Re: A question of grain.

[P3D Gregory J. Wageman <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Paul Talbot wrote:

>The 35mm Film Source Book I mentioned a while back states that
>Velvia "rivals" K25 for grain.  I take that to mean "close, but
>no cigar."

Or one could read it as high praise indeed for an E6 film. :-)

There's definitely some subjectivity involved.  Some people maintain that
K25 is "grainless", but I (and others) can definitely see some grain (it
IS pretty fine, though).  It's been mentioned how the lack of depleted dye
packets in Kodachrome contributes to its fine apparent grain (the dyes are
in the chemistry, unlike E6 films where they're in the emulsion).  But
on the other hand, I don't think Kodak has adapted their T-grain technology
to Kodachrome, so the silver grain structure in Kodachrome is probably
less fine than that of the latest-generation E6 films.

>I'm not a Kodachrome fanatic, I just got curious about it after
>reading comments here on P3D, and decided to give it a try.
>Looking alternately between a K25 stereo slide and a Velvia
>slide (different images created almost a year apart) in the
>same viewer, the Velvia looks grainier to me.

The best test is an area of solid color, like a cloudless blue sky.  Even
if Velvia is "almost as good", that's pretty durned good!

	-Greg W.


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