Patagonia Dreams

In January 2005 we fulfilled one of Donald's travel adventure dreams by trekking the Paine Massif in Chilean Patagonia. To document our trip we pre-tested several Kodak transparency films: E100G, E100GX, and E100VS. We settled upon Kodak E100GX as our primary travel film. E100GX has a naturally warmer color balance; E100G is too cold for my tastes; E100VS (vivid saturation) will brighten already bright reds and blues (see example at the end).




Here are two of Our Favorites, with more available for viewing at Patagonia Calendar.

A wide angle view of the Paine Massif, taken with my Minolta X-700 in manual mode (shutter speed priority); using a Tamron f3.8 28-200mm zoom. This is my favorite travel/hiking lens. My back-up camera for the trip was my ever reliable Minolta SRT-202, but I didn't need it.

Film: Kodak E100GX. exposed at ISO 125 following the guidelines of Galen Rowell. I highly recommend his book: Galen Rowell's Inner Game of Outdoor Photography, for the Adventure travel photographer.





Donald's contribution taken with his Olympus OM-1, which is a manual camera; using a Tokina f3.5 28-200mm zoom with macro option. His back-up camera for the trip was an Olympus Camedia D-520 zoom digital camera (2 megapixels).

Film: Kodak E100GX, also exposed at ISO 125.





All of these Kodak Transparency Films are still available. However, due to some bulk purchasing requirements imposed by Kodak, you cannot buy E100GX at your local photo supplier. I can recommend two options: B&H Photo and Adorama, both listed in my Links. I have had trouble free experiences with both of these companies for both film and equipment purchases.

Now for a taste of E100VS. This red is just a bit bluer than the original fire hydrant. And it does get your attention. E100VS is more readily available than E100GX. So you can check your local store first.