I have been reading with much interest the posts regarding E6 and Kodachrome film. I used Kodak films for a jillion years, but have recently converted to Provia. While I still have some "learning" to do to pinpoint exposure (as we all were able to do with K25 and K64), I really like the results of this film.
I bit the bullet in late September and the first half of October when I went to Canada and shot ONLY Provia. I'm telling you, those fall colors along the ACR scream at you, even with overcast skies. And, I think the film did a fine job representing the true colors. I don't think the colors were enhanced; it just showed them the way they actually were....bright!! My big dilemma was who should do the processing. Some suggested that I should only consider the Fuji lab in Phoenix. I used Provia to record the last month of operation on Tennessee Pass and sent most of it to the Fuji lab. I was completely happy with the processing, but frankly, I didn't like the mounts. When projecting, I had trouble keeping the slides in focus, among other things, And, I didn't like the deep embossing at the spot where I need to do my titling. In contrast, we have a great professional lab here in Denver--Cies Sexton--that I have been using from time to time. I have been impressed with their work and decided to send most of my Canada trip slides to them. I also sent eight rolls to the Phoenix lab. I thought the Cies Sexton (CS) slides looked just as good, if not better, than the slides from Phoenix. The CS slides were very clean and were mounted in cardboard mounts that were completely blank on the front side. As a bonus, if you're in the Denver area, CS will pick up your film at your house for a small fee and return the slides later the same day. (As a side note: When I got back from my Canada trip, I had a few frames to kill before sending the film to CS. The Ski Train was running that morning, so I went out behind the house, banged off five or six shots, came back and called CS for a pick up. I had the developed slides back in my hands before the Ski Train returned to Denver that same afternoon!! Quite a contrast to the one- and two-week waits for slides to return from Fuji or Kodak. I'm not used to this kind of service, but I think I can live with it.) Anyway, if you're looking for another lab, you might give them a try. Call them at 303-534-4000. Joe McMillan Arvada, Colorado --> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects
