New ektachrome

[Woodsy]

I've nothing really to add to the above comments I'm afraid chap, but please don't give up on slide so soon. Believe me, I appreciate how disappointing it can be to foul up an exposure, but for those times when scene and film come together, slide really can be worth it

 

[Deleted member 21335]

I've nothing really to add to the above comments I'm afraid chap, but please don't give up on slide so soon. Believe me, I appreciate how disappointing it can be to foul up an exposure, but for those times when scene and film come together, slide really can be worth it

Thanks man. The annoying thing is, the sheet of 5x4 looks perfect (Hane't scanned it, poor composition) but this roll is horrendous. Hope the 6 rolls of C41 I shot have something decent on or it's back to digital.

 

[Woodsy]

Thanks man. The annoying thing is, the sheet of 5x4 looks perfect (Hane't scanned it, poor composition) but this roll is horrendous. Hope the 6 rolls of C41 I shot have something decent on or it's back to digital.

I'm sure you'll have gotten something fella

Mindful that I've no idea how you meter, etc, I found that I only started getting exposures right on slide when I started spot metering. Being able to directly measure what parts I wanted where in the exposure is key, and I personally work to a 5 zone system with slide, and even 4 with velvia 50. This usually entails figuring out if there are any parts of the scene I can afford to let fall into shadow, and then setting the remaining shadow areas on -2 stops. As long as the brightest highlight is then no more than +2 stops, 3 at very most, the exposure should be fine. Then, I'll just confirm the right exposure by metering a grey point and seeing where that sits around 0.

All that being said, I have measured my LF shutters with a laser lightgate and oscilloscope, and thankfully the middling exposure times are all only a tiny fraction of a stop out. For C41 or B&W, right by ear is typically fine for the longest to middling shutter speeds.

Previous to all this, when I first started shooting slide on the RB67 years ago now, I used my D700 as a meter. This was not a good idea.

 

[excalibur2]

If you page down you can see what difference over and under exposure makes

My Experience Shooting the New Ektachrome 100

A guest blog by film photographer Sandra Coan. I’ve been a professional photographer for going on 20 years. That's a loooong time. Long enough to remember what is was like when everyone shot film. And long enough to remember how the industry changed after digital cameras came on the scene...

www.richardphotolab.com

 

[excalibur2]

Interesting using Ektachrome from this guys results as it would seem if your shot has shadows that you want to include then it's better to shoot at 1 stop over as in Lightroom etc you have more detail to play with:-

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fR_Q30SdNU

 

[joxby]

I only shoot slide for colour film.
In my experience, yes slide is tighter to use but my measurement of failure is either a minor density issue or a blown highlight issue, its never an entire roll write off.
You have to be miles off on every frame to have to bin the roll.
I considered moving on my Bronica ECTL a couple of years ago so I shot a roll of Velvia to test the accuracy of its metering, only one frame of the 12 looked slightly over exposed, not blown to hell and back just not quite there.
The camera was manufactured in 1974, whilst there are always the variables of lighting conditions or the possibility its just a good bit of kit out of hundreds of less accurate bits of kit, it still seems a bit of a stretch to blow an entire roll of individually metered frames using a seemingly decently functioning camera so completely.

 

[Asha]

@gazmorton Without wishing to state something so basic that it sounds like I’m taking the p...
Is it possible that the film speed was set incorrectly for metering?

 

[Deleted member 21335]

If you page down you can see what difference over and under exposure makes

My Experience Shooting the New Ektachrome 100

A guest blog by film photographer Sandra Coan. I’ve been a professional photographer for going on 20 years. That's a loooong time. Long enough to remember what is was like when everyone shot film. And long enough to remember how the industry changed after digital cameras came on the scene...

www.richardphotolab.com

@gazmorton Without wishing to state something so basic that it sounds like I’m taking the p...
Is it possible that the film speed was set incorrectly for metering?

Well, after hearing back from both labs and assessing the link above, it seems it’s my metering that’s the problem. Which is annoying but also a relief that there’s nothing wrong with the camera.

CFL said they’d definitely know with the Ektar if it was a stop or two over and it’s always spot on.
Interestingly, both labs offered me the same metering advice and more interestingly both of them said that a lot of people use a warming filter with Ektachrome because of its tendency to render things towards blue.

So whilst annoying that I’m an idiot, it’s a massive learning curve so perhaps I won’t give up on slide just yet.

 

[excalibur2]

it seems it’s my metering that’s the problem

erm why don't you show some shots so we can see what is the problem?

 

[Deleted member 21335]

erm why don't you show some shots so we can see what is the problem?

Because I know what the problem is. I metered wrong for this type of film. It’s as simple as that really.It’s been a learning curve trying something new so next time I’ll approach it differently.

Fortunately I shot 7 rolls of C41 also and those scans are due back any day.

 

[excalibur2]

Because I know what the problem is. I metered wrong for this type of film. It’s as simple as that really.It’s been a learning curve trying something new so next time I’ll approach it differently.

Fortunately I shot 7 rolls of C41 also and those scans are due back any day.

...but I'm sure all us would like to know even if your shots were put in the thread "101 ways to ruin a roll of film"

 

[excalibur2]

that a lot of people use a warming filter with Ektachrome because of its tendency to render things towards blue.

h'mm most films are made for normal daylight about 5600k so why would Kodak make a film that renders things toward blue, of course if you are on a snowy mountain or at the north pole or very early in the morning.....they may have a point,

 

[joxby]

Velvia 100F renders quite cool in dusky light conditions, I don't like it, nobody shoots Velvia for cold colours.
Like most slide it shoots best in strong light, if it isn't sunny I don't bother.
I shoot it at night though...

 

[joxby]

Because I know what the problem is. I metered wrong for this type of film. It’s as simple as that really.It’s been a learning curve trying something new so next time I’ll approach it differently.

Fortunately I shot 7 rolls of C41 also and those scans are due back any day.

So, did you completely ***x up or is it a bit of both, small human error + small camera error = big error
I mean, we're all only human, I could produce quite a few frames of dense blackness of equal if not worse exposure error...
Slide is immeasurably more irritating to b****r up than b/w though

 

[Deleted member 21335]

So, did you completely ***x up or is it a bit of both, small human error + small camera error = big error
I mean, we're all only human, I could produce quite a few frames of dense blackness of equal if not worse exposure error...
Slide is immeasurably more irritating to b****r up than b/w though

There are maybe two useable ones on the roll. Unfortunately, a couple of the compositions I really wanted are ruined and I didn't shoot them on the Ektar. The good news is, I know how to shoot Ektar and all those are perfectly exposed (on the same camera) as well as the 35mm Portra 400.

So it's safe to say, it was 100% user error on this occasion. Perhaps I will stick to C41. I do LOVE Ektar.