Re: [Leica] winning b/w combination

[DonjR43198@aol.com]

Got up late this morning and saw your note.  Took me back about forty years
when I needed some advice and there was really very little outside of the
photo magazines.  Books are obsolete before they are published and magazines
are behind the times when they hit the stand.  Now we have the "net" and can
swap ideas instantly.  I am beginning to understand the value of the "net"
more each day.  Just wish I could have foreseen the E-Bay runup!  Well, enough
of that nonsense, let's get to the business at hand of providing some of my
experience which may have very little value in your search for photo technical
excellence.

TRULY FINE GRAIN HIGH ACCEPTANCE FILM AND DEVELOPING

FILM
It is my opinion there is really only one film on the market that will do
justice to the Lecia lenses and that is the microfilm based film marketed by
Kodak under the name Tech Pan and is available through most stores and if not
on the shelf in your area just call B&H for a supply.  Best to order in bulk
and load your own cassettes because it is expensive when ordered already
loaded but you might get a few rolls for testing.  This film may be shot at E.
I.  100 but I really recommend E. I.  32 for the way I shoot.  Then develop in
Kalt Brandeis developer TEC or the Willi Beutler developer that was the base
developer for several developers no longer on the market.  Beutler was a
chemist/photographer was posed the question "why wish for sharp lenses and
films and then use developers that dissolve the silver grains thus degrading
the image?  His response was that it was foolish to dissolve the silver
grains.  Use a developer that reduced grain clumping to a minimum but that did
enhance edge accutance and keep the wet time to a reasonable minimum.  The
first commercial developer based on his formula was Tetanal's Neofin Blue but
it took about 14 minutes when properly diluted to develop a roll of KB-14 and
then rinse, fix, rinse and antistatic added another 10 minutes.  Then Mike
Tatem and a chemist at Plymouth Products in Chicago hit on the TEC formula
that is another derivative of the Beutler formula, just more concentrated so
development time is less, and that developer achieved instant fame among those
who were looking for a developer that had all of the benefits of Neofin Blue
but a wet time that was much more reasonable.  E. Leitz New York began to use
nothing but Panatomic-X and the TEC developer in their training classes and
pressed the short wet time on anyone who would listen.  Was really a great
combination!  Pan-X is now gone but TEC PAN is even more fine grained may be
exposed at about the same exposure index.  I even had Agfa run a special lot
of microfilm to see if the current Agfa microfilm was the same as the film the
H&R was selling in the 70's and early 80's and it does not seem to be as good
for general purpose work s the older stock.  Therefore, I recommend TEC PAN.
I even use it in the Hasselblad and find that it is difficult to distinguish
Hasselblad 16X20 prints from Leica 16X20 prints.  Not sure how the comparison
will be with the new variety of Leica lenses but the 100 mm APO on my R-8
gives the Hasselblad prints a run for their money.

DEVELOPERS
I have been a Leica user since 1957 with most of my work being done in b&w.
At that time Panatomic-X was the finest grain film available and I used it
until it was discontinued.  It could be used an at exposure index of 100,
processed in at least three or four good developers such as F&R X-22 (no
longer on the market), Rodinal (seems to cause grain to clump thus causing an
apparent increase in size of grain),  in my opinion the best was the Plymouth
Products  developer named TEC for Thin Emulsion Compensating (a derivative of
the Willi Beutler developer) which is STILL AVAILABLE, and the Willi Beutler
formula that you can mix yourself with no more than three (3) chemicals (metol
and sodium sulfite are mixed separately and stored in a brown bottle and the
sodium carbonate, the activator, is mixed and stored in a separate bottle, all
of which is done for longer shelf life but I would recommend it not be kept
for more that three (3) months before dumping it.

TEC instructions recommend three (3) inversions every 30 seconds but I
recommend no more than 3 inversions every 60 seconds.  This adds about 2 1/2
minutes to the development time but that isn't bad.  Development is normally
around 8 minutes, a 30-45 second rinse, one minute in Ilford fixer (do not add
hardener to the fixer because it will make it very difficult to remove the
fixer in the rinse stage and do not use a fixer eliminator as it seems to
swell the emulsion to allow the fixer to escape thus causing grain clumping),
then about 30 seconds in an antistatic bath.  Hang to dry in a place that is
as dust free as possible.  I use the Ilford three (3) bath method of washing
out the fixer.  Put a gallon of filtered water in a large juice container,
cool or warm it to the same temperature as developer, rinse, and fixer
temperature, then fill up the developing tank with the wash water and move the
reel or reels of film up and down five (5) times, pour out the contaminated
wash water, refill the developing tank and move the reel up and down ten (10)
times and dump, then refill and repeat but for fifteen (15) up and downs with
the reel.  Dump the wash water and move the film into the antistatic bath for
about 30 seconds.  Hang to dry.  When thoroughly dry (normally the next day),
but into strips and file in the clear negative protectors on the market.  You
will have to experiment to get the best exposure index and development
procedure for you own work.  This should get you started.  Be consistent so
you may change one thing at a time to see what is the new result.  I still
have a difficult time changing just one thing at a time because I am impatient
like everyone else.

TANKS
It is my opinion the old Nikor type stainless steel tanks that allow the
inversion method of agitation is best for the very, very slow films such as
TECH PAN that are very contrasty to begin.  I would try to find a used Nikor
tank (no longer made) that is the two (2) reel size.  Do not pour the
developer in and out through the opening in the lid.  Takes too long and the
film make not have even development.  Fill the tank with developer, then ease
the two reels into the tank, place the top on the tank and invert about ten
(10) times, bump the tank on the bottom of the water jacket to dislodge air
bubbles on the film.  Put down the tank in the water jacket, and let it rest
for 60 seconds, then invert twice and put down.  Do this for the time
selected.  I suggest eight minutes to begin.  Remove top of tank, lift reels
out of developer, put them in a container of filtered water and move up and
down for 30-40 seconds to remove most of the developer and reduce chance for
emulsion damage when the chemicals in the fixer hit the sodium carbonate from
the developer.  At the end of the rinse, lift out the reels and place them in
the fixer (do not use hardener), and move the reels up and down for about one
minute.  Drain the fixer and move the reels into the first of three (3)
washes.  Get the three-bath wash info brochure from Ilford.  Then drain wash
water and dip reels into antistatic bath for 30 seconds.  Be sure to put the
stainless steel reels through the dishwasher to remove any traces of the
antistatic bath so it does not react with and damage the developer the next
time you process film. 

ENLARGER
I had a V35 and it is a nice enlarger but, in my view, it was designed for
color work and is too "soft" for b&w work.  The negatives must be so over
developed to get reasonable contrast they are degraded.  My recommendation
would be to keep the V35 because you will want it for color.  Pickup one of
the wonderful Focomat Ic enlargers or even a Valloy II.  Install a 50 mm APO
lens and it will knock your eyes out when you see what a Leica lens and TEC
PAN developed in TEC will provide.  It may take a few tries but you will be
astounded.  By the way, try to find one of the Focomat Ic enlargers because
the "c" means there is a tray ABOVE the lens for contrast filters.  DO NOT PUT
THE CONTRAST FILTERS BELOW THE LENS.  

TRIPOD
It is absolutely essential to use a good tripod.  If using a reflex camera,
trip the mirror first so it does not give the poor camera and super lenses a
hard "slap" when it flips up.  Of course, use cable release and don't jerk it.
Squeeze slowly like you were squeezing off a shot at a target several hundred
yards away.

Come back with questions if I may clear up something stated above.

Hope this gives you some food for thought this Christmas morning.

Wouldn't it be great if those who are really good would join this conversation
as my knowledge is really limited.

DonjR43198@aol.com