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Mountain, snow and CineStill 50: any suggestion?


robert blu

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I'll spend a few days in the Dolomites area. I love to walk on the snow. 

 

Thinking to try my M7 and CineStill 50. Did anyone try this film on the snow?

Any particular suggestion?

 

It's just a test to see how it reacts, probably I should bracket exposure...

 

robert

 

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Robert, many photos of Cinestill in our thread "I like film " * but our film experts will answer you.

In France,  we mainly use  Kodak Portra 400-160
And why not b&w , TX400 for example ?

Best

Henry

* http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/205842-i-like-filmopen-thread/page-413 :)

Edited by Doc Henry
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...And why not b&w , TX400 for example ?

 

 

Thanks, I did B&W last year (cannot post here because taken with my old FM2) I'm just curious to see what this film can give. I know, sometimes I like difficult things :)  It's a test before a longer holiday in the mountains next february.

 

Weather should be sunny and clear, I think I'll test different exposures..maybe 50-64 and 80 depending on how much snow in the frame...

 

robert

 

 

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...And why not b&w , TX400 for example ?

 

 

Thanks, I did B&W last year (cannot post here because taken with my old FM2) I'm just curious to see what this film can give. I know, sometimes I like difficult things :)  It's a test before a longer holiday in the mountains next february.

 

Weather should be sunny and clear, I think I'll test different exposures..maybe 50-64 and 80 depending on how much snow in the frame...

 

robert

With Andreas agreement you can post in this thread to hightlight brand film

Best

Henry

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1. Remember that a reflected light meter, like the M7's built-in one, is programmed to record what it is pointed at as medium gray. Point it at white snow, and you will get gray snow. And anything darker than the snow (people, rocks, trees, water) will be darker yet. I.E. you'll have underexposure.

 

It's a common newbie idea to think "Oh, all that snow is really bright, so I need to underexpose!"

 

Nope! Not unless you like silhouettes. Take what the reflected meter says, and ADD 2 stops +/- to get the snow brightness back up the way it looked (nearly white).

 

Put another way, in Ansel Adams' Zone System, you meter will expose what it is pointed at as Zone V (medium gray). Snow with detail/texture should be recorded as Zone VIII (3 stops more exposure than it meters) and glaring white snow should be exposed to Zone IX (4 stops more than it meters). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_System

 

2. Color neg film in particular just hates underexposure and thin shadow areas, in any case - they get grainy and clotted due to the way the image is formed (dye clouds, not silver specks).

 

With color negative film, always err (if you must) on the side of OVERexposure. Be sure your brackets on ISO 50 color neg film include ISO 25 and even ISO 12, if this is new to you. Try ISO 80, also, if you like, but I'll bet you'll be 2-4 stops underexposed, metering white snow at that meter setting. And you'll get the whitest, cleanest snow, and better detail in darker areas, with the lower ISO brackets.

 

You might think snowy ground will act as a fill-reflector, but it really doesn't, most of the time. You are recording your reflector within the picture, so the more light it reflects as fill, the more it is also reflecting onto your film as well. The net brightness range between the lights and darks doesn't get filled, much.

 

Even under clouds (see attached), snowy scenes can retain a lot of contrast, between white snow and ice, and dark water, rocks and evergreens.

 

Hasselblad SWC/M on Ilford Pan F 50, incident metering (which ignores the reflective brightness of the snow), PLUS 1/2 stop (effective ISO 32).

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Thanks for the suggestions.When taking photos on the snow I usually overexpose more or less depending on how much snow (=white) there is in the frame. 

 

By the way it seems next week there will be not much snow (winter is not yet arrived on that side of the Alps!). Being it a place where I have already been more times I have no need to get THE shot, I have already many for my records!

This is why I want to take the opportunity to experiment a little with a film I like but never used in these circumstances with no fear to miss the important shot (which anyway my wife will take with her DSLR), I usually say experience is a sum of mistakes  :)

 

Here are a couple I shot last year on Ilford xp2s + orange filter

 

In the spirit to share experience I'll post results when back home, developed and scanned, this could take time...

 

thanks again, robert

 

val_badia_robert_2-3-modifica.jpg

 

val_badia_robert_1-6-2.jpg

 

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Mountain but no snow, this was Loch Lomond Scotland on Cine Still 800T (Vision 3) @400iso M2 Sunny sixteen and generous No filter

It has a distinct palate and I would describe the greens as awkward but it does produce interesting results.

 

15526789606_939c6e292b_z.jpg

 

15364819150_ce54c365f8_z.jpg

Edited by chris_livsey
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adan says: ...Hasselblad SWC/M on Ilford Pan F 50, incident metering (which ignores the reflective brightness of the snow), PLUS 1/2 stop (effective ISO 32).

 

Of course i'll not forget my Sekonic ! Thanks for reminding!

robert

Edited by robert blu
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This would be a great excuse to invest in an incident meter. They aren't expensive and they are a nice piece of gear to have. You pop the meter...and shoot until you are blue in the face knowing that each exposure is spot on.

 

We blow so much money on other crap without a second thought...I often wonder why folks shy away from having at least one decent incident meter. I got a Sekonic L308s, very basic meter for $125.00 off of Ebay not too long ago, and you can get even cheaper than that depending on what you want in a meter.

Or...being even cheaper...meter off of your palm and use that reading :)

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Hi Robert - One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the not so brilliant insight that the sky will likely be a deeper blue at the higher altitudes (assuming that the clouds don't cover it :) ).  So that would probably make me think about a film that best renders blues...and also greens given the opportunity to capture some foliage.  The two C-41 films that come to mind for this are Fuji Pro 400H and Kodak Ektar.  

 

The Fuji Pro 400H will give you more speed and more exposure latitude.  It is great for scanning and is known for its rendition blues and greens.  I would think that it would be the film to go with if you are looking for that perfect color balance and real life rendition.  [Portra 400 is VERY similar to the Fuji Pro 400H although it doesn't quite match Fuji's rendition of blues and greens in my experience and from what I've read]

 

Kodak Ektar should definitely be thrown into the discussion as well.  Although it is mostly thought of as a film that is particularly keen on reds, if it is properly exposed it will do a great job of delivering very punchy colors, much like slide film. I would use this film particularly for sunrises, sunsets and other dramatic scenes that have an emotional charge to them that you want to capture.  The one thing to remember about this film is that the exposure should be as spot on as possible.  In my experience it doesn't react as well to the ETTR workflow as the portras or Fuji Pro 400H. 

Here are a few examples of Ektar:

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Having said the foregoing, I don't think you'd be disappointed with the CInestill 50.  It will give your images a classic - almost vintage/timeless - look and feel.  

 

To sum up, if it were me, I think that in a perfect world (ideally in which you have more than one film body :) ) you might consider bringing some:

 

-Ektar for the early and late parts of the day (sunrises, sunsets and any particularly dramatic light/scenes and I come across)  

-Fuji Pro 400H for the scenes that you want to be very well balanced, or those scenes that are particularly contrasty, which the relatively expansive exposure latitude will be good for

-CInestill 50 for anything but particularly bright sunny midday scenes

 

Other films are great and worth considering as well.  Portra 160 comes to mind.  It is more balanced than Cinestill and has a more classic pastel rendition than the Fuji.  I find the Cinestill scans to require more work; but I favor the unique timeless look of the cinestill over the portra 160

Portra 400 is always an honorable mention; I just think that in this discussion the Fuji Pro 400H wins out given its slightly better rendition of blues and greens.

 

Slide film (such as the Fuji velvia or provia)  can be very rewarding assuming manageable contrast levels in the scene (which is more difficult with the 35mm format).

 

I hope you have a great trip and please post some of your results in the "I Like Film" thread :) http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/205842-i-like-filmopen-thread/page-425

Best,

Adam

Edited by A miller
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Jaap but in french Alpes yes

 

Problem - there is no snow in the Dolomites presently.. :(

may be because global warming Jaap :)

...  but in french Alpes yes

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/205842-i-like-filmopen-thread/?p=2947346

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/205842-i-like-filmopen-thread/?p=2947361

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/205842-i-like-filmopen-thread/?p=2947321

Best

Henry

Edited by Doc Henry
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I know. We have been in a weather system bringing moist cold air from the North-West.

 

 

But when the snow falls the Dolomites are a good subject. Santa Croce, Alta  Badia.

 

 

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Problem - there is no snow in the Dolomites presently.. :(

 

Yes, this is the problem! Planning another trip in the beginning of the new year, hopefully with more snow!

robert

PS: and if I had taken a decision about that T, or that 262, or that Q I had not to bother you all about film selection  :D

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Robert come in France, you know Chamonix ? :)

 

Aiguille du Midi

3200m

 

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Best

Henry

 

 

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Back home! As expected no snow! I tested anyway the CineStill 50 in difficult light, shadow down in the valley to learn how it reacts. Different exposures.

I also shot  a couple of B&Ws. 

When developed and scanned I'll post something.

 

Disappointing the RF of my M7 is again out of alignment. Not a problem with a 35 at F8 but it is not what I like it to be...

 

robert

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Back home! As expected no snow! I tested anyway the CineStill 50 in difficult light, shadow down in the valley to learn how it reacts. Different exposures.

I also shot  a couple of B&Ws. 

When developed and scanned I'll post something.

 

Disappointing the RF of my M7 is again out of alignment. Not a problem with a 35 at F8 but it is not what I like it to be...

 

robert

Robert

I hope you had a good trip

Don't forget to post some pictures in our thread :)  "I like film" in "Other"

Thanks.

For the aligment of you RF , 35 E at Photo Sufren Paris , a Leica dealer

I think the same price in Italy

Best

Henry

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  • 4 weeks later...

A few weeks later...so I went and there was almost no snow. I only found a small area with artificial snow where I could test the CineStill 50 film and took a quick snap of my wife.

I used an incident light meter which gave me more or less 1 1/2 stop difference from the reflected reading of the camera (M7) and simply took the shot. No post processing.

 

 

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Again CineStill 50 in very low light (into the valley, afternoon) to see how the colors could be (incident light meter).

robert

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Edited by robert blu
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A few weeks later...so I went and there was almost no snow. I only found a small area with artificial snow where I could test the CineStill 50 film and took a quick snap of my wife.

I used an incident light meter which gave me more or less 1 1/2 stop difference from the reflected reading of the camera (M7) and simply took the shot. No post processing.

Ah - you were in the Pustertal, just outside the restaurant on top of the Kronplatz..

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