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Experiences Shooting the New Ektachrome 100D


Shane C Collins

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Just received back my processed roll of the new Ektachrome 100D from Spectra. all I can say is WOW! The colors and resolution of this new stock are amazing! I projected the film last night on my Canon T-1 projector which uses a F 1.0 zoom lens, and a 150 watt bulb. The whole movie just looked speculator! The camera I used was a Eumig Viennette 8 from the early 70's. The camera has the ability to adjust the automatic exposure plus or minus 1 stop. I decided to increase the exposure by setting the auto-exposure 1/2 stop more open before rolling film. I also used a ND 0.3 filter to reduce the light and lower the f-stop. The results.....perfect! Projected the colors were vivid, contrast very nice, and sharpness was spot on. That's another thing I noticed right away the sharpness is much higher than the old Ektachrome 100D. Last year I shot a roll of the new Ektachrome using an Elmo 110 Super 8 camera. While the results were pretty good I felt the film looked darker. This year I shot the film in sunny conditions only! I really believe the 1/2 stop increase in light made all the difference compared to last years film. I also feel a ND filter is a must with this stock under sunny conditions. What have others experienced shooting this film, and how many have projected it? 

Edited by Shane C Collins
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Great to hear about your positive results, Shane! I have a cartridge of 100D waiting to be exposed as soon as we have some consistently sunny weather here in the UK, so your advice about optimum conditions under which to shoot is very welcome indeed. I will also be projecting, on my recently-acquired Eumig projector, which also has a 150W bulb. I hope it will work out as well for me!

Did you also get a scan, and if so, would you care to upload to youtube or vimeo so we can see what you mean..?

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Hi Stephen, I did not have a scan done as I only project Super 8. I'm not a big fan of scanned Super 8 prints. I'm amazed how many people who shoot Super 8 never have the chance to see their movies projected. A good projector with a fast lens, and at least a 150 watt bulb can not be beat in my opinion. Although I do understand sometimes a scan is needed for documentaries, or someone who can't attend a projected screening. 

If your planning to shoot in sunny conditions I would highly recommend a neutral density filter. It is a must with this speed film. Once your camera has metered past F-16 sharpness really drops off. I'm even considering a filter that drops the F-stop by 2. The auto-exposure in my Eumig seemed to stay around F-16/11 for most shots. While this did produce nice images I feel a lower reading will yield even sharper images. The filter I am using now only drops the F-stop by 1. 

What I have noticed with the new Ektachrome is loss of detail in the shadows, if your not careful with exposure settings. I noticed this last year when I filmed scenes in a wooden area that had a mixture of shade and sun. Back then I didn't compensate, and allowed the camera to meter on it's own. As I mentioned above, with the Eumig Viennette 8, I set the exposure-slider open by a 1/2 of a stop. 

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