Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/10/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 03:15 AM 10/7/97 +0100, you wrote: My inclination is to use Neopan >1600 or TMax 3200 and rate it at whatever is needed at the time, and develop >it in Xtol, but I don't feel at all confident with this idea because I've >never used either of of those combinations. In fact I haven't rated any b&w >film that high for a long time. Any recommendations, anyone? > Joe--- I'd use TMax 3200 at EI 3200 if you can get away with it, 6400 if you need extra speed. If you have an incident meter, I find I get better results if I meter with that (contrary to my experience with other B&W films). Develop in either T-Max or Xtol, and I've been getting very good results with Xtol (stock). If you have the time, try shooting, developing, and printing a roll of night-time street scenes (or something similar) to gain some confidence with the combination. TMax 3200 is pretty amazing stuff -- if you can see well enough to focus, you can probably get quite a lot of the image on that film. And don't panic if the negs look a little thin -- there's really quite a bit there. Just print them and you'll see. I haven't had as much success with Neopan 1600 in the sort of lighting. It doesn't have much speed above 1600, and I tend to use it in really dim, flat lighting where I need an extra shutter speed or more depth of field than an EI 400 film can deliver. Metering is very important, as Neopan 1600 has little room for underexposure. Chuck Albertson Seattle, Wash.