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Slides The main benefit of slides is that you see
the actual film, so you know exactly what you have (with negatives you have to
guess what the colors are until you print it). 90% of my shots are on slides.
Fujichrome Velvia 50 (RVP): I shoot this admirable film at ISO 40, and on rare occasions I shoot it at ISO 100 and push-develop it one stop. Great colors, overemphasized just enough to maintain reality. Very fine grain, will show up in Ilfochrome prints only at 16x magnification or higher. This is my main shooting film in the mountains and the prairies, and I'd use it all the time except for two occasions: then it's getting dark, and when there are people in the scene. Velvia has a knack of finding blemishes on skin and making people look ruddy and red. Fujichrome Provia 100F (RDPIII): new stuff, and very nice. This has a chance of becoming my favorite film. Less saturated than Velvia, but twice as fast and okay for people. When I shoot events or activities, this is what I use. Very fine grain, doesn't show up even at 18x. Fujichrome Astia: When I shoot people themselves, not people doing things, but close-ups of a face. I use this rarely. Kodak Elite Chrome Extra Color: I don't like this. The color balance is just not real, even though it's as saturated as Velvia. Negatives are usually sharper than slides (the reversal process is by its mature slightly blurry). Print beautifully, but scan horribly (on my scanner, at least). Kodak 800 Max Zoom (the new formula): it's fun to shoot fast film; lose the tripod, extend the zoom and you still get sharp pics. Grainy, it's still sharp enough for 11x14's. Kodak or Fuji ISO 100 film: generally the cheap stuff from the big store. As lousy as the film is, I can print it well because of all the adjustments I can make. Usually very sharp, all the sharpest prints I have are done using this. Fuji NPS 160: for the fancy portrait shots, I don't use this much, not because it's not good film, but because I shoot so few portraits. Fuji NHGII 800: the Fuji equivalent of 800 Max Zoom, only different. When I shoot a lot more of this I'll say how they differ. Black & White B&W film doesn't really come in consumer and pro versions anymore. I find that Kodak is still the best for B&W negative film (there is only one B&W slide film, and I don't use it; I'd prefer to reverse TMax if I need slides). Kodak TMax 100 (TMX): I like this film. There are complaints that the film is tricky to develop, bcause it is made to respond to processing differences. I find that using the Jobo processor negates this complaint for me. Fine grain, nice density range, and prints well on Polymax paper. Needs a lot of fixer to wash the pink dye out of the film. Kodak Plus-X 125 (PX): This is an easier film to process, but it's grainier than TMX. As you can see, I tend to use the professional slide film, but consumer negative film. Film Codes. I've started to use codes to indicate what type of film is used for each photograph: a unspecified E-6
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