Re: Kodachrome vs E-6 grain

[gnored@xxxxxxx (Gary Nored)]

>Are you sure about E-6 films having finer grain?  I seem to recall a recent
>photo magazine (Photographic? maybe) that had printed a comparison of slide
>films along with their RMS grain rating.  I'm going by memory here, but 
>there was NO film listed with a better grain than Kodachrome 25 and Velvia
>was tied with Kodachrome 64.  As we should all know by now, Kodachrome has
>better dark storage characteristics while E-6 has better projection
>characteristics.  So shoot Kodachrome and dupe to E-6 if you're concern
>about archivability.
>                                       Derek Gee 
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Well, to be honest, I have no idea what the labs say. But I do know that if you 
put a Kodachrome 64 slide next to a Velvia (ASA 50), Provia (ASA 100), 
Lumiere or Elite (ASA 100) slide,  both containing clear skies, you will 
find the difference immediately clear. Kodachrome skies have a pronounced 
texture that these other emulsions either lack or exhibit to a much reduced 
degree. This texture is so pronounced that you can see it in slides 
projected with my Kodak carosel's bottle-bottom lens, and it is quite 
distinct in even mediochre viewers. Under the same circumstances, the newer 
E6 emulsions produce clear, even-toned skies. Maybe "grain" is the wrong 
word -- you can't see "specks," just "clumps."


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