What Slide Film Should I Stick With?

Today you will be exploring Kodak E100 against Fuji Provia 100F. I shot both these films with my wonderful Bronica Zenza ETRS 6by45 camera. I shot with the 75mm f2.8 lens outside using natural light.

I am comparing these film stocks to see the differences in color, saturation. In terms of pricing in the UK Kodak E100 comes in at £18 a roll whereas Fuji Provia 100F comes in at £10 a roll.

There's a significant difference in price so this will be useful for you to consider the next time you will be shooting with color slide film!

I wanted to try Provia 100F because I know Fujichrome film stocks tend to be more on the warmer side and less contrasty. I have heard Ektachrome can be more contrasty and have more of a blue tinge to the results.

If you haven't checked out my previous video with these film stocks in a studio condition be sure to check that out at the end of this video to get a comparison.

Metering for these films can be a bit tricky. I was using my Sekonic L-308X. As these film stocks tend to have a dynamic range of about 3-4 stops you need to make sure that you meter correctly otherwise the images won’t come out well. This was especially more important when shooting outdoors without guaranteed consistency of light.

In practical terms outdoors this would mean taking several meter readings one for the highlights and one for the shadows. Remember for film photography it's super important to make sure the shadows are metered in particular because you will not be able to raise or correct these in post as you would with digital cameras. Every shot was taken on the same shutter speed, aperture and I even tried to keep framing and posing as identical and humanly possible throughout the shoot.

As mentioned before, changing light intensity would be something I would have to carefully consider. As always I was trying to get the most consistent results possible. We got a little more creative with the shots as the shoot progressed!

When shooting color negative films, I always get a separate contact sheet with my film negatives so I can see the images in color or black and white. For slide film this is not necessary as you can see the images in their full glory! Ektachrome and Provia are 100 ISO daylight balanced films.

They deliver extremely fine grain as well as, whiter, brighter whites, and an improved tone scale. Both films claim to produce exceptional results for advertising, fashion, editorial, architecture, nature/wildlife, and other commercial applications. As well as this they are specifically designed for exposure with daylight or electronic flash.

My favorite image shot on Provia 100F was with Fadhillah lying on the floor with one hand on her head. The green color of the grass has been captured with remarkable accuracy along with with skin tones and textures of her shirt. The runner up on Provia would be with her holding her hands above her head extending her left leg out.

My favourite shot on Ektachrome was the one taken from directly above with the scarf on the floor and Fadhillah looking directly down the barrel of the camera lens. The eyes have rendered razor sharp. The runner up shot would be of her slightly perched up while seated. The pose and setup of the shot is on pointe!

Overall I think that Provia has rendered more accurate skins tones and textures whilst it really struggled in the shadows. Ektachrome faired better in the shadows on the other hand although less forgiving with more light available. In fairness it was difficult to make comparisons as the light fluctuated quite a bit throughout the shoot. As always it is a work in progress therefore gotta keep shooting with this!

One of the reasons for shooting in a natural light setting was to help you to save time and money before you jumped into the world of slide film photography. Now that you have seen this setup I hope you are encouraged to push yourself and dive into shooting these film stocks too. Be sure to check out my studio shoot with these film stocks as it will give you a wider understanding of the differences in outcomes.

The summer is going to be coming into full swing and I would love to connect or collaborate with you if you’re in London! Shoot me a comment and let's set up something!

Kodak Ektachrome doesn't do Low Light, right?

Time to shoot some more Ektachrome, how will it fare indoors with and without off camera flash? I was about to find out in a whistlestop mansion shoot with Evie. I shot both with my trusted Bronica Zenza ETRS with the 75mm f2.8 lens. As I shot with and without flash, each shot was carefully metered, with apertures and shutter speeds adjusted accordingly.

How would you perform under time and pressure to get the shot? It’s a sure fire recipe for making errors but certainly one that will help you sharpen your skills and abilities for future challenges.

The first setup was in this tiny room with a bookshelf, it took a few minutes to figure out the best possible perspective. Setting up the Profoto lights and then working with Evie to make a broad enough light was falling on her.

The challenge was trying to find an angle from which to shoot. Ideally I would have liked to get her own landscape orientation but space simply wouldn't allow it. Nonetheless you can see from the images that the metering was on point, the shadow tailing off. Perhaps having a fill light on the right hand side or perhaps even a reflector would help add greater depth.

For slide films you need to make sure you carefully meter the highlights and the shadows. Simply metering on one point of the subject could leave you at the mercy of luck. Bringing light out of the shadows in post from film is notoriously challenging. With portraits take an average reading so that you are not at the mercy of luck in development!

Someone had knocked on the door so Evie disappeared down to answer.

In the meantime, I thought through the next shot. The stair well provided an opportunity but the question was how was I going to illuminate it?

Evie came back up and as she was coming up the stairs I took notice on how the natural light was falling on her. I directed her to rest her arms on the corner bend on one of the steps and took this wonderful shot, the lights and shadows just perfectly balanced.

As a comparison, I decided to see how this image would look if the shadows were illuminated. After some creative balancing of the Profoto Beauty dish I took this shot. A completely new look within the same position. Which one do you think stands out better?

Time was against us so we headed to the dining room. This time I consciously chose to shoot Ektachrome using only the natural light coming through the large bay windows. This was always going to be a risk and certainly a challenge. I opened the aperture to the widest I could, f2.8.

No surprises here except for the fact the images are perfect for the representation of the scene. The light and shadows create a dramatic and moody atmosphere. Certainly detail is lost but it doesn't always have to be tack sharp; the images create a somber emotion in itself.

Overall it is true that in very low light conditions you will struggle to capture finer details and information may be lost in the shadows permanently. However, consider what the purpose of your shoot is. If you are trying to create mood and drama, fine details may not be important.

As such don't hesitate to shoot slow speed films such as Ektachrome. Shooting with an off camera flash on the hand has its benefits too, don’t forget the slower film can capture detail and depth with far greater richness than faster films such as Portra 400 or Fuji Pro 400H.

That combined with seeing the image on the positive adds to the beauty of it all, its quite hard to explain unless of course you do it for yourself!

Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar 6by45 camera or with Ektachrome or any other slide film stocks?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with Ektachrome? What are your likes and dislikes about them? What do you recommend I shoot next with it?

I shot E100 vs Provia 100F this is what I found

I cannot explain how amazing Ektachrome E100 and Provia 100F look when developed. There’s something very captivating about it!

I shot both these films with my wonderful Bronica Zenza ETRS 6by45 camera. I shot with the 75mm f2.8 lens on location in a studio.

I am comparing these film stocks to see the differences in colour, saturation. In terms of pricing in the UK Kodak E100 comes in at £18 a roll whereas Fuji Provia 100F comes in at £10 a roll. There's a significant difference in price so this will be useful for you to consider the next time you will be shooting with colour slide film!

I wanted to try Provia 100F because I know Fujichrome film stocks tend to be more on the warmer side and less contrasty. I have heard Ektachrome can be more contrasty and have more of a blue tinge to the results. So let’s find out how I got along.

Metering for these films can be a bit tricky. I was using my Sekonic L-308X. As these film stocks tend to have a dynamic range of about 3-4 stops you need to make sure that you meter correctly otherwise the images won’t come out well. In practical terms in the studio this would mean taking at least two meter readings one for the highlights and one for the shadows. For film photography it's super important to make sure the shadows are metered in particular because you will not be able to raise or correct these in post as you would with digital cameras.

Every shot was taken on the same shutter speed, aperture and I even tried to keep framing and posing as identical and humanly possible throughout the shoot. Using the studio strobe lights helps when switching the film backs unlike in a natural light setting. I was really trying to get the most consistent results possible. At the end of the shoot I decided to play a little and get some different shots on each one.

I always get a separate contact sheet with my film negatives so I can see the images in colour or black and white. The beauty of slide film is that it is a colour positive film so you can see all the radiance of the images in front of you. Ektachrome and Provia are 100 ISO daylight balanced films. They deliver extremely fine grain as well as, whiter, brighter whites, and an improved tone scale. Both films claim to produce exceptional results for advertising, fashion, editorial, architecture, nature/wildlife, and other commercial applications. As well as this they are specifically designed for exposure with daylight or electronic flash.

I think the runner up would be the shot of her looking up, Provia has really highlighted the blue in her eyes but also a very true red represented in the chair and carpet too. You may be aware that I do like my black and white photography and just for fun I wondered how these images would look in black and white. They did not disappoint. The clarity and detail in both these images is incredible. The image of Natasha standing and rest her head slightly on her left hand also was great.

Overall the reds came out more pronounced, along with a warmer tone to the images throughout with the Ektachrome whereas the Provia came out with more cooler tones in studio conditions. Next time I would like to see how these films perform again in the studio or outside with strobe lighting without a plain white backdrop setup.

One of the reasons for shooting in a studio setting was to help you to save time and money before you jumped into the world of slide film photography. Now that you have seen this setup I hope you are encouraged to push yourself and dive into shooting these film stocks too.

Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar 6by45 camera or either of these slide film stocks?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with either of these film stocks? which are your likes and dislikes about them? What do you recommend I shoot next with it?

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