[Leica] Re: Tech Pan as pictorial film

[Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@bayarea.net>]

There's nothing wrong with film slower than ASA100, although I tend to 
stick with ASA 100 and 400 for ease of shooting. It's nice to be able to 
open up the lens to wide open in sunlight sometimes, and the slower films 
are finer grained. After all, with ASA 50 in sunlight you're at 
f/16@1/50, or f/2.8@1/500-1/1000 sec. Opened up apertures allow you to 
limit your zone of focus for good subject/background separation.

I don't do it much in 35mm, but in subminiature work (Minolta 16mm, 
half-frame 35, Minox 8x11 format) the improved grain and tonality make a 
huge difference. One of my favorite Minox combinations right now is APX25 
developed in XTOL 1:1 at ASA50. I get very nice tonal quality and 
remarkably fine grain with it, 6x8 to 8x10 prints look very nice indeed. 

The Minox submini crowd has used Technical Pan for pictorial work and 
done quite well with it. Development in ultra-dilute Rodinal (1:100) with 
the help of a little sodium sulfite (50g/L), rated between ASA 25 and 50, 
can tame the shoulder and make it behave nicely. It's a bit red sensitive 
so you have to play with it to get what you want. (Shooting it in the 
huge 35mm format this way could make 24x36" prints that are just 
stunning.)

Check out Don Krehbiel's website, <http://www.slonet.org/~dkrehbie/>. 
Many of the photographs in his gallery are Technical Pan shot on itty 
bitty 8x11mm format. I have an 8x10 print of a B-17 bomber that he made 
with Minox and Technical Pan that is just absolutely spectacular. 

Agfa Copex and Fuji HS-R is a little finer still, but slower. I have a 
couple hundred feet of both in 16mm for use with Minolta 16-II that I 
haven't gotten around to shooting yet. (And I can slit it down to 9.2mm 
for use in the Minox if I am really in fanatic mode.)

Godfrey

>P.S. Lest anyone think I'm serious, Tech Pan sucks for pictorial
>photography. I've only even known one photographer who can make that
>stuff look decent, and he was a Kodak Staff Photographer for 30 years.