large Format films and developer

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PCR - 16 Aug 2006 18:07 GMT

Richard

Thanks for the response and suggestions. Its good to read that Kodak will
likely remain in the film business. I have always liked Tri X and I suppose
I will try to get some in 4x5 or, try for TMax as a second choice. As for
developers, I take it you think D76 is still a great one to use. Reason I
liked HC110 is it is a liquid and has excellent shelf life. It also
permits mixing a small amount and using it as a one time developer. The
liquid and shelf life is important because I doubt I will be doing negatives
more frequently that once a month.

I should have mentioned that I am considering a scanner so that I can shoot
B&W negatives, scan them and then print them as digital prints. Would that
alter your suggestions for film and developers? Also what do you think of
the new Epson V700 scanner for that purpose?

PCR
From: "Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: large Format films and developer
Date: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 5:30 PM

"PCR" <pcr267@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:MoOdnWQmd78znn_ZnZ2dnUVZ_tudnZ2d@comcast.com...

> Question for those doing 4x5 B&W. I am returning to
> shooting B&W 4x5 after a long absence, I find that film is
> harder to get and it looks like several manufactures are
> stopping production of film in this format. I would like
> some recommendations for a film that might remain
> available and for developer for that film. In the past I
> used HC110 dilution b and had good results with Kodak
> TriX. It seems to me that Kodak is exiting the chemical
> photo business and I need to look to other sources. My
> photography is a hobby, not a profession and I shoot
> landscapes and interesting architecture in B&W.
> Suggestions are most appreciated. Also has anyone tried
> the large format B&W film coming from China? If so, what
> developer is suggested?

There are three sources for film made with modern
technology: Kodak, Fuji, Ilford. All make good film. I don't
think Kodak will go out of the film business soon, at least
not until the motion picture industry stops using film. To
some degree you have to try films to see what they look
like. For instance, Kodak Tri-X in sheet film, has an upward
inflected characteristic curve that results in bright
highlights. Its a good film for some subjects. T-Max films
are straight line and have a somewhat different tone
rendition as do Ilford films. All three companies have good
quality control. You can also try Foma films but they are
much more like 1950s films than modern film. I think the
worst of the shake out from the turn to digital imaging has
already happened so the supply should be reasonably stable,
at least for the near future.
HC-110 is a very convenient developer but not an optimum
developer for any film. However, its still available and
works on nearly anything. Kodak Xtol is a very good
developer for many films but has had a problem with
occasional sudden failure perhaps due to some impurity in
the water. I still use D-76 as my standard developer except
for very fine grain on 35mm film where I have recently been
using Ilford Perceptol (Kodak Microdol-X is identical) for
T-Max 100. I shoot from 35mm to 8x10.

Signature

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com

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Richard Knoppow - 20 Aug 2006 02:05 GMT

> Richard
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> Subject: Re: large Format films and developer
> Date: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 5:30 PM

HC-110 is a good developer but probably not optimum for
anything. If you look at the film characteristic curves
where HC-110 curves are shown along with something else you
will find that it tends to shoulder off sooner. Actually,
this lowering of highlight contrast my be desirable for some
pictures. However, other developers will generally give you
a little finer grain or a little more speed or a little more
sharpness, although the latter is not so important in medium
and large format work. The main thing HC-110 has going for
it is exactly what you mentioned: its convenience and long
shelf life. If these are important its a good choice.
Rodinal, which is again available under a different name,
has similar qualities of convenience but HC-110 delivers
finer grain. According to my chemist correspondent HC-110 is
a very cleverly worked out formula but he doesn't think its
optimum either.
For maximum speed and little shouldering try T-Max RS or
Ilford Microphen. Both yield about the maximum speeds films
are capable of but are somewhat coarser grained than D-76.
For finest grain use Microdol-X or Ilford Perceptol (they
are nearly identical). These will give grain from T-Max 100
rivaling that of the late, lamented Technical Pan, but loose
about a stop of speed. I use this combination for 35mm but
it doesn't have much advantage for larger negatives. Xtol is
nearly an optimum developer for most films but has had a
chronic problem with short time sudden failure. There is
speculation about the cause but it has never been absolutely
determined. D-76 remains the benchmark developer to which
others are compared to. Not bad for an 80 year old formula.

Signature

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com

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Jack - 23 Aug 2006 03:56 GMT

If you plan to scan negs, I would seriously recommend you consider shooting
in color. Positive if not too contrasty, negative otherwise. Color film
seems to me to scan much better than B&W, and gives you far more options
when converting to B&W in PhotoShop.

JackM

> Richard
>
[quoted text clipped - 56 lines]
> using Ilford Perceptol (Kodak Microdol-X is identical) for
> T-Max 100. I shoot from 35mm to 8x10.

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