Lex wrote:
rumors abound that Astia is nothing more or less than the old Provia
formula. I've also been very satisfied with Sensia II 100 - >it's just a
bit warmer than Astia.
The official line is that Astia is a slightly muted version of Provia (RDP
II). Colour balance etc is identical, they've just toned down the contrast
and colours. They promote it as a portrait film, though I'm not sure about
this - skin tones easily go ruddy (red). This is one area where Ektachrome
Elite is better. Kodachrome is sadly out of the running for me, since Kodak
UK can't get their processing act together.
Sensia II is Astia. Rebate markings are RA (Astia: RAP) and it is
effectively the same film, though not classed a 'professional' emulsion. It
is not refrigerated or subjected to the same inspection processes so greater
variation can be expected between batches. I use a lot of Sensia - it's half
the price of the pro films.
There used to be a page at www.fujifilm.com which outlined the (minimal)
differences between the pro and 'amateur' emulsions, but they've now
reorganised their site and it seems to have disappeared. While I was
searching I found an interesting article there by Douglas Dubler on using
Astia, though it discusses other aspects of fashion/portrait photography
too. I would paste in the URL, but it's very long and it's probably easier
using the site search. There is also an article on well-known wildlife pro
Frans Lanting using MS100/1000.
As discussed on this list before, one has to be aware that some
professionals are paid hansomely by film companies to promote their products
(and, in some cases, rubbish the opposition).
Simon E.
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