[photo-3d] XA Twin Rig/Elite Chrome 200

[Mark Shields <beamsplitter@xxxxxxxx>]

My second XA works fine, and the test rolls were successful.
As I was shooting, I learned that it is more comfortable for
me to look through the viewfinder of the right camera, thus
easier to press both releases at the same time. This is
true even though I'm left-eyed and so look through the right
viewfinder with my left eye. The cameras were a pleasure to
handle and even though I know it took longer to operate both
sets of controls, it didn't seem bad. If you never used an
Olympus XA, you should try one some time--this is a delightful
machine. I only wish that it were both easy and problem-free
to link the shutter releases electrically. But I won't give
up either the rangefinder or the aperture-priority automation.
Also, I know it's a small difference, but f/2.8 is still faster
than f/3.5. I'm comparing the XA to the XA2, of course. (Speaking
of which, my XA2 died two days ago--jammed film advance--is this
easy to open up and fix? My particular XA2 also vignettes
to a significant degree on outdoor shots. I've heard that at least
some others don't. So if I can unjam it myself I will, but I'm
not going to pay to have it fixed. It will join the jammed XA1
in my collection--I savor the clear variations among the XA, the
XA1, and the XA2.) 

I did get a full set of pairs--I was afraid that for some I
might not have actually pressed both releases, but I did.
There were some interesting variations in the people pictures
when I left a gap of up to a second between presses. There
were also some shots where I didn't get the focus right on
both cameras. Other than that the results showed the typical
difficulty of shooting available light indoors with 200-speed
film--they don't all turn out equally well. I accept this as the
price to pay to avoid the harsh look and deep shadows of flash.
The exposures were evenly matched.

The Elite Chrome 200 was interesting. This is the second time
I've used it for test shots, when I want the results in a
hurry (2-hour E6 lab 4 blocks away). This time I was surprised
at the much better results under fluorescent--about as good as
Kodachrome 200, assuming you like the Kodak E6 palette. It's
familiar to me as I've used various Ektachromes over the years
for this and that. It's not awful, but I definitely prefer
Kodachrome. The last Elite Chrome 200 I shot, several years ago,
was definitely green under fluorescent--this wasn't. Could be
variation in processing--I don't know. This lab seems O.K., but
since I'm not normally an E6 shooter, I'm certainly no authority
on it. The outdoor shots in shade were likewise pleasant, not
having a blue cast. So the color variations under different
lighting conditions, including bright sunlight, were small. I like
that. But Kodachrome 200 is good that way too.

Sharpness was another story. True, there is not the appearance
of graininess, but the sharpness just isn't there. Even the best
shots look somewhat on the mushy side. The pushed (to 200)
Provia 100F that I tried was definitely better, and acceptable to
me in that regard (and fine-grained). But I will always pick
sharpness over grain. Besides, Kodachrome 200 slides don't _always_
look grainy--it depends on the subject. It would seem that the
pushed Provia 100F should be the film to use, then, but the roll I
shot was violently green under fluorescent, and strongly blue in
most shade. The reds were also exaggerated under all light. None of
the three is perfect, but now that the test shots are over, I have
a pair of 36-exposure rolls of Kodachrome 200 ready to put in the
XA pair.

Jim Harp posted to the list that the Provia 400F is out--it will
be interesting to see how it does, especially under fluorescent.
It would be great if it had good color across the board, and
sharpness, especially if it could be pushed to 800 and still
hold it! And at 800 it could be filtered under fluorescent, and
still yield useable shutter speed/f-stop combinations indoors.

Mark Shields

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beamsplitter@xxxxxxxx
http://www.stmattpitt.org
"Whoever welcomes a child in My name welcomes Me," Jesus said.
"Whoever welcomes Me welcomes not Me but the One who sent Me."
  -Mark 9:37


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