31 replies to this topic

[SMigol]

I finally did a test of the new Kodak Ektachrome 100 on an astro target.

 

Ektachrome E100 on M8

 

by Stephen Migol, on Flickr

 

Exposure: 20 minutes

Lens: Stellarvue SV70 ED (420mm at f6) 

Reducer/Flattener: William Optics .8

Filter: IDAS LPS-D1

Pentax LX

 

Location, 2000 feet above Silicon Valley at the Montebello Open Space preserve, no marine layer, barely any milky way visible.  Not a "dark site"

 

 

 

[stargazer60]

Very nice image, I am glad there are people still out in the world still using film for their AP.  Kudos, keep up the great work.   

[petert913]

With tracking and auto-guiding being so easy and accurate these days,  I think film is very viable.  Back in the old days, with eyeball

glued to the eyepiece...... it was a true pain in the a * *  !!

 

Nice photo by the way !

[TxStars]

Looks good..

To me it looks like up'd the blue response just a bit with the new formula..

[star drop]

Well done!

[Michael Covington]

The strong H-alpha response of Ektachrome proves that you can have excellent H-alpha and excellent daytime color rendition.  Unlike modified DSLRs, Ektachrome doesn't go much beyond H-alpha -- it cuts off just past 660 nm.  I wish DSLRs were normally built that way.  Of course you can get modified ones, but off-the-shelf DSLRs

cut off around 630 nm, just short of H-alpha.

[Ansu]

Quick question, how did reach accurate focus ?

[TxStars]

Myself, I use a Takahashi FM-60  with a ground glass on the film rails.

 

My old E100G shot,  is just a direct scan of the slide..

https://www.flickr.c...tetaken-public/

 

**This was hand guided..

Edited by TxStars, 22 August 2019 - 12:00 AM.

[SMigol]

Regarding focus, I used a Pentax DSLR, bahtinov mask, and live view to get the right focus point.

 

As peter said above, autoguiding makes it easier now.

 

The disadvantage of using film that I've found is that you're up all night, changing targets every 45-60 minutes.  This can be exhausting after a few nights at a star party.

[Eric P]

Excellent! I just purchased a roll (wow is it expensive) and hope to use it next week

[Michal1]

Thanks for the test! It would be interesting to see how it can capture fainter nebulas, e.g. in Cygnus/Cepheus.

[canondslr]

Wow! 

 

The new Ektachrome looks like a winner both day and night! 

[Michael Covington]

Is it detectably different from Ektachrome before the discontinuation?

[TxStars]

This is what I saw from "old stock"  100G / 100VS / 100SW 

The G has slightly better blue response of the three but with a bit more green in the background of astro images.

The VS has more pop to the yellow in day light images and a slightly better red response than the G in astro images.

The SW has a warmer (more orange & red & brown and decent blue) response for day time images and the same for astro images.

 

I have not had the time to do a side by side test of the "old stock" of each that I have v.s. the "new stock", hope to have time later this year.

[Joe F Gafford]

Nice image! The lower ASA numbers usually have a flatter reciprocity curves than the faster films. This from the last roll of film I used for astrphotography from 2002. 18" F/4.5, Ektachrome 200. My slides usually showed a denser images before putting them on the light box. This one the stars and brighter parts showed in the ambient light. M 20 Trifid, 45 minute exposure, 8:55 UT. At TSP 2002, Fort Davis, TX.  

 

 

Joe

Edited by Joe F Gafford, 24 August 2019 - 02:46 PM.

[Nightfly]

Thanks for doing the test Stephen.  There is hope for years to come for film astrophotography with this film.  If Kodak follows through with their promise of a 120 roll forthcoming, I'll be in fat city.  My last batch of fresh E200 just turned 10 years old this month.

 

This along with the pending re-release of Acros sets the clock back for sure.

[Michael Covington]

So we can now do in 40 minutes with Ektachrome what we can do in 2 minutes with a DSLR?  I'm not sure film has overtaken DSLRs... 

 

I do plan to make quantitative tests.  But it's important to note that the reason we spend an hour taking multiple exposures to stack, with a DSLR, is that we *can*.  If we want results similar to film, we can get them with single exposures of just a couple of minutes.

[Michal1]

So we can now do in 40 minutes with Ektachrome what we can do in 2 minutes with a DSLR?  I'm not sure film has overtaken DSLRs... 

 

I do plan to make quantitative tests.  But it's important to note that the reason we spend an hour taking multiple exposures to stack, with a DSLR, is that we *can*.  If we want results similar to film, we can get them with single exposures of just a couple of minutes.

The same discussion over and over... Some people simply like film, even if it is "unreasonable", learn to live with that.

[Alen K]

Don't you just love religious discussions?

[Michael Covington]

I know film lives on as an art form and alternative technology.  I am even helping it do so.  I just want to be accurate about claims of *performance*.  No amount of "religion" will change the reciprocity failure or quantum efficiency.

[bwayne]

Nice shot Stephen! I got started with film with a Pentax 67 on a 10” Meade in early 90s but gave it all up when I got distracted by my career and other priorities. I’m getting back in digitally but this thread makes me wonder if I should dust off my Hasselblad kit and give it a go with Provia! 

[TxStars]

@bwayne

Nothing wrong with using what you have and already know..

[bwayne]

@bwayne

Nothing wrong with using what you have and already know..

Great point - Agree ! As if it were fate calling a 77mm IDAS LPS-D1 filter fell into my hands for $100 today! Conveniently that fits four out of five of my red star Zeiss lenses for the 203FE. Ordering the bayonet filter adapter tonight. The tedious part about using film for me back in the day then was being hunched over continuously click guiding because  I didn’t have the money to get the fancy hand lapped worm gears.  Technology has pretty much taken care of that for us ha ha! Actually I think film is more relaxing as it’s WYSIWYG and truly “Fire and Forget”.  Glad I visited this sub forum! 

[Tapio]

Regarding focus, I used a Pentax DSLR, bahtinov mask, and live view to get the right focus point.

 

 

Live view sounds funny when talking about film camera 

[SMigol]

Tapio, you are correct about the use of modern tech to nail focus.  

 

I'd tried using a Stilletto device to nail focus before, but found that the bahtinov mask was even more accurate.  There is a range of "ideal focus" as seen by the Stilletto that was shown to be slightly off with the mask.

 

The tools were available and they worked.

 

I shot a mess of film last week, expecting to get it developed next week.  This includes the E100 under dark skies, hoping to see how it does with the longer exposures and a half a stop to 1 stop push.