StS Posted June 16, 2011 Share #41 Posted June 16, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, some observations - first, I like your photos, good reportage. Speaking for myself, I find most of my pictures okay-ish, and only a very few remarkable. Discussing with the other members, I have the impression, this is pretty common. Photographer's fate... Secondly, development times below 5mins can be difficult, lest the development might be not uniform. For some developers, longer development times are possible by dilution, which can be found in the data sheet of the developer. The data sheet for Tri-X can be found here: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/f4017/f4017.pdf It also gives advice about agitation. Just ot make sure you did cut the film feeding latch off before spooling it in? I also cut the corners a bit round to allow smoother loading. The pictures you show do not look overly scratched or dusty to me. If you process your films under field conditions, as the pictures suggest, it will be difficult to have a completely clean environment. You probably have already checked the changing bag for dust. I use wetting agent in deionized water for the last rinse, a lint-free disposable kitchen towel* to wipe the film once from top to bottom and let it dry over the bathtub. When cutting the film, I push it directly in the film sleeve. Before scanning, I blow the film off with a sensor cleaning bellows, some use an antistatic brush. Cheers Stefan *footnote - not preferred by everyone, but works for me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 16, 2011 Posted June 16, 2011 Hi StS, Take a look here Gear, Eco-Friendly Chemicals, and Common Beginner Mistakes?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dwrz Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share #42 Posted June 16, 2011 Thanks. Those are pretty much the numbers I followed. I actually agitated less than the recommended amount though. Should I consider diluting if the temperature of my water seems to go to 75F? I did make sure to cut off the leader. I will try rounding the corners, though. The photographs I put up are not that scratched, but I have a few others where the scratches are wild. I'm probably going to go for another round on Sunday. Hopefully the results will be a little better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted June 17, 2011 Share #43 Posted June 17, 2011 There is no generic rule, not every developer can be diluted. My suggestion would be to google the data sheet and check the recommendations of the manufacturer for details. Your condiin I just made the experience myself that developments, which work fine at 21°C/70F gave less satisfactory results at 24°C/75F, although I followed Kodak's data sheet. My suspicion is, that the inaccuracies of my bathroom developments get reinforced at higher temperatures. Is the tap water already at 75F? Otherwise one can place everything in a small tub filled with 70F water. Are you with US forces or in contact with US colleagues? I'm sure there must be an ice cube machine around then... Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadside Posted June 17, 2011 Share #44 Posted June 17, 2011 Is the tap water already at 75F? Otherwise one can place everything in a small tub filled with 70F water. Are you with US forces or in contact with US colleagues? I'm sure there must be an ice cube machine around then. Many years ago I worked as a photographer on cruise ships and one ship had a darkroom that was a "hut" bolted onto the very top deck, exposed on all sides and above to the outside, rather like one of those "sweat boxes" in old POW war films. In the Caribbean it got so unbelievably hot in there that before every process I had to go to the bar, have a swift half, and collect three carrier bags of ice-cubes to lower the temp of the C41 line. ( Best to leave the ice in the bags) Also had to process in the nude but I don't suppose you want to hear that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted June 17, 2011 Share #45 Posted June 17, 2011 I didn't really do my part, the photographs themselves are no good. But I would like to smooth out the development problems. I think the two shots from the 1600 roll are excellent - you have the makings of a very good project here. I suspect the scratches were caused by the problems you had loading the reel and/or drying the film. You will eradicate these problems with a little more practice. Another tip, when you've washed the film, to get rid of excess water make a pair of 'tongs' from a folded up piece of kitchen paper, and run it very lightly down the length of film. It absorbs most of the water and won't scratch the film. If you have an iphone you can download the massive development chart app, which is great because the phone then acts as a timer for each stage of the process, and it has times for different temperatures. It's really very good. For a first attempt I think you should be happy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwrz Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share #46 Posted June 17, 2011 The water, at its "coolest", comes out of the tap at around 73F. It then raises to around 74-75F. I might try to see if the water from other sinks could be cooler, or try using some ice. I guess I am a bit wary of screwing up with the ice (not keeping a stable temperature). If I can't fix the water temperature issue and rolls keep coming out contrasty, I guess I will consider 1+1 with Xtol, rather than straight. James, thanks for the encouragement. I will definitely try the paper towel. If I am shooting at 1600, would it be worthwhile considering a 3200 film, overexpose it, then pull? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted June 17, 2011 Share #47 Posted June 17, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) f I am shooting at 1600, would it be worthwhile considering a 3200 film, overexpose it, then pull? Try Ilford Delta @ 1600 - from memory its true speed is somewhere between 800 and 1250 (can't remember which). Alternatively try Fuji Neopan 1600, relatively high contrast, but less grainy that the Ilford. It was my 1600 film of choice when I was still using the stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted June 17, 2011 Share #48 Posted June 17, 2011 James, thanks for the encouragement. I will definitely try the paper towel. If I am shooting at 1600, would it be worthwhile considering a 3200 film, overexpose it, then pull? I think you've got nice results so far, but I've only pushed film usually 400 to 800. Steve mentioned Neopan 1600, I love that film but it does give very 'gritty' images, probably well suited to your subject matter! Worth a try I'd reckon. It will be interesting to hear how you get on with the XA too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwrz Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share #49 Posted June 18, 2011 Is Neopan 1600 discontinued? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwrz Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share #50 Posted June 18, 2011 Update: processed the Tri-X 400 from my XA. I ran 10K in the afternoon and swam in the evening so I was pretty beat. I think this contributed to some stupid mistakes. On the other hand, doing this at night is definitely better as I am more relaxed and in less of a rush. No problems with the reel. It went on the first go. I think this alone reduced my time by 30-50%. I'm not sure how much this is due to me or the XA. I forgot to put the lid and agitation rod in the changing bag. I was actually not aware it was a problem until I pulled the tank out of the bag. Walking with it to the bathroom, I realized I could see the reels inside. I am not really sure what fogged film looks like. Some of the exposures look very sharp. There are a few that look "foggy" but it may just be incorrect focus. Temperature. I took two ice packets (the kind used for athletic injuries) out of the freezer, and placed the beaker with the developer in it in a sink full of water with the packets around it. It took forever to get the temperature down to 70F. I was concerned that the temperature would rise while the developer was in the tank, so I shaved another 15s of development time. When I took the developer out, the temperature was 73F. I think next time I will try putting the bottle of developer in the fridge first, then let the temperature rise. If that still does not work, I will try diluting. I was so concerned about starting agitation that I forgot to start my watch on time. I deducted 20s off development to take this into account. I am not sure if that was a good or stupid idea. Before starting everything, I wrote everything I needed to know (dilutions, times, agitation, etc) on a notebook page. It was handy and better than having to keep those in memory. I tried the paper towel and it worked great. Much, much better than using my fingertips. I kept the heater in the room for about 5-10 min and the film was pretty much dry by the end. It is hanging right now, I will see about getting it scanned tomorrow or Sunday. I can't really tell yet how the exposures came out, and I'm not sure how much would depend on development vs. the XA's metering (this is my first roll out of the camera). I will probably have to wait for the scans to really get a good judgement on it. That said this was I think by easiest roll so far, and I feel like I am starting to get a grasp on it. If I can eliminate the stupid mistakes, get some more precise measurements (need graduates, better thermometer), and get a better and more consistent temperature I think I would have a good baseline to go off of. With regards to storage-- can I just roll everything up and put it in a container? My local lab charges $0.29 per frame scanned, but only $3 if you bring the roll not cut. I'm hesitant to leave it out since it would probably collect a lot of dust. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobYIL Posted June 18, 2011 Share #51 Posted June 18, 2011 First off, your pictures look like kodalith prints.. by keeping Tri-X around 1600 you can not get the results you like. As long as the tap water temperature stays around 75, do not concern about the results, it is in tolerable limits, provided that your developer, stop bath, fixer and wash water all stay around 75 +/-2F. Shoot Tri-X at 800, not higher and develop it 5 minutes, no longer. Do use your Elmar at f2.8 instead of pushing the film. Develop yourself some techniques to hand hold the camera at lower speeds better than before. You must be able to shoot at 1/15 with no shake.. wait for the moments when the subject/s are rather still before depressing the button. Your pictures show the subjects rather in resting or still situations and lighting there seems sufficient.. I presume 1/30 at f2.8 or 4 will cover the most there, you might notice at the end that even ISO 400 might suffice. ( In the 60's I used the 2.8 Elmar with the HP3 for years long @ 320ASA.) After filling the tank, tap it on the bench a few times for the tiny bubbles sticking on the film surface. Invert the tank two times every minute so the contrast could be a little lower. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted June 18, 2011 Share #52 Posted June 18, 2011 Is Neopan 1600 discontinued? Doesn't appear to be, it's still selling at my local stockist... Fuji B&W They only have 35mm though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwrz Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share #53 Posted June 18, 2011 I'm having a hard time finding any, and Google seems to give mixed results. Just a head's up, maybe it would be worth stocking up on some. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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