Nizo 801 Macro with Ektachrome 100D

[John Robson]

I'm really baffled as to what settings I should use with a Nizo 801 Macro and Ektachrome 100D film. To avoid a colour cast I have been told if I am using it outside I should set it on bulb instead of daylight so as to override the internal filter which assumes it is Tungsten film?

 

But someone else told me that on bulb it will read at the wrong speed and be underexposed?

 

Not sure what setting I should be going for, I used 64T before and it was easy on auto settings and I didn't have to worry about exposures too much, but this seems more complicated, I don't want a colour cast or have it wrongly exposed.

 

On a side note I am also going to shoot a roll of Tri-X 200D B+W as well, not sure if it matters which setting I use for that?

 

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

John

[Friedemann Wachsmuth]

See http://www.peaceman.de/blog/index.php/super-8-notch-ruler-new-and-improved to find out all about your camera and how it treats what notch. The advice you got might also vary because not all E100D is notched the same way (Wittner e.g. notches it as 64D).

 

Anyway: The E100D has enormous exposure tolerance. Best is to try it out with a test cartridge.

[Miguel Loredo]

The advice you got might also vary because not all E100D is notched the same way (Wittner e.g. notches it as 64D).

 

I have to clear that all the Wittnerchrome 100D that I came across, was correctly notched as 100D, same as Kodak's

[Friedemann Wachsmuth]

I have to clear that all the Wittnerchrome 100D that I came across, was correctly notched as 100D, same as Kodak's

 

I would love to see a picture of a Wittner 100D with a 100D notch. Have you used the "old" notch ruler? You might have measured wrong (thats pretty easy since that one is made for cameras, not cartridges).

 

I actually have a picture that Wittner sent me during a lengthy conversation about this topic:

 

I have used like 50 cartridges of WIttner's 100D and never seen a different notch. Some very early verisons had a Tungsten Notch though.

Edited October 22, 2010 by Friedemann Wachsmuth

[Miguel Loredo]

I would love to see a picture of a Wittner 100D with a 100D notch. Have you used the "old" notch ruler? You might have measured wrong (thats pretty easy since that one is made for cameras, not cartridges).

 

I actually have a picture that Wittner sent me during a lengthy conversation about this topic:

 

I have used like 50 cartridges of WIttner's 100D and never seen a different notch. Some very early verisons had a Tungsten Notch though.

 

Unfortunately I'm not using Wittnerchrome 100D any more since it's available from Kodak, but this topic was much discussed long time ago also in Spanish forums because someone reported the same as you. Finally we came to the conclusion that in the beginning Wittnerchrome 100D was uncorrectly notched, but it was modified later. I remember in those days myself comparing my own W100D cartridges with the Plus-X to check for correct exposure prior to a wedding, and they were exactly the same.

[Robert Lewis]

Unfortunately I'm not using Wittnerchrome 100D any more since it's available from Kodak, but this topic was much discussed long time ago also in Spanish forums because someone reported the same as you. Finally we came to the conclusion that in the beginning Wittnerchrome 100D was uncorrectly notched, but it was modified later. I remember in those days myself comparing my own W100D cartridges with the Plus-X to check for correct exposure prior to a wedding, and they were exactly the same.

 

It really is quite amazing that there should be such a level of confusion about the speed notching of Wittnerchrome 100D as opposed to Ektachrome 100D packed by Kodak.

 

I recently had a disappointing experience with a roll of Wittnerchrome 100D, though I am not complaining about Wittner's product. The problem was that I didn't check carefully the notching of the cartidge I had.

 

Just before Kodak started to market 100D, I was keen to try 100D and so bought some of Wittner's product. Shortly afterwards, I was able to purchase and did purchase some rolls of Ektachrome 100D. I used the Ektachrome 100D with quite pleasing results in my Nizo 561 Macro. To be honest I assumed that I had enough information on the question of notching and so happily assumed, correctly as it happens, that the camera would detect that the stock was 100D and would automatically remove the internal 85 filter and so the internal filter switch should be set to "sun".

 

Subsequently, I used the Wittnerchrome 100D, and by this time I had picked up on the issues of speed and filter notching, and accepting that the suggestion that Wittner notched their stock at 100T/64D, rather than 160T/100D, related to early Wittner stock, I just allowed the camera to detect the speed notching. By this time too, however, I had carefully read the Ektachrome packaging where it is said that the filter switch on the camera should be set to "bulb". So, you guessed it, I did just that.

 

The result was a disaster. It was so badly underexposed as to be useless.

 

Two messages come out of this, I think:

 

Firstly, one should ignore the instruction contained on the Ektachrome packaging if one is using a Nizo universal camera (4XX, 5XX, and 8XX), and possibly other cameras, because if one sets the filter switch on the camera to "bulb", the effect is to change the way the camera reads the film speed. Instead of reading it as 100 with the filter removed (that is to say as 100D), it seems the camera reads it as 160 with the filter removed (that is to say 160D), and the result is 2/3 F/stop under-exposure.

 

Secondly, a comparison of the speed notching on the two stocks showed that there was a difference between the notching of the two stocks. The Wittnerchrome 100D was, indeed, notched as 100T/64D, and this was on stock purchased earlier this year. The Ektachrome 100D was notched as 160T/100D stock. How this fits with the suggestion that Wittner changed their speed notching to match the notching used on Ektachrome 100D, I do not know.

 

Needless to say, I have learned from the experience!

[Chris Burke]

It really is quite amazing that there should be such a level of confusion about the speed notching of Wittnerchrome 100D as opposed to Ektachrome 100D packed by Kodak.

 

I recently had a disappointing experience with a roll of Wittnerchrome 100D, though I am not complaining about Wittner's product. The problem was that I didn't check carefully the notching of the cartidge I had.

 

Just before Kodak started to market 100D, I was keen to try 100D and so bought some of Wittner's product. Shortly afterwards, I was able to purchase and did purchase some rolls of Ektachrome 100D. I used the Ektachrome 100D with quite pleasing results in my Nizo 561 Macro. To be honest I assumed that I had enough information on the question of notching and so happily assumed, correctly as it happens, that the camera would detect that the stock was 100D and would automatically remove the internal 85 filter and so the internal filter switch should be set to "sun".

 

Subsequently, I used the Wittnerchrome 100D, and by this time I had picked up on the issues of speed and filter notching, and accepting that the suggestion that Wittner notched their stock at 100T/64D, rather than 160T/100D, related to early Wittner stock, I just allowed the camera to detect the speed notching. By this time too, however, I had carefully read the Ektachrome packaging where it is said that the filter switch on the camera should be set to "bulb". So, you guessed it, I did just that.

 

The result was a disaster. It was so badly underexposed as to be useless.

 

Two messages come out of this, I think:

 

Firstly, one should ignore the instruction contained on the Ektachrome packaging if one is using a Nizo universal camera (4XX, 5XX, and 8XX), and possibly other cameras, because if one sets the filter switch on the camera to "bulb", the effect is to change the way the camera reads the film speed. Instead of reading it as 100 with the filter removed (that is to say as 100D), it seems the camera reads it as 160 with the filter removed (that is to say 160D), and the result is 2/3 F/stop under-exposure.

 

Secondly, a comparison of the speed notching on the two stocks showed that there was a difference between the notching of the two stocks. The Wittnerchrome 100D was, indeed, notched as 100T/64D, and this was on stock purchased earlier this year. The Ektachrome 100D was notched as 160T/100D stock. How this fits with the suggestion that Wittner changed their speed notching to match the notching used on Ektachrome 100D, I do not know.

 

Needless to say, I have learned from the experience!

 

outdoors is 2/3 of a stop under that big of a deal. Actually, wouldn't it be preferred? I usually rate reversal one third under anyway with great results

[Robert Lewis]

outdoors is 2/3 of a stop under that big of a deal. Actually, wouldn't it be preferred? I usually rate reversal one third under anyway with great results

Ordinarily I would not disagree with you on the significance of 2/3 of a stop outdoors in bright sunlight, but there were two factors which were "in play" I think. The first was the way in which the Nizo camera interpreted the switch of the internal filter to "bulb", and the second was the notching of the Wittnerchrome 100D stock as 100T/64D. I am not sure what brought about the chronic under-exposure I experienced, except perhaps somehow the two factors mentioned combined and it was this combination which resulted in the under-exposure. The two points I was endeavouring to bring out in my posting were (1) that the advice contained on the packaging of Ektachrome 100D (about the setting of the internal filter switch) should not be followed slavishly, and (2) contrary to what was suggested in earlier postings, the issue of the notching of Wittnerchrome 100D, might not have been confined to early supplies since I had purchased my stock only in the Spring of this year.

 

At the end of the day, however, there is no longer a problem. Just letting the camera operate as it was intended (with the result that it reads Ektachrome 100D as 100D with no internal 85 filter) results in excellent imaging, and because Kodak are now supplying 100D directly notched as 100D, one is content to use this stock.