I like lemons. I like festivals. It seems like the perfect combination. We happened to be in Santa Barbara, California, at the time of the 30th annual Lemon Festival in Goleta, just a short drive away. It turns out a friend was one of the judges at the pie eating contest, so it made for a great day! Insider tip: The Rotary Club has amazing lemonade!
I rarely take time when traveling to test films side by side, especially when I’m in the Caribbean. I am shooting for pleasure, and I’m there to relax, so I am not likely to take the time to shoot the same subject in two films to compare and contrast. On our January 2020 trip to Anguilla, I decided to walk the beach from end to end, about 1.5 miles in total. It just happened that I was at a particularly picturesque location when I ended a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 and popped in a roll of Fuji Velvia RVP 100. So I had a chance to compare how each film looked under the same lighting conditions, and with the same camera and lens.
For those who like to challenge themselves, I’ll show you two very similar images, one with Ektar 100 and one with the Velvia 100, giving you an opportunity to give your best guess as to which is which. Below the next paragraph, discussing the camera and lens used, you’ll see the images with captions denoting the film used. All film was processed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab. I adjusted the color temperature in Lightroom to match the two as closely as I could using the water color as my guide.
I took two cameras for my beach walk, my Canon EOS R with the Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens, and my Canon 1v with the Canon 135mm f/2 lens. For fun, I have included a digital shot following the film images. I use digital for convenience, to take video, and under other circumstances where digital is the better tool, such as very low light. However, with the gorgeous full sun in the islands, you can see why I go to the trouble of taking film cameras and film along for the journey.
Both are beautiful, but I have to say I prefer the Velvia, although I may be biased because I love looking at the vibrant color of a positive image. I could probably accomplish the look with a few sliders in Lightroom, but whenever I get slide film back from the lab, I am convinced to pack more slide film on the next trip.
Although I prefer the Velvia, the price comparison is pretty startling. As of the time of this writing, a 35mm roll of Ektar is going for $8.99 at B&H Photo ($8.69 a roll at the Film Photography Project Store!), and a 35mm roll of Velvia 100 is going for $18.49. Seriously? Ten dollars different? That’s nutty. I guess I’ll use up my stock carefully, and then it’s back to Ektar.
And the digital image? Keep in mind that a different lens was used and the image was cropped to compare subject to subject, so it’s not a terribly fair comparison, but I don’t change lenses on the beach. Tropical breezes, seawater, sand, and fine electronics don’t mix. But the comparison reaffirms my decision to shoot film.
What’s your experience using these two films? Do you prefer other 100 speed color films? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
We were excited to return to Anguilla in January, our first visit since Hurricane Irma struck in September of 2017. Irma was a Category 5 hurricane, bringing wind speeds of 185 mph, with gusts up to 218 mph. The storm damaged 90 percent of the government buildings, including the hospital, schools, airport, and ferry terminal. The island’s infrastructure was heavily damaged, leaving the island without electricity, telephone, and internet.
The island’s recovery was incredible, a testament to the determination of the Anguillan people. Enjoy these images from our January visit, showing that Anguilla is back, and better than ever.
This was our fifth trip to Anguilla, and I shot nearly everything on film. I took the Canon EOS 1v with the 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.2, and 135mm f/2 lenses, as well as the Mamiya 6 with the 50mm f/4 lens. I shot a wide variety of film stocks, including CineStill 50D, Fuji Pro 400H, Fuji Velvia 100 RVP, Fuji Provia RDP III, Kodak Ektachrome E100, Kodak Ektar 100, and Kodak Portra 800. I also shot four cartridges of Super 8 on my Canon Auto Zoom 814, two Kodak Ektachrome 100D (7294), and 2 Kodak Vision3 50D (7203), but more on that later. Follow us on Instagram for more information on the camera and film stock used on each individual image.
For more about Anguilla, check out our sister site, My Irie Time!
The road took us to Minnesota for the 4th of July, and we stopped for a great breakfast at Victor’s 1959 Cafe in Minneapolis. Don’t miss the Cortadito, espresso with a shot of steamed milk and Cuban sugar. Shot on the Mamiya 645 Pro TL with the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 lens, and the Mamiya 6 with the Mamiya 50mm f/4, all on Kodak Ektar 100. Â Processed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab.
