Hi Ulf:
<< My favourite for landscapes, especially deserts, rocks, sand, is and has
for long been "Disneychrome" = Fuji Velvia. I just can't imagine your
homeareas as Zabriskie Point in Death Valley or Grand Canyon in anything else
than Velvia. >>
Thanks for the info. Actually, I pass up Zabriskie Point on my almost weekly
shoots to Death Valley. It is too well photographed and I like some elbow
room at sunup and sunset! This is a favorite spot for European- and Japanese-
origin tourists. Nearby Furnace Creek (below sea level) can be fun just to
hear all the languages. BTW, the park is having a nice bloom at elevations
below 500'
As for Velvia, it doesn't faithfully reproduce foliage, which is a must for
me. I don't go for its over saturation in sunlight, but it's a winner in
overcast and open skylight (even without color correction filters) landscapes
and is down right breaktaking in fog with or without an 81B. For pure
resolving power and grain, it is the best.
Astia has VERY truthful color reproduction, although favoring the boosted
saturation that is so in vogue. It really handles the bright rock highlights
and stucco finished buildings well. Due to its high cost (locally $11.00US),
I also tried Sensia II 100 ($6.50US per 36x roll), along with Elite II 100
(about $3.00US per 36x roll, after rebate). I can't seem to tell Sensia II
from Astia, which would make sense if they are the same emulsion. Fuji's
production tolerances have always been so good IMHO that I don't worry about
color shifts.
Elite II 100 (and 50) looks to have more saturation than Sensia II and Astia.
My co-photographer (a.k.a. "my gal) likes the bold colors. Grain-wise Astia,
Sensia II and Elite II 100 are in the same league. Elite II 50 has better
grain, although grainer than Velvia. Nothing new there :)
I still like a good 50 speed film. Makes me think I'm getting the most my
equipment has to offer. I've tossed out Kodachrome due to excessive contrast
in stark sun, undercontrolled halation (in the film base) and unpredictable
processing variations (by Kodak) leading to color casts. Now that Fujichrome
50 is gone and Elite II 50 is too saturated and over-priced, I'm primarily a
Agfachrome RSX 50 shooter. That is my #1 4x5" film stock, too. Using the
same emulsion in my 35 mm as the 4x5 means I can sometimes just meter with the
OLY. Heck, I might even trade my Sekonic L-778 spot meter for an OM-4T,
although I'd need the 200 mm lens on it to get the same spot angle of view as
the meter. That makes for an overly heavy light meter combo, though.
Oh, the RSX 50 could stand to be a bit sharper (not a problem in 4x5), but it
has a medium contrast whereas everything else is enhanced. Plus it has a WIDE
exposure latitude - the best of any of the color slide films I've used. So it
handles harsh lighting the old fashion way - with a lower gamma vs. Astia new
highlight holding technology. Given the contrast boost inevitable in
reproduction and digital manipulation, I want to keep my original
transparencies a tad flat. B&H sells this stuff dirt cheap and Agfa has got
their colors dead on neutral, which is a big improvement from the old days.
And I always have at least one 4x5 film holder and 35 mm camera with Agfa
Scala.
Gary Reese
Las Vegas, NV
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