Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/24

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Subject: Re: [Leica] New Provia, now E100VS and Skintones
From: "Henning J. Wulff" <henningw@archiphoto.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 22:28:19 -0700

At 11:04 PM -0400 9/24/99, Isaac H Crawford wrote:
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Harrison McClary <harrison@mcclary.net>
>To: LUG <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
>Sent: Friday, September 24, 1999 10:20 PM
>Subject: RE: [Leica] New Provia, now E100VS and Skintones
>>
>> Anyway I did both shots using the same lights..the 100sw you could see
>> detail in the tray the pies were sitting on, a dark tray, along with the
>> shadow the pies cast on the tray...on the Velvia the trays were black -
>> no detail or shadow, BUT the highlights in the tin pie tins were much
>> more punchy and the color of the pecan pies was MUCH more rich...wish I
>> had of had another roll of 100vs to test on that shot as I think it may
>> have worked better than the 100sw did.
>
>    I have heard this complaint about both Velvia and K25 (inky shadows) and
>I wonder if we're just dealing with a film sensitivity issue. In other
>words, it takes so much light for a slow emulsion to even register that
>exposure has been given, aren't inky shadows just a fact of life with these
>films? Wouldn't faster and faster films have the capability to render subtle
>shadow detail better?
>    I guess my point is that it may not be fair to compare Velvia to *any*
>100 speed film in this one aspect...

No, this is not the case. The slope of the toe and D-max (which is what I
think you are referrring to) are completely different issues.

K25 has a very long toe, and has lots of shadow detail. That's why it works
as a 32EI film. Velvia has the steep toe and soft shoulder, and therefore
works as a 40, or even 32EI film. Quite different, and ISO speed of the
film is not the issue.

   *            Henning J. Wulff
  /|\      Wulff Photography & Design
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