs within the greater metropolitan Phoenix area, within driving range, have been extremely disappointing. I'd like to start mailing out my canisters to a good processor (I've heard of a reputable one in New York). If you mail your work, I'd like to know your opinion on quality and service. Specific recommendations, maybe website url too, would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
roadrunner

Fuji Provia F 100 and Fuji Sensia 100. The former has finer grain and is more natural. Fuji processing is excellent. I've never had a duff film whereas using other mail order processing firms I often had scratches and even whacking great big brown stains in one case. The slides are returned in a solid plastic case, and each slide is numbered making indexing much easier.

Not only is Fuji processing first rate but buying process paid film is much cheaper than buying non-process paid film and then paying for processing.

[Adey Baker]

Fuji 400 print film seems fine to me but 400 slide films just don't have the punch that slower films show, hence the general use of 50-100 ISO slide film.

I personally prefer Kodak's 'cleaner' colours to Fuji, so I use Elitechrome Extra Colour although it can be a bit contrasty in some situations where the 'standard' film is more useful.

[Steve Gross]

Hey, Roadrunner:

I've had good success with all of the films listed above, but I do gravitate toward the Ektachromes, specifically the VS. The SW film had shown nice results as well. I have not yet used the G or GX (warm) films.

Though I have purchased the 100 ISO Velvia, it's not a film I reach for. I still haven't made the mental switch that it's a 100 speed film, and since my primary subject is birds, I'm still locked into the "Velvia is too slow for my slow (5.6) 400 mm lens. Perhaps that will change.

It's nice to have so many choices, n'est-ce pas?

Steve in Houston