P.a. program - Gross specimen Photography

FILM SELECTION

You will select film based on your need for good resolution, the necessity of rapid processing turnaround time, and what the end use of the images will be.

A. Color transparency film. These yield the 2" x 2" mounted transparencies known affectionately as "kodachromes" (in the way that facial tissue is known as "kleenex"). The actual frame size of the transparency is 24 x 36 mm. Transparencies are used for giving conferences and talks and also used to send to printers when a color image is being published.

    1. E-6 process color reversal film (Ektachrome, Fujichrome). purple rather than vivid orange), and the slides fade with time (although this may not The E-6 films are by far the most popular in med center settings because of the ready availability of the E-6 process. Most professional color processing labs can routinely turn around the film in four hours.

2. Dye injection film (Kodachrome). Kodachrome is superior in every way to the E-6 films, except that the processing is slow and is usually done in large reference centers where the film must be sent. It is difficult to find tungsten versions of Kodachrome, but the daylight versions can be shot under tungsten illumination if filtration is used.

B. Color negative film (Kodacolor, Ektar). Also generally available only in daylight versions, these films produce color negatives, which must be printed. It is preferable to use color negative film for posters, rather than having color prints made from your transparencies. When having color prints processed, you must work closely with a skilled color-printing technician for good, publication quality prints. The automated printing machines used in "one-hour" facilities are in general not capable of producing an accurate print from a color negative of scientific subject.

C. Black and white film. Not to go into this at any length, but you should use this for images to be used for publication. Black-and-whites prints made from color negatives or transparencies are generally not as good a quality as prints made from a black and white original negative

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