Jump to content

First test roll from my M6


pinchers of peril

Recommended Posts

T-Max is a very nice, modern emulsion. Less grainy appearance in part because of the T-shaped grain, as I've understood it.

 

One thing to note if one develops at home is that T-Max requires longer time in the fixer unless one uses for instance Kodak Rapid Fixer. I use Ilford's fixer and have to fix for more than double the time. The negs will otherwise come out pink/purple which is no problem because one can just dump them back in the fixer for additional time. Also T-Max exhausts the fixer faster than other films.

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Interesting topic. I recently saw a post on Ken Rockwell's website showing a photo he took of his son using a 5DSR with some ridiculous number of pixels (50 MPix, I think). When I saw it my immediate impression was that it looked typically digital and kind of plastic. I don't know what it is about digital cameras that so many look like this, even the high-end ones. In all honesty, the photos of your kids taken with Portra 400 look so much better and realistic, at least to my eye. 

 

So, great photos. For your interest, I'm linking to a photo I took on an M-A, Summilux 50 f/1.4 Asph. with Portra 160. I really like the color rendition of this film.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the kind words.  Yeah my film images definitely feels different (at least to me) than my digital files.  I don't do much (if any) editing on my film scans as opposed to my digital files which all get edited.  I think sometimes that plastic look comes from heavy handed noise reduction, over sharpening, or over saturating the digital files.  I've never shot with Portra 160 before.  I've actually only so with 400 speed film so I'll have to experiment with some other speeds.  Are you shooting at 160 or are you over exposing?

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

It's worth the time and effort to try a couple of rolls of Portra 160.  For many years Vericolor II or VPS-NC/VC was the Kodak offering in professional grade color negative films.  These were replaced with the introduction of Portra which initially came in NC (Natural Color) or VC (Vivid Color) in addition to the speed offerings of 160 or 400.  Now we just have the choice of speed but it is still a very good film.  Expose one roll at box speed and you may find you're happy with the results.  At 160 there is good color saturation and the grain is fairly fine.  Try a roll over exposing it by setting the meter for ASA 120 or even 80 and see if you like the results.  The trade off is slower shutter speed or a wider aperture but it's worth the experimentation.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

The grain definitely seems finer with the T-max than the Tri-X.  I actually like both of them.  The Tri-X feels a little bit more "gritty" and the T-max seems a little smoother. 

 

pinchers, I think your photos are excellent. Like others have said, you will adjust away from thinks like sharpness and saturation, and see other less tangible things in your photos that you can't get any other way - especially with b&w. I had a similar journey to you from DSLR to an M6. After a few months I dusted off the DSLR and sold it - haven't looked back and couldn't be happier.

 

While the grain is smaller in T-max, I find it too uniform and almost "digital". It is sharper and smoother but has no soul. I'd use Tri-X if it was affordable in Australia (currently ~$200/100ft) but have recently settled on Fomapan 400 @ 250. 

 

Cheers,

Michael

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

 

So I have to be honest. I had very high, probably unrealistically high, expectations for how my first test roll of film was going to turn out from my M6. 

 

- Portra 400 is a lot more grainy than I was expecting:  I know it's film, and I know part of the appeal and romance is that "film grain" but I guess I was not expecting this much.  

 

- Images not super sharp:

 

- Colors not great: 

 

- Gotta work on that composition:

 

And yet you still managed to crank out some really nice shots of your kids... and that's what it's all about my friend.  Cut yourself some slack.   This is one of my favorite shots ever of one of my kids... shot about twenty-five years ago with a Canon EOS probably with Kodak VPS at ISO 160.  It was a grab-shot, and everything is wrong with it from a technical perspective...  but I absolutely love it.  Sharpness, perfect exposure and dead-on color ain't all they're cracked up to be.

 

23797941370_9b35e6b652_z.jpgPICT0198 by Roger H, on Flickr

Edited by hepcat
  • Like 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...