Joseph, I have shot the Optima and found it to be a bit contrasty. To try to get the people and landscape, I would try Fuji Reala 100 and/or Kodak Portra 160NC. Both are much lower contrast.
Have you ever considered a minor pop of flash? You might be able to hold the background and then let the flash fill-in (not full power) to brighten the people. Bruce Dayton Saturday, November 17, 2001, 8:28:24 AM, you wrote: JT> It looks like I'll have a chance to return for fieldwork in northern JT> Mali in January. The landscape in the area has quite low contrast (all JT> shades of brown), but the sun is always quite bright. In the past, when JT> I have shot the dark-skinned people in this landscape, either their JT> faces are too dark to see details, or the background is blown out in JT> machine prints. (Hand-made prints are too expensive in quantity.) In the JT> past I've shot only color negative films. This time I'm thinking of JT> taking: JT> - Provia 100F for landscape photos. JT> - Something low contrast like NPH 400 for shots of people. (I like JT> negative film for people, because it is always appreciated when one JT> returns with prints to give away, and I don't want to give digital JT> prints for fear of fading in a few years). JT> In past trips to this area I have shot Agfa Optima 100, Fuji Superia JT> 100, Agfa Vista 100, and Ektapress PJ 400 (still have several rolls), JT> all with mixed results on machine prints. JT> What does everyone think of my selection? Other recommendations (and JT> reasons)? JT> Thanks, JT> Joe JT> - JT> This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, JT> go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to JT> visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
