Experiences w/Pro8mm's Eterna?

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cubdukat
Posts: 356
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2005 6:07 pm
Real name: Larry
Location: Chicago, IL

Experiences w/Pro8mm's Eterna?

Post by cubdukat »

I was perusing some of the stills in the gallery the other day, and I noticed that there were a few film grabs from one of the Fuji Eterna stocks that looked pretty grainy.

I also got Fuji's latest demo DVD that has all of the Eterna stocks, and the one thing that I noticed is that the Eterna stocks look somewhat desaturated compared to the previous Super-F stocks ("dead," IMHO), but definitely not as grainy. In fact, it seemed quite smooth, just lacking in saturation, at least to my eyes.

Has anyone who's worked with the stocks have a different experience? And if not, what could I do to lower grain and increase the saturation in-camera? I'm not sure what kind of post setup I'll be using to color-correct it with.

P. S.: This is not a "Kodak vs. Fuji" post; I'm just looking for info on Eterna's graininess and color rendition, not any superiority it may or may not have over Vision2 stocks.
fastwind
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2002 11:45 pm

Post by fastwind »

Two things you can do to increase image contrast. Use a polarizer
when shooting outdoors a sunny day. But beware using a polaizer
eats up 2 stops of light.
Second, rate the film normally and tell the lab to push the film one stop.

If you are going to do any push/pull work, I highly recommend
Spectra Film & Video(http://www.spectrafilmandvideo.com) in Los Angeles.

Eric Gautier used pushing to add color and contrast to many of
the daylight scenes for The Motorcycle Diaries. If I remember correctly,
he used Kodak 5246 250D for alot of those scenes.
cubdukat
Posts: 356
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2005 6:07 pm
Real name: Larry
Location: Chicago, IL

Post by cubdukat »

Thanks for the advice.

You really lose two stops of light with a polarizer, huh?

If I shoot with E64T in daylight with the anamorphic lens, the polarizer and the 85B filter, I might actually be able to use it with the 514XL-S without trickery :)
fastwind
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2002 11:45 pm

Post by fastwind »

For that set up you should use an external light meter. Your ASA
after you apply the Anamorhic lens, polarizer will be 25. That is still
fine as long as you shoot outdoors in bright light. Use a reflector
for close ups. You can get a cheap Westcott collapsable reflector
from your local photographer supply store.

The reason why I didn't mention the 85B filter earlier is because
reversal film looks better with SLIGHT underexposure. 1/3 stop -the same
amount the 85B requires. So you'll be fine- just use an external meter.
Get a cheap analog one.
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