Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/04/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I found Mr Miller's saga most informative and interesting. Several suggestions and comments: I do not care a bit for TMY (T-Max 400), as I have found its darkroom performance quite erratic and unpredictable, which may be more of a comment on my own sloppiness than on the film. I do like TMX (T-Max 100) quite a lot, though. I'd suggest that Mr Miller try both Delta emulsions and in both medium and miniature formats (Delta 400 120 has been out for about two years now, and Delta 100 is on the way if not already in the stores: Ilford sent me some to test and I dearly loved it.) I find both Delta emulsions to be absolutely wonderful and to be extremely forgiving in the darkroom. I also recommend -- with spades! -- Ilford's PanF over Agfapan 25. My own experience is that PanF has a greater tonal range and more consistent grain. (There is a trick, by the way, with either TMX or PanF to shoot them at 80% their ISO and then develop in Rodinal 1:25. The grain is huge, but the sharpness and crisp quality of the prints is incredible.) When you can find, Leicaphiles, try some EFKE film. This is the old ADOX formulation much spoken of by Leica in the early 1950's. It's produced under license from Du Pont in Zagreb. It's kind of neat to shoot with the Earth-Shaking New Emulsion of 1952 ... As for paper, I have pretty much gone over to Ilford's MG4. For fiber work, though, I find ORWO's papers magnificent: these papers are produced in a plant which can hardly be thought of as 'environmentally friendly' and the silver content is quite high. Their semi-matte paper is quite like those wonderful Agfa papers of the '50's. Freestyle in LA stocks it. I don't know how much longer it will be available: Agfa took the plant -- their original site -- back in 1991 and the West German environmental laws are GRADUALLY being imposed over the former DDR. But, for now, it is great stuff. I believe Freestyle hawks it under the "Europe's Finest" label -- truth-in-advertising, for once! Best, Marc msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!