Old School Review?

[Masterspykiller]

Apologies to the digital world, I've just dusted off my old underwater (gasp) FILM camera I would like to use in Kauai next week. Any suggestions/recommendation for this Luddite on FILM brand/type or ISO for use in 30-50' water with strobe flash? Does anyone even make film anymore?

 

[CompuDude]

What is this film you speak of?

 

[dbh]

100 ISO

I always used the Kodak VS but the Fuji Velvia seems the most popular.


HTH,
Dave

 

[Scubatooth]

i would agree with the reccomendation above as those films have the highest satuaration and finest grain structure.

one reccomendation is use Velvia 100, and not the 100F version as the 100 is a closer match to the colors of velvia 50(for which i have plenty in the freezer).

if you dont want to shoot slide film but would prefer negative film, my reccomendations would be fuji NPS or NPC (higher saturation and contrast the NPS) or there newer versions Pro 160S or Pro 160C.

if you have any other questions or reccomendations feel free to PM me

Tooth

 

[mddolson]

First let me qualify that I have not shot film in over 4 years so my info is dated. When I did I used a Nikonos 3 with Toshiba strobe.
I am also a rank amateur.

My 1st choice in film was Konica. I found the 200 and 400 (asa) ISO to have very fine grain and gave excellent colour.

My second choice was Kodak 100 ASA having the finest grain.

My last choice would be FUJI.
The color was off, tended to be on the green side.
The faster speed film was very course grain(400 ASA) and was not suitable for enlargments.

My 2 cents worth

Mike D

Apologies to the digital world, I've just dusted off my old underwater (gasp) FILM camera I would like to use in Kauai next week. Any suggestions/recommendation for this Luddite on FILM brand/type or ISO for use in 30-50' water with strobe flash? Does anyone even make film anymore?

 

[PapaBob]

OK. I have not used film for a while. In California I would guess you have low vis like we often do in S. Florida. My choices are Fuji Provia in 400 iso for transparency and Kodak Portra VC in 400 iso for negative. These are high quality films so you do not get a lot of grain and the extra 2 stops over 100 can help in low light even with a strobe.

Dog, you out there? You still shoot film anymore?

---Bob

 

[fdog]

And a good day to you, Bob! Yes, I still shoot film about half the time underwater, although I must confess it's 95% B+W now.

To the OP, if I'm shooting color film, it's all chromes. My long preference for tropical clear water (wide angle) has been Ektachrome E100G, which really makes the deep blue of the ocean "pop", as long as you're using fill flash. This works very well for me down to about 80', providing the day isn't overcast.

Knowing how the Hawiian islands are prone to clouds, I'd suggest my other wide-angle preference, Fuji ProviaF in ISO 400. It is a bit more contrasty, and the colors aren't quite as saturated to my eye, but hey, you have to pay for the extra two stops somehow.

If you must have print film, I have no suggestions for color, sorry. The last color neg I've shot with any regularity was Fuji Press in 400, and that was quite a while ago.

Have fun, and take a lead bag for the flight!

All the best, James

 

[Scubatooth]

mddolson

unfortuantly konica is out of business, and any remaining film out there is going to be the last of it.

would you be making that comment about fuji negative or slide films. because if its your negs you need to find a different lab because you can correct for a majority of any color casts in the wet darkroom or with most commercial printers (aka noritsu's and frontiers).

i say this is because i use fuji film as a majority of the film i shoot in my color stock and havent had the color casts you talk about. the only problems i have had was from labs who dont monitor there lines correctly and caused some color cross and shifts. fortuantely the shifts where that bad and correctable on scan.