At 10:42 9/14/02, Bill Pearce wrote:
I think I'm going to get seriously flamed by the Kodachrome people, but
there isn't a single perfect film. Film is a tool, you must use the tool
best suited for the job, just as a painter uses different brushes.
Not by me. I agree with your observation that no single film can "do it
all." Selection should be dictated by the user based on what the user has
visualized for the finished photograph and which film matches that best,
both artistically and technically (i.e., archival longevity, print
materials desired [if any], etc.).
I generally prefer Fuji chromes. As an all around chrome, the Provias are a
close to a universal film as we have today. The grain is finer that any
other, and the saturation is only bumped a little (note that enhanced
saturation is currently in vogue. We shall see if it remains so.).
[snip]
Two points about Provia 100F and Kodachrome 64:
Don't misinterpret this as a "flame" defending Kodachrome. I currently use
both Kodachrome and Provia 100F. They're observations about two specific
character traits that emerged in using them. I agree with you about
saturation and Kodachrome processing difficulties in general, although I'm
not experiencing them. The 7-day turn-around is not perceived as a
difficulty; it's a very reliable 7 days, occasionally 5 or 6.
(1) A flaw exists with the Fujichromes that exhibits itself in specific
situations. It is most prevalent in night photographs containing very
bright man-made light sources in which the emulsion itself appears to flare
around bright and close light sources; they need not be "pinpoint" in the
image. Among those most vocal about this effect are those that routinely
photograph rail engines with their very bright headlamps. I've seen it
very pronounced in night street scenes with street lamps and traffic
signals, especially in the foreground. Kodachrome 64 and the Ektachromes
I've used do not behave this way under the same circumstances. I have not
studied the cause thoroughly. The WAG I would use as a direction to head
with one would investigate flare of light laterally across the emulsion
caused by reflection between all the film layers; similar to index of
refraction mismatch effects deliberately used to transmit light through
"light pipes" and fiber optics.
(2) Grain is only part of the story for "apparent sharpness." Indeed,
Provia 100F is the finest grained chrome I'm aware of. However, ultra-fine
grain alone does not guarantee apparent sharpness (acuity). It also
requires high edge definition which is significantly affected by emulsion
thickness. Kodachrome 64 excels beyond any other current chrome film in
edge definition for this reason. Provia 100F compensates for this with
slightly finer granularity. It's why Kodachrome has acuity equal to or
exceeding that of Provia 100F in spite of larger granularity figures. Part
of this tale is revealed in the MTF curves for contrast exhibited within
the mid-range of line pairs per millimeter.
-- John
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