Slide film
Slide film, also called reversal or transparency film, produces a positive image directly on the film itself rather than a negative, ready to project or hold up to the light. Known for punchy colour, fine grain and unforgiving exposure latitude, it's a smaller but devoted corner of film photography. Compare slide film prices from UK retailers on Filmproof.
About Slide film
What is slide film?
Unlike colour negative film, slide film develops directly into a positive image, the colours and tones you see on the processed film are the actual colours and tones of the scene, rather than inverted. It's processed using the E-6 process, a different and generally more expensive chemistry to the C-41 process used for colour negative film.
Slide film has a much narrower exposure latitude than colour negative, meaning accurate metering matters far more, but in return it delivers exceptionally fine grain, high saturation and contrast that many photographers find impossible to replicate with negative film and a scanner.
Popular slide film stocks
Fujifilm dominates the modern slide film market, with Velvia 50 famous for intensely saturated, vivid colour favoured by landscape photographers, and Provia 100F offering a more neutral, balanced palette for general use. Kodak's Ektachrome E100 was relaunched in 2018 after a period of discontinuation and remains a popular alternative with slightly different colour rendering.
Because slide film is a smaller, more specialist market, choice is narrower than colour negative or black and white, and prices per roll tend to run higher, reflecting both the more complex E-6 chemistry and lower production volumes.
Developing slide film
E-6 processing is less widely available on the high street than C-41, so it's worth checking a lab supports slide film before shooting a roll, though most dedicated photo labs and specialist mail-order services do. Once developed, slides can be scanned, projected, or mounted for viewing directly.
Filmproof tracks slide film prices and stock across UK retailers, helping you find and compare Velvia, Provia and Ektachrome before you commit to a roll of E-6 film.