Trouble with NPS 160

[LLMc]

I have been using Fuji NPS 160 for weddings and I am having troube with the color. Red seems more magenta and skin tones are terrible. My wife is using Fuji consumer film and it looks fine. Has anyone else had this kind of trouble? I'm not using a "pro" lab, could this be a problem? I'm not a professional. I do a few weddings a year on the side. Any insights would be appreciated. I'm using a Canon EOS 5 with the EX 580 flash. I got the flash for my digital rebel, and hopefully the 30D in the future. Thanks in advance, Lou

[drg]

Lou,

There are several factors that can affect this and a couple that come to mind immediately:

1. How old is the film? The current FUJI product is PRO 160S (Since April I believe). The older emulsions could be age and temp sensitive
2. Your 580EX may not be properly controlled by the EOS 5 and is defaulting to a manual or simple AUTO mode. The colors you are describing often appear as a result of incorrect syncing. The flash intensity has dropped, the color has changed, and you are also getting bounced and ambient light. Posting a few samples might provide more information.
3. Have you had the meter checked in your camera or your other meter checked to see if your exposures are in the proper range, even though this film, when fresh, is quite tolerant.
4. Have you shot the same film as your wife in your camera to see if it works any better?
5. FUJI PRO films, certain the NPC, NPS, & NPL were known for varying color saturation issues when the shutter speeds fell below about 1/80th. FUJI warned about them under certain lighting combinations but my notes from years passed indicated that I needed to be aware below this level that ambient light could mess up the color. In a studio or under fairly bright condition this was not a problem. I found that I the NPS was too reduced in contrast for my taste and this of course can make slight color variants look quite different. I did use it a lot for a while in Medium Format and had better results. The two new versions of 160 speed negative film from FUJI have made improvements.
6. DO NOT process these films at a 1-hour place. Send them in to a commercial processor where the tanks are closely temperature controlled. It makes a huge difference. Lots of technical reasons.

I've found over the years that for the fast paced environment of a wedding that a FUJI 400 speed film, either pro or consumer grade, is hard to beat. Even in this digital age, I'll still run a few rolls of PRO 400H or even Superia X-TRA if nothing more than to get a "look". I also like the contrast and the color is not as touchy.

Hope this might help! Let us know how you come out.

[another view]

I'm not using a "pro" lab, could this be a problem? I'm not a professional.

Great ideas in the post above, but I think this one is probably the biggest reason. I've had the red/magenta issue with labs before that don't deal with Fuji film. It's not the film's fault. Find a pro lab that you want to work with, and ask them which films they like working with the best. A friend is a big fan of Fuji neg film, but the local pro lab is used to working with Kodak Portra. Rarely do they see Fuji so I used Portra and had great results. If they're a pro lab, they'll have consistent results from one shoot to the next. You'll know that you can trust the skin colors because that's how they print. But use whatever film they're most comfortable with because they're doing their best to make you look good - so don't make it hard on them!

You don't necessarily have to be a pro to use a pro lab. They do charge more, but you're paying for the quality and consistency. Some labs are better than others, so talk to a few of them. There are some big national places like Miller's Labs that only work with high-volume pros, but local pro labs (if you have one in the area) should be happy to get your business.

[LLMc]

To answer some of your questions: 1.) Some of the film was about a year old. It has been refrigerated. My last 2 rolls were the new Pro film, same results. All were bought at B&H on line. 2.) My camera runs on TTL with the flash. It isn't the new E-TTL, but the TTL works. The flash sync of the camera (which is an EOS 5,import version of the A2E) is 1/200. I was shooting in manual mode, 1/60 @ f 5.6, evaluative metering, with flash. 3.) I am going to use the consumer film next time instead of the Pro film and see what happens. 4.) We don't really have a good pro lab in my area. There is one, and I really don't like dealing with them because they know they're the only one, if you know what I mean. The only other option is for me to mail it, and I am very leary of doing that with someone's wedding pictures. I did look into a lab in Pittsburgh, and they are 2x the price. If it's because this lab can't handle the pro film, I'll just switch to the consumer grade film and use that. Thanks again for all your input. It is greatly appreciated!