Do you still push color films?

[waynecrider]

3 or 4 years back I use to push Astia a stop and get decent results. Since then films have gotten better in the 400 & 800 speeds, but I'd still like to know if others are still pushing color films, especially my old favorite Astia.

[mark]

Not astia but I push provia on occasion and it does well. I have had a lot of luck with the fuji negative films when it comes to pushing and pulling.

[modafoto]

I have tried to push Sensia 400 til 3200 (had a friend in a lab push it 3 stops). The result was not great! I was looking for vivid colour grain, but the colours were too dull for my liking. I will try another day with only two stops.

Morten

[Helen B]

I push Ektachrome 320T one, two or three stops (metering EI 640, 1000 or 1600 respectively), Portra 800 two stops (EI 1600 to 2000) and Fuji NPZ two stops (EI 1250 to 1600).

Results from those pushes:
Colours are natural with the EPJ, natural-vivid with Portra 800 and vivid with NPZ. The EPJ is grainy, the two negs films have amazingly low graininess with the Portra beating the NPZ in terms of higher usable speed, better colour fidelity and slightly lower graininess.

I don't think that it's worth pushing neg film one stop, but it is worth tuning reversal film stop-by-stop when pushing. My chosen meter settings are based on preferred mid-tone placement.

Nowadays, pushed EPJ and Portra 800 are my most used still films, bar none. I also push Ektachrome E200 now and then - which lets me use it as an all-purpose slide film when travelling. Two stop pushed is metered at EI 640 and three at EI 1000.

I've been testing 400UC, and it pushes well, but I prefer Portra 800. A dozen rolls of Fuji Natura (1600) have just arrived from Japan, so I'll try those pushed two as well as normal.

Best,
Helen

[waynecrider]

Helen, thanks for the insight. A question tho; What has been your experience with NPZ pushed and printed. I've a couple of rolls in the freezer that I just can't seem to get around to using. And if I may ask, what was the subject matter causing you to use the film. I'd love to use it up for some early and late night work downtown, and am wondering if I'll have a problem with reciprocity as well as contrast. I'll need to scan, print and sell.

[steve]

I shoot a lot of Provia but not Astia. I don't really like the look of Provia pushed, although I have pushed both the 100 and 400. The grain is okay, but the highlights have a tendency to lose detail rapidly even if slightly underexposed (1/3 stop). The last time I did this was for a boat show where I ran out of E200 and had to resort to Provia F 100 rated at 200. Believe me, the highlights took a real beating compared to the E200 rated at 320.

E100G and E200 can be pushed really well as they have long shoulders & hold highlights. E200 should be rated at 320 not 400. 100G holds up pretty good at a full stop push of 200.

I've pushed both Porta 400 to 800 and Portra 800 to 1200. Both films push really well. I did aerial photos with the 400 pushed to 800 and the prints couldn't have looked better.

More good color films available today than anytime in the last 35 years.

[Ara Ghajanian]

I shot 4 rolls of Fujicolor 100 print film (consumer grade) at a drag race last summer. Halfway through the second roll I realized I had set my camera for 400ASA. I had a pro lab push 2 stops and I was amazed by the results. Even after careful scrutiny, I could not tell the difference between the pushed and non pushed rolls.