Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/08/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mary - you just need to pay attention all the way through the process. You ensure sharp negs with obviously great Leica optics, plus fast speeds or tripods and accurate focus. Then get your development consistent so you know what to expect. Experiment some, but settle in soon on what works for you. It is amazing how much agitation of the film can affect grain and contrast. Go for too little agitation rather than two much. I use two very gentle inversions every 30 seconds with my AB55 developer. I can't emphasize enough the attention to cleanliness throughout the whole development and enlarging process. Use filtered water for chemicals and washing. Really rinse all your containers well. I never use a squeegee on the film - just photoflo in soft water and hang up to dry. I use a hepa air filtration unit in the darkroom and run it for an hour or two before developing film. I also hang the wet film in a makeshift vinyl "tent". It's not completely isolated from the air, but keeps any dust from settling down on the film while it is drying. Resist the temptation to peek at the film while it is still wet. After it dries, cut it carefully on a clean bench or table and put right away into protective sheets or sleeves. If you really enjoy spotting prints, you can ignore all of the above. Next, enlargers must be very stable and very parallel on all optical planes - - nothing wrecks an otherwise sharp picture like one corner with the grain out of focus. The 1c and V35 are excellent at overall crisp focus to the paper and are rock steady. As for grain, that is somewhat a matter of taste, but you shouldn't be seeing objectionable grain with Tri-x on an 8x10. Try another developer and/or agitate more gently and pay attention to consistent temperature throughout all the chemicals. WIth an 8x10 enlargement, it takes a practiced eye to see those beautiful "Tri-X skies" when grain just begins to show in large expanses of gray. You won't use Tri-X for elegant landscape studies with 35mm, but for lots of subject matter, it easily goes to 11x14 when everything is done right. Attention to all the details along the way, like in most things, also works very well for enlarging from 35mm. Pretty soon, those details will be second nature and your friends will be asking which medium format camera you used to get that great photograph! Regards Gary Todoroff Tree Lugger, Eureka > This partially answers a question I have about staying with 35MM. I've > mentioned to several photographers I know that I'm in the market for a > V35 enlarger. They seem to think it's "limiting"--that eventually I'll > want to go to a larger format. One voice of reason, a fellow Leica-user > finds the resolution so good with the Leica lenses that the larger format > is not necessary. > > So far I've found Tri-x developed in HC110 too grainy even in an 8X10 > format. But when I tried T-Max 100 and 400, developed in T-Max developer > diluted 1:9 at 72 degrees for 15 minutes, the negatives were > beautiful--fine-grained and not too contrasty. > > Feedback anyone? > > Mary