The Friday Film! Fuji Velvia ROCKS!

Hey guys! It’s Friday and I have some new film shots for ya! I had a roll of Fuji Velvia 100 processed through Dwayne’s in KS and realized that I did not ask for scans, just processing! BUT these slides came just 4 days after I sent them. AMAZING speed. I used these pre-paid mailers that I bought at B&H Photo which is also why I did not get scans.

It is so cool to get slides back in the mail. Much different than negatives from print film. With slides you can hold them up to the light and actually see the shot. I know most of you know this but many of you film newbies may not.

How the slides were delivered to me from Dwayne’s.

It’s so cool to hold a slide up to a light and check out your images. They are even better in a projector but these days our computer screens have turned those into old relics that wind up in bargain bins at old photo shops or thrift shops.

Anyway, I ended up scanning these at home at low res just so I could post a few. I also shot some Fuji Pro 400H and had those scanned at the drug store. Sometimes they do a decent job and other times they SUCK.

Velvia Rocks

But first check out the COLOR from this Velvia 100 slide film. WOW….

Fuji Velvia 100 will give you the EXTREME color POP! Leica MP, 35 Cron

I shot this specifically to test for the bright yellow and colors in the painting. Velvia is pretty saturated and may not be to everyones taste but I just bought 10 rolls so I have some on hand in case I ever want this kind of color.

Reds, greens, and purple. Velvia 100 delivers them all in a BOLD way πŸ™‚

So yea, Velvia 100 rocks when you want really strong color. It rocks better than digital. I would say Velvia film rocks like KISS and digital rocks like MINI KISS. Just pick your preference πŸ™‚

Fuji Pro 400H crap drug store scans converted to B&W

I also shot some Fuji Pro 400H last week and ended up converting most of them to B&W due to the scans from the drug store not looking so good. I HATE when that happens. So the images below have ZERO Fuji magic because there is no Fuji color!

But hey, working with scanned film is like working with digital except you have the “film look” so I just used Silver Efex Pro to convert these over in one click using my super secret “huff-o-matic B&W” preset…

All of the images below were shot with a Leica MP, 35 Summicron ASPH and Fuji Pro 400H but they were all converted to Black and White using Nik Silver Efex Pro!

Thanks for looking…I have to go finish packing for my big move on Monday AND shoot some film as well. Also, I have a VERY cool camera on the way to review. It’s a new MF film rangefinder that I have been wanting to check out. The Fuji GF670 should be in my hands as early as the end of next week. I should be settled in my new place by then so I hope to put it through its paces with all kinds of film. Until next Β time!

Steve

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27 Comments

  1. Ken Rockwell has some good tips to make velvia even more velvia with the warming 81A filter. google it.

  2. Really nice pictures. I am impressed with your black and white conversion. I still use Nick Silver Efex, could you please share your “top secret” one with us?

    Cheers mate,

  3. Excellent!
    This was actually a bit funny. For the first time in 15 years, I’ve decided to get some colour slide film for my M7 as we’re off on our honeymoon soon, and I had decided to get some Fuji Velvia, great to see some examples before I purchase.

  4. I have found slides easier, but others will have different experiences. I think maybe the secret is to shoot modern film like the new Velvias, Portra etc. which have been designed to be easy to scan.

  5. is it true that it’s easier to get good results scanning negative compared to scanning slides?

  6. @ Chris

    I have seen CoolScan 5000’s going for what the 9000’s do. If anyone is serious to get one – there are a tonne of them here new on the China ebay. Been thinking of buying a few up and on selling them. LOL.

    I shoot a Fuji GA645i and it rocks. The leaf shutter is silent – puts Leica’s to shame (which sound the same as my FM3a). The Nikon E apart from being smaller than an FM3a – which is smaller than a M7 is quieter too. But the in lens leaf shutters that do flash sync at any speed is the best.

    Fuji lenses are probably the best in the world. Deadly sharp,

  7. Also – why get them mounted? I never get slides mounted as it cuts the edges off the frame and makes scanning slower than a 6 shot strip.

    Are you going to get one of the Leica projectors? They still sell them new…. would be an amazing experience to see one project in real life.

    Now go and hold up a medium or large format slide and be prepared to never look at 135 or digital the same again. πŸ˜‰

  8. Was it 100 or 100F?

    100F is OK for humans and skin… the normal 100 I would not use for humans – much like the Velvia 50 (old or new one).

    Fuji is known for their reds and blues and this just looks bad for people. I have found that Provia 100 is a better all round film if you need a 100 speed chrome.

  9. Hi Elaine, the GF670 is a new camera, came out last year, but only available in the west this year. It’s switch-able 6×6 and 6×7 medium format. It’s also available as the Voigtlander Bessa III, same camera, different logo and colour.

  10. I shot a lot of slides in the day. I got pretty accurate at it too. I shot mostly horses and dogs. Back then , I hated photographing people. I wish I did more people photography. Now, I’m very into it. Slides are wonderful. They’re compact and can be stored easily in boxes or notebook sleeves. Also, you can make duplicates to safe keep off site. You can scan them, so people can see them online. Win. Win!

    Isn’t the Fuji GF670 and older camera? Large medium format?

  11. Fuji GF670? Way to go, Steve! I have the Voigtlander version and I’m stunned with the quality of the negatives. I have been scanning them on my old Epson 4870, but it didn’t let me get everything off the negative and into print. So yesterday a new and unopened Coolscan 9000ED turned up from the ‘Bay. The preview scan from this machine has far more detail than the final scan from the 4870! What an experience to see such an improvement! The final scan from the 9000 gives me what I was hoping to get when I bought my MF cameras (not that I don’t love my MP too – it will benefit from better scans as well). It’s a shame that these scanners are getting hard to find and that prices are rising as a result.

  12. Armanius, just to follow up on what Steve said, here in the UK, I can get slide film developed just like normal colour film, i.e. the positives are not mounted, they cut into strips of 5 frames and I get them scanned just like negatives. The only difference is the price, slide film is generally a little more expensive than negative film. Developing is sometimes more expensive, but at my usual lab Genie, it’s the same.

    I think slide film, Velvia and Kodak E100G in particular will make you a believer in film if you’re not already. If you’re a colour photographer and slide film does not do it for you, then I think you may as well stick to digital.

    The only downside is that you need to get exposure just right with slide film, it’s tolerance of over exposure is not as forgiving as normal negative film. Having said that, a camera with a modern meter will get it just right. My Zeiss Ikon always exposes slide film perfectly, and I would imagine any other modernish camera will too.

  13. Sorry Steve, I didn’t realise you had to send them by mail. It’s pretty fast for one sending it by mail tho.
    Yet I do know quite some labs who develop E6 (it’s the E6 process, isn’t it?) in two hours (altho too far away for you I guess… Belgium).
    Cheers,
    Marnicq

  14. Steve, I love those Velvia shots! I live a couple of hours from Parsons, and I plan to use the last few frames of my last roll of Kodachrome taking pictures of Dwayne’s with my Leica M3 and 50mm Summilux.

  15. Armanius, slide film works like normal film but not many places process/develop it. If you live by a pro lab they will usually do it, just ask to see if they do E-6 processing. When you get the film back they are mounted. These used to be placed in projectors and viewed big on a screen. These days most people just scan them or have them scanned.

    So instead of “negatives” that you normally get, you will receive “positives” that you can actually view like in the image above where I am holding the slide. It’s not cheap as you have to buy the film and the processing, which is a bit more than print film but film lovers swear by their slide film πŸ™‚

    Thanks for looking.

  16. Hey Elaine, I lived in AZ for 10 years, originally from Chicago. We moved back to IL 2 years ago but we missed AZ and my wife hated the winters here, so we decided to go back. My wife is in AZ already and we will be heading out Monday, driving for the final time. Ill be settled in about a week so can’t wait to get this over with.

    Thx

  17. Pardon my noob question – when you use “slide” film, do you have to put them in slides? Or can you have them used and developed just like normal print film?

  18. Steve, these are beautiful. I love Velvia. I had a similar experience with my drug store. they are TERRIBLE! I see the scanner is working out fine for showing on the web though.

    Where did you move to in AZ? What made you decide to move there? Has to be hot, huh? My sis wants to move there badly. I hope the move went smoothly. Thanks for sharing the Velvia!

  19. Marnicq, I am talking about the Velvia taking 4 days, having to be mailed. It is a slide film and as far as I know, there are no labs offering 2 hours service for slide film. Can’t take this film to a drug store. If you do they will mail it off and it will take 7-10 days.

    Stephen B, my last roll of XP2 was shot between 200-800 and results were great!

  20. 4 days time to get them developped is pretty long. Here we just bring them to the developper and get them back in 2hours?
    Great review tho, love the colours in the pool picture…

  21. Renze, you are so right about C41, it is amazing that one can shoot it at 800, 400 or 200 for example…all on the same film and processed normally. That is like having iso control like digital πŸ™‚ Some examples below. First is XP2 shot at 800 and the next is also XP2 but shot at 200 (same roll).

    [img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4581723257_42b340ec71_b.jpg[/img]

    [img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4581680657_386c0c9e7c_b.jpg[/img]

  22. Wow, what a coincidence! I just got my GW690III delivered yesterday! Looking forward to you review! Are you going to shoot slide film with it?

    I like your Fuji B/W’s… to be honest, why not play around with scanned images, it’s nice to live in a time where you can combine the best of analog with a digital workflow.
    What do you think about the lattitude of XP2.. sometimes I think why not just shoot color print film and convert that to B/W later if I feel like it.. that way I’ll always have a color version should I need it (since both are C41 anyway..)

  23. Hey Eric, no Portra is a more subdued gentle color. Velvia is an EXTREME color! Pretty cool though. I still have to try Velvia 50 which may be even more saturated.

  24. I might have to order a bit of slide film after seeing those colours, very impressive. I ordered portra VC but it wont even come close to that.

  25. WOW the colors in that pool shot are amazing! Even at low res it looks like you can just dive into the screen. I’ve been working through a few rolls of velvia myself, first time I’ve shot slide film. Now I really can’t wait to get those finished and sent off!

    What is the best way to get them to Dewaynes? Should I order those mailers from B&H or just take them down to fedex?

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