Ektachrome is Back. A comparison of Ektachrome vs. FujiFilm slide film
December 3, 2020
There are 3 types of film: black & white, color negative, and slide film. While slide film (also known as transparency film, color reversal film, or E-6 film) is not nearly as popular as B&W and color negative, it doesn’t mean it’s not a great film. At one point it was the go-to film for professional color photographers. It has an incredibly fine grain, amazing color, and—since it’s not a negative—it can be projected. In fact, slide projectors are the reason for the name “slide” film.
These days it can be difficult to find labs that process slide film, let alone labs that process it in-house. Here at The Darkroom, it’s one of our specialties! We have been dip & dunk processing E-6 slide film in-house for over 25 years.
The recent re-release of Kodak Ektachrome 100 [Ektachrome Film Review] has sparked a growing buzz around slide film. But Ektachrome isn’t the only professional-grade E-6 slide stock around—there are many others! FujiFilm, for one, never stopped producing slide film and currently sells three different types: Velvia 50, Velvia 100, and Provia 100f. With that in mind, we thought it would be a great time to compare some of the great E-6 options available today.
Of the 4 professional-grade slide film stocks, we have 3 favorites for different reasons and for different applications. Kodak Ektachrome 100 and FujiFilm Provia 100f produce similar results and both very versatile slide film stocks. They have great color, fine grain, and the only significant difference we say is that Provia 100f has slightly better exposure latitude. They are good for portraiture, landscapes, and all-around daytime shooting.
The other two options are Velvia 50 & 100. Which are both great but of the two, Velvia 50 is our favorite – it has an amazing color, super fine grain, and much better tonal transitions and exposure latitude than Velvia 100 which means to does better in contrasty light. If you’re looking for a vibrant saturated color we recommend Velvia 100 which is known for its poppy color and higher contrast.
Below are examples of each film and some comparisons.
Ektachrome 100 – Metered for the shadows which worked well for this scene since the light was very even. The vibrant colors of Ektachrome really brought the the scan to life despite the even light.
Fujifilm Provia 100f – has amazing color which can bring the an even light scene to lift,
Fujifilm Velvia 50
Ektachrome 100 – Metered for the highlights. Ektachrome has incredibly vibrant color but rarely goes too saturated.
Fujifilm Provia 100f – Metered for the highlights.
Fujifilm Velvia 50 – And since it’s such slow/low ISO you’ll probably need a tripod unless you have very bright light.
Ektachrome 100 – Metered for the mid tones which is the in-between of the highlights and the shadows.
Fujifilm Provia 100f – Metered for the midtones.
Fujifilm Velvia 50 – Metered for the mid tones.
Ektachrome E100 – Like all professional grade slide film, this 100% crop Ektachrome is extremely sharp.
Fujifilm Provia 100f – 100% crop
Fujifilm Velvia 50 – 100% crop
When shooting portraits we recommend metering for the skin tones and picking decent light that’s not spotty.
Ektachrome 100 – Ektachrome does pretty will with portraits when shooting in good light and your metering is spot on. For portraits you don’t want to under expose the skin tones so we recommend metering for the skin and make sure you’re not in spotty or extremely contrasty light.
Fujifilm Velvia 50 – This photos shows it has good contrast but still has decent exposure latitude.
Ektachrome 100 – For being slide film, Ektachrome has decent exposure latitude which can be seen here. Despite the spotty light and metering for the mid tones the highlights didn’t blow out.
Ektachrome 100
This was shot handheld metering for the high lights and since Ektachrome has good contrast the shadows go black which looks great for this scene!
Ektachrome E100 – Like all professional grade slide film, this 100% crop Ektachrome is extremely sharp.
Ektachrome 100 – Metered for the highlights. Ektachrome has incredibly vibrant color but rarely goes too saturated.
Ektachrome 100 – For being slide film, Ektachrome has decent exposure latitude which can be seen here. Despite the spotty light and metering for the mid tones the highlights didn’t blow out.
Ektachrome 100 – Ektachrome does pretty will with portraits when shooting in good light and your metering is spot on. For portraits you don’t want to under expose the skin tones so we recommend metering for the skin and make sure you’re not in spotty or extremely contrasty light.
Ektachrome 100 – Metered for the mid tones which is the in-between of the highlights and the shadows.
Ektachrome 100 – Metered for the shadows which worked well for this scene since the light was very even. The vibrant colors of Ektachrome really brought the the scan to life despite the even light.
Fujifilm Provia 100f
Fujifilm Provia 100f – Metered for the midtones.
Fujifilm Provia 100f – 100% crop
Provia 100f is our favorite portrait slide film because it does pretty well with skin tones, not making them to red/.
When shooting portraits we recommend metering for the skin tones and picking decent light that’s not spotty.
Of all 4 slide film stocks shown in this blog, Provia is probably the most versatile due to its’ exposure latitude being better then the rest and that its’ color is more subtle.
Slide film is ideal for daylight shooing.
Fujifilm Provia 100f – has amazing color which can bring the an even light scene to lift,
Fujifilm Provia 100f – Metered for the highlights.
Fujifilm Velvia 50
Fujifilm Velvia 50
It’s amazing for landscapes.
Fujifilm Velvia 50 – And since it’s such slow/low ISO you’ll probably need a tripod unless you have very bright light.
It has had high saturation but with out going over the top like Velvia 100 is prone to doing.
Fujifilm Velvia 50 – Metered for the mid tones.
Fujifilm Velvia 50 – 100% crop
Fujifilm Velvia 50 – This photos shows it has good contrast but still has decent exposure latitude.
It’s ideal for daylight shooting and beautifully captures blues.
Fujifilm Velvia 100
Of all four slide film sticks listed in this blog Velvia 100 is the most saturated colors.
Overall, each of these slide film stock has its place – it all depends on what you prefer, your subject, and the light you’re shooting in.Keep in mind that all the FujiFilm stock are not only made in 35mm but 120 and 4×5 as well while Ektachrome is only made in 35mm.
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There are 3 types of film: black & white, color negative, and slide film. While slide film (also known as transparency film, color reversal film, or E-6 film) is not nearly as popular as B&W and color negative, it doesn’t mean it’s not a great film. At one point it was the go-to film for professional color photographers. It has an incredibly fine grain, amazing color, and—since it’s not a negative—it can be projected. In fact, slide projectors are the reason for the name “slide” film.
