Enlargements from Velvia

[CaSousa]

I shot a roll of 100F back in early september that I'd like to make some larger prints out of. I know I won't get the grain-free quality of Velvia 50, but will they be sharper then usual 100 enlargments, or just better color? I'm thinking a mix of 8x10 and 11x14, unless the 11x14 will blow out the colors too much (he shots I'm thinking of are city building reflections with plenty of sky and color, and I'd love to keep the integrity of the nicely saturated blues and tans).
Also, what experience do people have going from slide to print? I used my local shop on my last prints, and it just doesn't seem like the color is up to slide-quality.

If anyone has some opinions on this, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks,
-Chris

[Outdoorsman]

I would think they would be sharper.
I shot 20 rolls of Ektachrome 100VS. It is awesomely saturated with the richest, brightest colors I've ever seen in a slide film. But it's so grainy I can't stand to make it larger than 11X14 or so. Even an 8X10 shows grain.
I primarily shoot Provia 100F. This film is virtually grainless. I would not hesitate to enlarge it up to 20X30 or farther. I've heard that the Velvia 100F is on a par, but not quite as saturated as the 50 version.
Standard prints from slides, in my experience, aren't as good as the original slide. You lose definition and the colors are muted to a certain extent. To get prints from slides I prefer to have them scanned, and then reworked in PS to look as close to the original slide (bring back saturation, improve exposure, etc) and then printed. I can do all this at work, since that is one of our main services. The color gamut of the printer is much greater than I tend to get from a standard non-professional print.
You can also go to a custom lab and have them give you a hand print with all the right corrections made. A friend of mine uses a Montana-based company called SlidePro (check their site) that does custom dodging and burning, custom developing, etc. For a price, of course. But their work is very good.
In your case, a pro/custom lab is what you need. They should know what to do and understand the questions you ask. Hope this helps.
Good luck!

[racingpinarello]

I shot a roll of 100F back in early september that I'd like to make some larger prints out of. I know I won't get the grain-free quality of Velvia 50, but will they be sharper then usual 100 enlargments, or just better color? I'm thinking a mix of 8x10 and 11x14, unless the 11x14 will blow out the colors too much (he shots I'm thinking of are city building reflections with plenty of sky and color, and I'd love to keep the integrity of the nicely saturated blues and tans).
Also, what experience do people have going from slide to print? I used my local shop on my last prints, and it just doesn't seem like the color is up to slide-quality.

If anyone has some opinions on this, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks,
-Chris

I will say that unless I have somebody drum scan it for me, I have to hand carry a Velvia slide from exposure to print. What I mean is that I take the picture, pick the best slide, scan it with my Nikon scanner, color correct, and profile the image for print.

Sounds like a lot of work, it is, but it's worth it. I've had a hard time getting good prints from Velvia slides from OTC photo shops. My only suggestion would be that you go to Wolf Camera (they fuji archive paper) and get 4x6 index prints. Then the ones that you llike, you can blow up.

Velvia 100 has less contrast, but the grain is very good. I like it for travel shots.

Loren

[racingpinarello]

I would think they would be sharper.
I shot 20 rolls of Ektachrome 100VS. It is awesomely saturated with the richest, brightest colors I've ever seen in a slide film. But it's so grainy I can't stand to make it larger than 11X14 or so. Even an 8X10 shows grain.
I primarily shoot Provia 100F. This film is virtually grainless. I would not hesitate to enlarge it up to 20X30 or farther. I've heard that the Velvia 100F is on a par, but not quite as saturated as the 50 version.
Standard prints from slides, in my experience, aren't as good as the original slide. You lose definition and the colors are muted to a certain extent. To get prints from slides I prefer to have them scanned, and then reworked in PS to look as close to the original slide (bring back saturation, improve exposure, etc) and then printed. I can do all this at work, since that is one of our main services. The color gamut of the printer is much greater than I tend to get from a standard non-professional print.
You can also go to a custom lab and have them give you a hand print with all the right corrections made. A friend of mine uses a Montana-based company called SlidePro (check their site) that does custom dodging and burning, custom developing, etc. For a price, of course. But their work is very good.
In your case, a pro/custom lab is what you need. They should know what to do and understand the questions you ask. Hope this helps.
Good luck!

I agree with you on the grain of the 100VS. They had to change the stock, because the grain is so bad now that I consider most of my images from Argentina a blow out. I should've stuck with my Velvia and kept the warming filter on.

I use Calypso as my printer and they are similar to SlidePro. Good advice for the original question.

Lroen

[CaSousa]

I will say that unless I have somebody drum scan it for me, I have to hand carry a Velvia slide from exposure to print. What I mean is that I take the picture, pick the best slide, scan it with my Nikon scanner, color correct, and profile the image for print.

Sounds like a lot of work, it is, but it's worth it. I've had a hard time getting good prints from Velvia slides from OTC photo shops. My only suggestion would be that you go to Wolf Camera (they fuji archive paper) and get 4x6 index prints. Then the ones that you llike, you can blow up.

Velvia 100 has less contrast, but the grain is very good. I like it for travel shots.

Loren

Thanks a bunch for the info. Since my own scanning equipment is sub-par for slides and printing, I end up taking my work to various places in the area. I'll probably look into going to Wolf and then go from there. Pretty pricey, but worth it in the end.

Also, I took a look at your website Loren. I love your work! Are those shots in your Latin America section of Iquasu falls??

Thanks for the help,
-Chris

[racingpinarello]

Thanks a bunch for the info. Since my own scanning equipment is sub-par for slides and printing, I end up taking my work to various places in the area. I'll probably look into going to Wolf and then go from there. Pretty pricey, but worth it in the end.

Also, I took a look at your website Loren. I love your work! Are those shots in your Latin America section of Iquasu falls??

Thanks for the help,
-Chris

Hi Chris,
I'm glad that I can help. I went through a tough Velvia learning curve, but it tought me how to expose properly that's for sure. I even asked Joel Sartore (National Geographic photographer) how he got his stuff printed. Good luck with the printing, and if you need any other help please let me know.

Also, thanks for the comments on the website. That shot is from Iguazu from the Brazil and Argentinian side. It's spectacular and it was an amazing place.

Thank you again,
Loren

[Steph_B]

Thanks a bunch for the info. Since my own scanning equipment is sub-par for slides and printing, I end up taking my work to various places in the area. I'll probably look into going to Wolf and then go from there. Pretty pricey, but worth it in the end.

Also, I took a look at your website Loren. I love your work! Are those shots in your Latin America section of Iquasu falls??

Thanks for the help,
-Chris

Hi Chris,

I have many 12*18'' prints from Velvia 50 and 100F. The limitations factor is the scanner resolution rather than the grain of the film. I have a 20*30'' print and you can't see any grain on it. However, you can see that I didn't use a tripod !

It is usually assumed than a scan resolution above 5000 dpi will start to show the grain of velvia film.

Since you do not have the equipment, I will also advise you to:
- get a digital file out of your slide from a drum scanner is possible (ask for a resolution > or equal to 4000 at 16 bits).
- modified your shot in PS (colors, croping, burning, etc...)
- ask for a quality 4*6 print
- if the color is respected, then go for the BIG print.

Now, this is going to cost you! I am AMAZED at the price some stores can charge for a scan. This is insane! 50 scans will pay for a brand new film scanner. I recently found a demo version of the Dimage 5400 that was sold through ebay for a little less than $600.

I bit the bullet in Januray this year and got the Canoscan 4000 from Canon. I now scan ALL my slides (the good one anyway). This allows me to archive and view my pics from my laptop. No more cumbersome film projector!

Note that for a little less than $400 you can get a medium format inkjet printer than can make up to 13*19'' prints for about 4$ (ink and paper).

All the best with your print!

Cheers,

Steph.