7) Slide Film & Kodak Color Guide

Slide Film for Slides of Artwork

My choice was between Kodak EPY 64T (T for tungsten lights) or Fuji 64T (RTP-II). Comparing the two in some test slides, I had a slight preference for the Fuji. It’s only slight. I didn’t make the slide rolls totally comparable in terms of lighting and subject, so my comparisons were not easy to make. At any rate, I’ve been happy with the Fuji.

Since the coloring of your artwork could show better with one of these films than the other, it’s worth taking a roll of each before buying more of either. Then you can buy in quantity after you decide. If it doesn’t seem to matter, the Fuji tends to be less expensive unless you buy "gray" Kodak film. So allow enough time at the start, to take these test slides and have them processed.

These are professional films. If you buy them at a camera store, they should come out of the store refrigerator. If you buy them by mail, take weather into account so they don’t get too hot en route. Once you have the film, store it in a freezer ziplock bag in the refrigerator. This is to keep colors and exposures as consistent as possible from one roll to the next. You want the film to behave predictably.

The night before you’re going to shoot some film, take out the rolls you think you’ll need to let them come to room temperature. Let them warm inside another freezer ziplock bag. If you don’t do it this far ahead, allow an hour or two before taking them from the refrigerator, before putting a roll in the camera to shoot.

It can be useful, especially if you shoot print film rather than slide film, to include a Kodak Color Guide at the edge of the frames, or at least in the first shot of each roll of film. This guides other people working with the negatives, in making accurate color reproductions later. Modern Postcard asks for this.

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