Hi Nix,
we used to use hypersensitized 100 ISO slide film in the late 80's. It was Fuji D-100. A brilliant film, grain structure, colour balance just superb, but we found the 1 hour long exposures for things like NGC 253 were a bit inhibiting, so in the end we went for the faster but grainier films, including Konica 3200.
This is what i like about the new films out now. you don't have to reach out to 3200 ISO to get a quick result. Even the Superia 200 we used the other night has a great colour range and very acceptable grain. It could be more than 20 years since I used slide film so I can't comment on things like suitability. I guess we could just try a few shots to see.
As for knife edge focussing, it is a skill that you just have to practice a fair bit of to get good. You can shag around for 15 minutes or so before you get the first attempt sorted, but after awhile you can cut this down to a few minutes.
As with everything to do with film, you just have to get into a good regimen with your procedures to ensure the right results. There is no way of doing a check as you go along as you can do with digital.
The other difference between now and twenty years ago is the way you can combine the simplicity of film and the subtleties of the digital process these days to get the best result. All the things that were very complex or unattainable in a dark room situation are relatively simple in many of the imaging software programmes available now.
There is no doubt that the march of the digital revolution is picking up pace, and in many respects leaving film way behind, but film is not dead just yet. It just smells funny
Cheers
Coops