This is a #FreshlyBaked Article, meaning the recipe has reached its final form.
Updates might come in the future if improvements are deemed, but usually this is the point where the Film Simulation comes out of the Development Stage. It's ready to be used with accurate color reproduction, and it's the first time showcasing it in a real world situation.
Normally I would go for a chill street photo walkout, and take some leisure shots to showcase the colors and image you can get out of this film simulation, but last weekend I went on 2 nature trips, which offered the best conditions to test the Provia Sony Film Simulation.
For newcomers, Sony Film Simulations are In camera Picture Profiles, made to replicate the look of popular film stocks, to cut down the editing process, sometimes even completely.
All images taken with the RX100 VI
Man I miss my Full frame with 1.8 lenses, but the RX100 is just so much easier to carry and use, I always keep it in my pocket. Normally I would have to carry a huge camera and lens that weights more than 800g strangled around my neck attracting all the attention I don't need.
So in many ways, the RX100 is the way to go in any leisure activities.
The only thing that makes me regret not taking the full frame camera with me, is the bokeh. Do you know how hard it is to get any kind of background separation on this RX100 with the 1Â inch sensor and a 2.8-4.5 zoom lens?
You really gotta work it.
But besides that, every bit is worth it, practicality, convenience, weight, stealth.
I am satisfied with my purchase, but would also love Sony to bring a new Camera model, maybe APS-C sensor for decent lowlight, small size convenience and film like aesthetics.
But anyway, let's get back to the point of this article, which is showcasing the Provia Film Simulation.
Provia Film is a color reversal film produced by Fujifilm, known for its fine grain and vivid color reproduction, and the Sony Film recipe will meet those requirements without a flinch.
The Provia Sony Film Simulation has a wide exposure latitude, which means that it can handle a variety of lighting situations without sacrificing detail or color fidelity. With my Style I usually like to underexpose by half a stop when using these film recipes, but with this recipe in particular I tend to over expose by +0.5 to +1 exposure, or even +2 stops, which is pretty crazy, and only shows how forgiving this film simulation can be.
I've been going out in nature for short walks and hikes, so this seemed to me the best occasion to test out the Provia Film Simulation.
Please notice all these shots were taken while adjusting the Picture Profile, so colors will vary.
I managed to bring the final touches to this Film Recipe and now you can play around with it as well.
I will be showing shots from both trips and let you decide for yourself what you think about this film simulation.
Initially I wanted to make the Provia as a Deep Desaturated Film Simulation, because I've seen some reference images online which I've really liked the look of, but sadly after further research I realized Provia is actually a saturated and punchy film stock.
Maybe I will create Second version of Provia but with Deep Desaturated Colors and Muted Contrast. How should we name it? Let us know in the comments.
The only thing I played around with was the Kelvin. It was going between 4200-5500 Kelvin since the weather was changing and some shots came out colder than others, so naturally I started shifting the temperature values to ensure Color Fluidity and Temperature is matching between shots.
These are straight out of camera, just exported Websize in Capture one to ensure fast web browsing.
All in all, Provia reminded me of Kodak Ultra Max and they are very comparable, but Provia being softer and less saturated, rendering balanced image tonality and higher dynamic range.
Provia will have a subtle transition from shadow to highlight, with nicely saturated colors, and generally a strong magenta cast over the whole image, which is a predominant characteristic of this film stock.
Made a quick SOOC comparison between Provia, Portra 800 & Senova Light so you can see how differently each translates colors and contrast, even tho, all of them were shot with the same color and exposure settings.
Using the given Kelvin and Color Filter settings will shift colors even more.
One thing that surprised with this Sony Picture Profile me was the subtle color shifting when shooting in dim situations like in this canyon.
In normal conditions, by the way of how this Picture Profile has been created, all blues should be shifted towards magenta, but when using this film recipe it appears some of the Blue spectrum is actually shifting towards Teal in low light conditions, offering color complexity.
Generally speaking, Provia Film Stock has a rather cold tonality with an overall warm cast in the highlights, and magenta tinted skies, which the film simulation reproduces with accuracy, but when shooting in dim situations, you start to see the complexity of this film recipe and how many different Shades of Blue start to appear from nowhere.
Provia at 5500K
This are the images taken the first day and I really like the images coming out,
but I found the colder settings to come closer to the real film stock.
Provia at 4200K
I think this version come closer to the real film stock,
but a little too cold, so maybe the sweet spot would be 4500K
This may vary
Shooting morning or blue light, your shots will come out a bit too blue, so for the sake of flexibility and cutting down the post-processing, I recommend adjusting the temperature on the go depending on the situation.
It's such a lovely surprise to see the versatility but also the spontaneity this Film Simulation offers us. This makes the Provia Sony Film Simulation a perfect choice for professional and beginners alike, in situations like street photography, landscape, wildlife, photo jurnalism, still life photography, macro, documentary, and more.
You can also use it for portraits, but I think there are better film recipes for that, like the Portra 800, Portra 400, Kodak Portra 160, CineChrome, ProColor, Senova Light, Astia and so on.
So if you're looking for a high-quality film that delivers exceptional results, look no further than Provia Film. Give it a try and see the difference for yourself!