Here is the second look back at my last roll of Kodak E100GX. This time from Loveland Pass.
Retrospective: Loveland Pass
Tag Archives: Mamiya
Retrospective: Longs Peak
Over the next few Retrospective postings I’ll be sharing my last few roll of Kodak E100GX from 2011. I start here with a view of Longs Peak from Rocky Mountain National Park:
Have a Relaxing Labor Day
Walker Ranch Doors
I’ve done a lot of photography at Walker Ranch. I’ve printed and displayed some too, but never focussed on the Doors…….So Let’s Go Crazy at the Ranch for this week’s Thursday Doors!
A close-up of the Featured Door (above) and the Featured Door (below).
Two of my favorite Doors (above and below).
And, below, some general shots around the Ranch, but still with doors visible….
My Lomo Purple Scanning Adventure
AGH, what a fiasco. I had this interesting image and wanted to make a print to go over my fire place mantle:
You’ve seen this one before. But, over time with the proofs from the drum scan changed my tastes after they showed me a different option, and I wanted to move in a different direction:
But the Print Specialist didn’t want to work on it anymore. My husband suggested that my order wasn’t important enough (i.e. not enough income) to make it worth their while. I worked on the Drum scan myself a bit, but wasn’t making easy progress:
You can see I have quite a bit to do before it looks like the professionally done image. Then I read this Scanning Article on EMULSIVE and decided to do a little experiment of my own. I mostly learned that drum scanning a 35 mm negative is a waste of time…….So I tried a hi-resolution (6500 dpi) scan with my Epson Perfection V700.
And Mike’s Camera Store in Boulder, Colorado, was willing to work with me. Then the lockdown happened and although my order had been placed, I had to await the re-opening to get it. Now placed over my Mantle:
And a smaller version in my Office, which I may end up giving away……..Both wall portraits were taken with my Mamiya-7 on a tripod using Portra 400 film.
Mike’s now has me as a permanent customer for color printing……..
What the Irises Tell Us About Velvia 50 and E100 Films
The Irises display more of a difference, being both richer is color and truer to the colors I saw. You’ll have to trust me on that. I had intended to make Portra 400 images for all the garden shots, but that camera malfunctioned. However, I do have some Portra 400 35 mm images. One posted ant the end for comparison. As before, you’ll have to make your choice based on which color balance you prefer.
We will start with Yellow Irises, since we did see a difference in the Yellow Tulips:
As before, the E100 is on the left and the Velvia 50 is on the right. You can see the richer saturation in the Velvia 50. Something that we are expecting.
Varying the contrast and brightness had no affect on the absolute color, which is what we are interested in here.
Now we move on to Purple, which was a color that Velvia 50 favored in previous examples:
As before, E100 on the left and Velvia 50 on the right…….
For me, the Velvia yields a more attractive color and is closer to what I saw. Now let me tell you a little secret. Once in a Physics experiment in college, it showed that I tend to see a little bit into the UV spectrum. That is probably why the richer purples appeal more to me.
However, if you want truer color I think we have to get out the Portra 400 (below). Again, I think it is an aesthetic choice…….
Second Floor Door Mystery
I never did figure out exactly how this Door was used. Found it in an alley during a night time Denver Workshop……
Any ideas how this door was used?
Velvia 50 vs. E100 Continues…..with Tulips
There was so much discussion after my first posting, that I’ve moved up the Film Test Series. You seen what the Owls had to say………Now we’ll move into My Garden for the next three comparisons, and end with a road trip.
For all image sets, E100 is the first image (here the top)………Velvia 50 the second image (here the bottom). I love these dark purple tulips…….
I’d say these are too close to call………
You may notice some fuzzy focus. We’ve had a lot of wind lately. Impossible to find a still day.
E100 on the Left……Velvia 50 on the right.
So theTulips didn’t prove to be much of a test. Only the red and yellow Tulips show a definite difference. Next we’ll see what the Irises have to say…….
Prelim Discussion of IR-Sensitive B&W Films Part I: SFX-200 and Retro 80S
I typically use Ilford SFX-200 as my IR-Sensitive film. When I started, I used it with my darkest red filter:
But now I use my IR-695 filter:
Recently I’ve had two IR-sensitive film come my way: Rollei Retro 80S and Washi-Z. Let’s start with the Rollei film. Because of my positive experience using the 695 filter, I tried this with the Retro 80S. It resulted in interesting but very high contrast images:
Compare this to T-MAX 400 with a Dark Red filter (sorry that’s the film I had in the other Mamiya-7 at the time):
Here a direct comparison of the same scene, SFX-200 and Retro 80S, both with the IR-695 filter:
Can you tell which is which? The Retro 80S is the upper image, the SFX-200 is the lower image. The SFX image preserves the fine high altitude clouds better…..
I have recently read an article on the Retro 80S, where the author only used the dark red filter. @EMULSIVEfilm also has another recent article comparing Retro 80S and Retro 400S, again both using the dark red filter. So now I’m going to embark on a set of side by side Retro and SFX images making, using only the dark red filter. Can’t wait to see what happens……
Washi-Z discussion coming in Part II.
What 4 Owls Have Told Me About 4 Color Films
Continuing with the Showdown that I started a few days ago. I’ve been using E100 over a year. I’m midway in a film showdown between Kodak E100 vs Fuji Velvia 50. I had always preferred Kodak in the past, however, after some 35 mm experiences last year I had doubts. I had always used E100GX, a warm toned film of the old generation. The new film was based on a colder version E100G. But to be fair, I decided to do some formal color test comparison. This is Part, I am comparing four images of the Owl Mural made with four different films: E100, Velvia 50, Portra 400 and Lomo 800. For the direct comparison of the E-6 films I used my Mamiya-7’s; the Portra was exposed using a Mamiya-6; and the Lomo 800 was exposed using a Diana F+, for the Frugal Film Project.
First I’ll show them in pairs, then break down my critique of each one. Naturally I have selected my personal favorite for the Header image above.
Lomo 800
Portra 400
Left: Lomo 800; Right: Portra 400. I made no adjustments for tone or contrast; only cropping to make them comparable in size. All of the image were exposed on overcast days. The first comment I can make is that both C-41 films are truer to the actual mural colors. The Portra 400 has a richer color tone which I would expect for the lower ISO film. But you have to admit that the Lomo 800 is very good, especially since it was exposed using a plastic camera. The winner here is Kodak Portra 400:
Now for the main event, E100 (left) vs Velvia 50 (right):
Kodak E100
Fuji Velvia 50
As one would expect, the E-6 films have a more saturated color. Not quite a natural representation. But in my lifetime experience with film (going back to childhood) I’ve mostly shot E-6. As a field scientist back in the pre-PowerPoint days, I needed to show my information in slide presentations. So that meant E-6 films. In my earlier professional days I used ECN films. When that was discontinued I switched to Kodak E100GX.
If you read my earlier experiences with E100, you’ll be able to decide which one I prefer. I simply find the E100 too cold. So the Winner here is, Fuji Velvia 50. I enjoy the richer and brighter blues and purples……
So these are my two favorites. I can accept either one depending on what I am trying to demonstrate. Which one do you prefer?
Portra 400
Fuji Velvia 50
Stay tuned, right now I am continuing the side-by-side testing of these films as my Mamiya 645’s take a tour of my flower and vegetable gardens. I’m going to give E100 every possible chance to show me something that I’ll like.
And I may do a follow-up Road-Trip landscape comparison. In that case, I’ll see if a warming filter makes me feel better about the new Kodak E100.
Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph
Today’s door, from the First Floor Interior Main Hallway T-intersection:
When you turn right at the intersection above, you’re headed towards the Elevators…..More Doors, Right? And you are looking towards the main entrance door from the lobby at the end of this hall.
And some interior details:
These images are from a Doors Open Denver tour in 2014, sponsored by the Denver Architecture Foundation.
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