At 08:52 2/9/03, you wrote:
At 07:10 AM 2/9/2003 -0500, John you wrote:
Albert,
For traditional [formal] portraiture, Kodak Portra NC or Fuji NPS is the
failsafe stuff to use. Reala is really good stuff, but it's more general
purpose with higher saturation and slightly higher contrast.
As always, exactly what you choose to use depends on what you want for
results; it's a tradeoff. Go with the Reala *if* there is strong reason
for higher saturation and a little more contrast. Go with the pro
portrait films (e.g., Portra or NPS) if finer tonal gradation and
accuracy with the skin tones are more important than higher saturation
and contrast.
I am starting to like Portra 160NC for general photography. It's like
Kodachrome in a print film. The grain at ASA 160 seems better than most
ASA 100 print films. Anyone else have this experience?
Joel W.
Yes with regard to the grain. It is, indeed, much finer grained than the
low end consumer ISO 100 films . . . and holds its own well compared to the
pro general purpose ISO 100 stuff (e.g. Supra).
Color accuracy is similar to Kodachrome . . . but my experience is
Kodachrome has much narrower latitude, slightly less than the E-6 stuff
I've tried . . . and as a result it's significantly contrastier than Portra
which has a latitude one can parallel park a semi in. I don't worry about
white wedding dresses next to black tuxes with Portra and that would be a
nightmare with Kodachrome. If you can get subjects into lower contrast
clothing and illuminate them with very soft and very low contrast lighting
Kodachrome can be used for portraiture . . . but it's still tricky and very
unforgiving of any exposure error and nearly as unforgiving of any light
temperature other than solid daylight. Even so, direct printed on
Ilfochrome a good Kodachrome portrait can create a stunning image. Portra
is so much more forgiving on all counts that I worry much less about
contrast, light temperature and exposure error when using it.
BTW, I've used Agfa Scala 200X in studio for B/W portraits and had them
printed on Ilfochrome. Much different compared to traditional B/W negative
on silver-gelatin prints and equally as stunning as doing a Kodachrome on
Ilfochrome. It does require a lab with some experience in printing Scala
to keep the print a neutral gray.
-- John
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