Film Photography - Comparing Provia and Velvia 100 on a Landscape Shoot
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- A bad weather forecast had me pondering my options for a day out shooting landscapes but I realised it would be a good opportunity to compare Fuji Velvia 100 with its stablemate Provia 100.
I ran each film back to back in my Bronica SQAi and end up comparing the results both on the lightbox and in Lightroom. Some interesting findings and a conclusion.
Equipment Used.
Bronica SQAi
50mm S, 80mm PS and 150mm S Zenzanon Lenses
Fuji Velvia 100
Fuji Provia 100
Velbon Rexi L tripod
Osprey Talon 44 Backpack
Sekonic L-508 Spotmeter
Vlogging Equipment:
Yi 4K+ Action Cam
iPhone 7+
Incidental music by Epidemic Sound:
I'm thinking about you (instrumental version)
Immersion
![COLOMBIA vs. CHILE [4-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TDjN4W3yy1k/mqdefault.jpg)
Steve,
Something interesting to think about film is that we pre-define the kind of image we will take at the time we chose the film: Colour vs Black&White. We are not there yet but that needs to be defined before hand (unless we carry both films, or 2 cameras).
Then, each film type has its own style: granny, contrast, saturated, vivid, etc. That is what we use to thing before "spraying digital shots and praying something will come out" to be processed on computer to match one of the films. Well, not always but I think you got the point.
Photography is simple so we need to find joy doing it as (it looks) you have on it.
Thanks for taking us on your wonderful trips Steve, watching from a sunny warm Brisbane, Australia, you really carry me away with you, especially now that we can watch on a large screen, all strength to you, keep them coming.
Cheers, Colin.
Thanks Colin.
what a great comparison video!
film photography is just so fun,
i would love to use more film for landscape photography
Really interesting comparison Steve. Definitely preferred the Provia for its neutrality and shadow detail. Thanks for sharing your findings.
Thanks Craig.
Thank you for doing this comparison. I have recently purchased some Provia and this video is right on time.
Thanks Tony.
Thank you for this Steve! Great comparison and video.
You’re welcome Mathias.
Thank you for taking me to these places and sharing your expertise
You’re welcome Brian 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to test and sharing with us. I prefer the Provia despite having loved Velvia 20 or so years ago.
I do like Provia Jim, it’s so much cooler and less in your face than Velvia.
I found it very interesting Steve.... loving the new signature intro/outro too. Some of those locations look very desirable for autumnal shoots. TFS
Thanks Alan.
Very good tutorial. Thank you! Glad your Bronica is still working :)
Thanks Shauna 🙂
A very interesting video Steve as always, very well done!
Thanks James.
Great video Steve. Every time I watch one of your videos it makes me want to go out and shoot some film. I would be interested to see a similar comparison of 35mm slide film on your Minolta to see if it pulls any more detail out of the Velvia shadows than the Epson.
Thanks Robin, I think it would be good to compare the new 35mm Ektachrome alongside Provia and see how good the Minolta is at recovering the shadow detail.
Yes. That would be interesting to see. It always seemed quite good to me but I never did any side by side tests.
Thank you for this video. I can tell you put a lot of work into it. I was a Provia fan before watching this and I still am one after. I wish we could get ISO 400 these days.
I would also like to see a faster slide film to give me an alternative to Portra 400. It may be worth doing some push tests with Provia .......hmmm, now there’s an idea.
Steve O'Nions I’ve never heard of pushing slides before...hmm. I might try it myself!
Thanks Steve, this was a really interesting comparison. Really looking forward to the Velvia 50/Provia 100 comparison.
Thanks Don.
Great comparison Steve. I'm preferring the Provia personally. I'm not a huge fan of the blue cast Velvia puts into the shadows, but hey, that's just me! I used to use Provia all the time when I worked as a wintersports photographer here in the Alps, I preferred the 100 iso over the Velvia 50 some of my friends shot with - but the Velvia would give insanely deep blue skies up high on glaciers etc! Keep 'em coming, I've been binge watching your channel!
Velvia is definitely over the top for a lot of subjects and I try to reserve it for dull days when it can turn grey skies into wonderful blues and purples. Provia is so much more natural and easier to scan for me.
where was the bridge at the end of your shoot
Penmachno.
This popped up in my recommended videos, and I just shot a roll of Provia 100 in my Bronica today. I did not search for anything related and I didn't talk about it, either. Weird! But thanks for another great video.
Thank you.
Fantastic video! Thank you for this insightful information.
Provia and Velvia 50 are my go to colour films for sure. Provia is much more versatile when i have it loaded in a back i know that it can handle anything i throw at it, from long exposures to landscapes to portraits. Delta 100 is my black and white film of choice.
Good film choices 👍
H Steve.
Love your videos. Can you let me know where you got your light box? Tried to get them via eBay but got burned as one was from China and I got a cheap plastic toy instead of my A3 led light box. Thanks
It is just a cheap one from Amazon Tom, I probably got lucky. There are better ones from Kaiser with properly corrected lighting too, I’ve an A4 for scanning purposes.
I recently developed some rolls of Provia 100F and got a bit of magenta cast visible in clouds. Is that something you have experienced? Do you think a skylight filter would reduce this cast?
You can sometimes get a slight cast, it could be the lighting or even something introduced during development.
I never add any warming/cooling filters, everything is adjusted in Lightroom.
Very enjoyable Steve. I appreciated the slightly longer vlog, going into more detail.
Thanks Joe.
Wonderful. I feel like a better human being after watching Steve's fantastic videos. I'd love to go on a mission with him. It'll be like playing chess against a master.
Great stuff! The comparison was cool to see some of the differences. I've not done film since the generic 35mm days in the 90s. So actually seeing what some differences are between them are great. Cheers!
Thank you.
7:34 Love a cheeky blue Aston Martin making a guest appearance. I bet it would’ve looked great on Provia
😀
Mr.O'Nions, love your videos. Which Bronica model do you use? I have the etrs, love it but getting flustered with it lol.
I use the SQAi 6x6 model, very easy to work with as you never need to change the orientation.
Hope you look at advantages with slide film in the next one as I would assum that these have a poorer range compare to negative film.
Higher dynamic range is something I would value higher then nicer colors for scannes as colors can be adjusted for, you can't do that with a lack of detail.
Any case, lovely video as always and keep snapping!
great video. really wished I had seen it before buying so many rolls of the velvia 100 !
You and me both!
Another great video! Would love to be seeing shots while you are taking them, really would help keep the story going
This was interesting to me. So is there a time or type of subject matter when the Velvia would be the better choice? Is there a lot of difference in cost between the two films? By the way, I like the more intimate detail shots. I am beginning to gain more appreciation for that when compared with the big vistas that gets shot to death. I'm not great at seeing the possibilities though. I guess you have to develop your eye for that. Do you have any particular method you use to help pick out the detail shots? I really like these kinds of videos Steve. I am anxious to get started taking some film again. It has been twenty years since I shot film but I do still love that look.
Hi Philip. I can see Velvia 100 being very good for shots where the green tones need good separation and also when the dynamic range is 4 stops or fewer.
When it comes to identifying subjects I always try to exclude unnecessary elements I the frame which is why I mainly use standard and longer lenses. Wide angles are useful but often show too much of the surroundings that are not important for the shot and therefore dilute the effect.
I'll probably never shoot film, but I find your videos fascinating. Also agree that sometimes a good view doesn't always make for a great photograph. Keep up the good work. :-)
Thanks Julian. I sometimes think it’s better to leave the camera in the bag and just enjoy the moment.
Indeed...sometimes that's not out of choice though lol
Thank you for the comparison, I enjoyed it very much. I am highly looking forward to the next comparisons that you have mentioned. I also think it would be great to compare Portra 160 & Ektar if possible even though there is a 2/3rd stop difference. Keep up the great work Steve!!
Thanks Myron. Ektar is a film all on its own and difficult to compare, perhaps the old Fuji Reala was the closest match. The Fuji negative films are similar to Portra and I think this will make for a good comparison but the differences are probably quite subtle.
Wonderful post, Steve, and an excellent instructional video. Before my digital days, I shot Provia 100 (predominantly) and Velvia 100 (occasionally). While it's been a dozen years, I seem to recall rating the Provia 100 at 125 and Velvia 100 at 64 or 80. I'd say this is consistent with your results. I have no idea whether Fuji has changed the recipe for Provia or Velvia in the last dozen years or so. I do understand that the manufacture of film does not scale up or down well with formulas particularly sensitive to volume. Presumably today's smaller batches of film would need a modified manufacturing process.
Thanks Frank. I'd definitely rate Velvia 100 at 80 or even lower next time but I'd have to watch the highlights as they are already close to blowing out. I think 4 stops of range would be about the maximum for me and I would also avoid the sky unless the grad filters would cover it properly.
Very interesting vlog Steve, I have the Bronica 645 (ETRsi) really want to get out and use it more, I've only used Ilford B&W film so far and scanned it with the Epson V550. Have you tried the Digital camera method and stitching method yet?
I’ve done some very simple tests using a digital camera to digitise film and the results were very positive. I would have to sort out the three main problems before it was truly viable however 1) getting the camera parallel to the film 2) an even light source 3) a way of moving the film when multiple overlapping sections are required. These can all be remedied but I don’t have the time at present and the convenience of my scanners is hard to beat. I do have a full frame Nikon DSLR and 90mm macro lens that I would like to use for this purpose - one day 🙂
What application do you use to preview field of view of your lenses and cameras?
I use an app called Viewfinder Mark II on my iPhone, also a Panasonic LX5.
Thank you very much for this review! Seems like Provia definetily has a wider dynamic range.
It does Max but part of this is definitely due to the ability of my basic scanner get more details out of Provia.
Hey Steve, just wondering what light box you were using to look at the slides. Great vid by the way!
Hi Gus. The light box is just a cheap LED model called Minisun Lightpad. Mine is A4 but I can see they also do ones up to A1 for a very reasonable price.
Another good one
Love the look of Slides. Have you heard of a place online in the UK that takes digital to film?
Hi Erik. I believe there are places that will do the transfer but I’ve never tried it myself.
Thanks for the useful comparison.
Thank you.
Thank You for " wasting " two films to make a direct comparison! Some really great shots in there. A comparison to the velvia 50 would be quite interesting. I'd have bet the velvia wins the competition but .... Maybe the 50iso reacts differently, at least it is said to be the better Velvia. Thanks for sharing and spending the money and time for our amusement / education. Always great to watch Your videos !
Japan is hoarding all the good Velvia.
Steve, Do you spot meter the highlights in Z7 then adjust two stops to Z5 with slide film vs metering on Z3 for shadow details then back to Z5 for color negative film? Makes sense?
I did just that at a lake this summer using velvia and the sky looked gorgeous, but half the forest in the bg got crushed because a cloud trolled me :)
Hi Stuart. I take readings from around the whole scene and balance the exposure for the average if the brightness range is within 5 stops. If however it exceeds 5 I will bring the sky down (if possible) with graduated filters. I don’t mind a sky looking quite thin on the final slide as the scanner easily recovers detail in there but a dense shadow is much harder to penetrate.
From my experience as well as what other photographers say, velvia 100 is the most contrasty color film there is, even more contrasty than velvia 50. it clips highlights very abruptly, the 50 speed version has a much more gradation in the highlights. It has overall reddish tint, especially in the shadows. Compared to velvia 50 the greens are not as crazy and are more natural. I do really like how it renders the blue color. It shifts blues somewhat to purple direction, compared to 50. It is very deep and pleasant hue, I prefer its rendition of blue over the 50 speed version. Provia on the other hand has the most dynamic range in the shadows out of slide films. E100 supposedly has most dynamic range in highlights.
Excellent video 😊!
Thank you very much!
Good morning Steve,
thank you for a very interesting comparison. I, too, prefer Provia 100, which in my opinion also scans easier.
Speaking of scanning--have you ever considered getting SilverFast to replace Epson Scan? You'd be surprised what SilverFast is able to retrieve from either film stock.
Thanks again, Michael
I did try Silverfast originally Michael but never got on with it. I have heard very good things about it though, it’s a shame the full version is licenced per device.
That is unfortunately true--had to purchase it both for my Epson 4990 and my Nikon LS5000. But they write their own driver for each scanner model to get the most out of the hardware; and I am very satisfied with the results.
(In case you are interested, here's a link to one of my albums on Flickr: flic.kr/s/aHsjUwUNZJ )
Thank you, Michael
Really interesting comparison!
Thanks Joan
Being your a large negative shooter.
Is the new cameras with the 50 pixels or higher cameras the same when it comes to detail in large prints ?
Enjoy your videos thanks for posting.
Film, except in the very largest formats cannot complete with digital for detail and smoothness despite what people might tell you. I use film for its qualities of which sharpness comes way down the list.
@@SteveONions OK thank you.
Really nice video Steve. Best regards !
Thanks Lars.
I have never liked Fujichrome Velvia and still don't like it after watching this video! The Ektar images are the clear winners for me. Great content as usual Steve.
Thank you 😊
looking forward for velvia 50 tests.
Weird thing is, I NEVER used Provia film. I use it only as a film simulation on newer Fujifilm cameras these days. Provia came out about the same time I switched to digital. Or to be honest at the time I was FORCED to switch on digital. But back in the day I shot Velvia a lot. However, when a scene was to contrasty, too bluish or too murky like your conditions in this video were, I used Kodak Ektachrome professional films, 100s or 100vs. Sadly discontinued for yers now...
But I still have few rolls of those Kodak films in a deep freeze so I guess I'll pull it out together with my newly fixed and refurbished Yashica LM and see what I'll get...
I’d like to give the new Ektachrome a try but wish they’d make it available in 120. Something more neutral than the Fuji range would be nice.
@@SteveONions They announced availability of 120 and 4x5 I believe, together with the 30% Fujifilm price hike starting in April it will make it interesting option again.
Now I am interested. Thanks.
5:12 That's such a good insight, and I wish I had known it for longer. However, it also raises the question; How does one know if something will turn out a good photo, regardless of how it looks in person?
Only experience can help with this and even then it’s no guarantee. I’ve come to rely on compositional aids like my iPhone to help me asses each situation.
Nice, helpful video. It seems to me that if I wanted stronger oranges/reds and didn't need more tonal separation in the blues, I'd go with Velvia, but for neutrality/a natural look, blues and for shadow detail because of how well it handles the blue spectrum, Provia. Maybe too, were it a particularly orange sky, for example, and I wanted more of a sense of it rather than amplification of it, I'd go with Provia, and in both cases try and hit the "O" exposure mostly with slide film. Thanks again :)
I’d pretty much agree Philip, Velvia 100 works well in some situations but Provia is noticeably more forgiving and I do like the neutral tones better. I think Velvia 50 is the ideal partner if I want more vibrant colours.
Steve Velvia is a bit of a beast!
I prefer Kodak colour balance but fuji 100f is ok still a bit Blue/Green at times.
Waiting to test Kodak/Alaris Ektachrome E100 when it arrives soon (35mm).
I'm also keen to try the new Ektachrome 100 but wish they would make it in 120 too.
I used Ektachrome for ordinary shooting and loved the look of it as well. I used Velvia for shots where maximum color saturation was desired. I placed a pre-order for some rolls of the new stuff to Film Photography Project over the weekend. I look forward to shooting the stuff later this month.
They probably want to see what the demand is in 35 mm first. If they see a sustainable demand for 35mm I'd say that 120 is probably not that far away from reality. How long they will take to make that decision is anyone's guess.
I’ll definitely try it in 35mm when it hits the shelves.
I'm shocked at the metering for velvia 100 here. I usually rate it at 125 and expose for highlights to be 18% grey. I've found that exposing midtones at 18% grey to completely blow highlights.
Great comparison! I really like Provia too. However, when the light is a bit bland, or a bit too blue, then Velvia sometimes "saves" the shots by putting a bit more punch and warmth in. If the light is already warm, then Provia beats Velvia easily in my opinion.
Velvia is definitely best kept for those drab days with grey skies and limited exposure range. If the sun is out I much prefer the Provia (or Ektar).
I use Provia 100F and Velvia 50 a lot.
I tried Velvia 100 once and didn't like it.
The Velvia 100F is even worse than the Velvia 100
You should try Silverfast Ai Studio with IT8-calibration.
Just as I suspected. After seeing this and corroborating with my ad-hoc tests, I conclude that Provia gets scanned much better than Velvia; at least on my V850.
If is definitely better on the flatbed than the Velvia and given that this is how I digitize my images I'll be using it more often in the future.
thanks- keep going
good video, except that only two colors are compared -green and blue (and shadow tint and detail)
Not much else in the UK at that time of year 🙂
I would like to see a comparison of Velvia 50 and Velvia 50 pushed one stop. If you haven't already done so, you might be surprised.....or not. Lol!
I’ll leave that to you Mark, those last few rolls will be saved for something special 😊
You should try a roll pushed one for yourself. It has a similar effect to using an 81A warming filter. I didn't learn this on my own. I learned about it a workshop put on by Rocky Mountain School of Photography.
5:00 I think the opposite is also true.
Something that might not be nice to look at, can make a great photograph. Because of the limit of the frames you can exclude a lot of ugliness, but also with things like photojournalism in war zones.
Good point, never thought of it like that 👍
Having shot Velvia for years, I always use 2 filters with it on overcast or otherwise dreary days. To eliminate the blue cast I use an 81B warming filter. To make the colors pop I use a polarizing filter. The polarizer also will eliminate reflections from still water or wet rocks. The polarizer will cost you about 2 stops and the 81B will cost about 1 stop. Obviously these filters will have the same effect on any means of capture, but it is most pronounced on slide films, especially a highly saturated film like Velvia.
Some examples: i.imgur.com/qUnGZ2C.jpg Velvia 50 with 81B and Polarizer
i.imgur.com/FuCxxhF.jpg Velvia 50 with 81B only, using reflections from the wet rock to cover up graffiti.
i.imgur.com/uYyj5fA.png Velvia 100 no filter. With sunlight and back lighting like this, there's no need for a filter.
And lastly:
i.imgur.com/hSudctP.jpg Velvia 100 no filter. Here the exposure was about 40 seconds. The red in the clouds was barely visible to the naked eye, but the long exposure catches it and Velvia makes it pop.
The filters have definitely helped there Mark but the speed loss is considerable, I already struggle with ISO 100 and the windy weather we get in the hills.
Agree 100% Velvia 100 'needs' a warming filter if you have significant blues in the shot. Personally I'm leaning more and more to Provia especially as I have no problems (aesthetically) in doing some digital processing of the scanned images. I do still use warming filters with the Provia.
At times I do like the way Velvia 100 alters the tonal range especially in separating greens but the neutrality of Provia coupled with the superior scanning makes it preferable for me.
What LED box is that?
It’s just a cheap Minisun A4 tablet light from Amazon Reuben.
I’d love to see Ektachrome vs Provia 😁
Me too - but I’m not likely to be the one doing it 😀
Which scan target did you use to calibrate your scanner? I've found very helpful to use targets made on scanned film stock. See: sites.google.com/site/negfix/metamerism
03.56 "What a great hobby photography is." I was quite irritated when I heard this. I don't get it, you are creating something with passion, doesn't it deserves to be called "art"? (I admit that art does not necessitate to call something art btw.) Anyway I've learned a lot again in this video. Thank you. It would be most perfect to hear your ideas on the purpose of taking photographs and general outcome of it, like whether being a full-time photographer or not.
It is definitely a hobby for me, defined as follows “An activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.”
I am not an artists, very few photographers are, I consider it more of a craft and one hat can be improved with practice.
Thanks for commenting.
👏👏👏👌👌👍
we shoot on the iPhone 7+, then how we take pictures on film ))
The iPhone is best all round camera I have but absolutely no fun at all!
That's what experience teaches, not to just shoot anything.
I found Velvia to be extremely situational, and I prefer Provia in almost any circumstance
Same here Jacopo 👍
+1 Provia to print
You sound a lot like Ringo Starr, from the old Beatles cartoons.
He got blisters on his fingers
I presume this is “Velvia 100” and “Provia 100F”? (There was a Velvia 100F, ref: kenrockwell.com/fuji/velvia100.htm )
Yes, Velvia 100, I didn't like 100F at all.
I never liked the colours in fuji......loved kodak ektchrome colours
I must try Ektachrome. .
Never push or pull slide film.
Why?