Re: [Leica] Re: B&W film

[TTAbrahams@aol.com]

Richard, I have been using TRI-X since 1957 and probably developed it in just
about any configuration of chemicals available. I do a lot of playing around
with other films and somehow always come back to Tri-X. It is not a perfect
film, but it can always be printed. The Delta 400/Agfa APX 400/Neopan 400/HP5+
are all very good films, but they cant really do anything that Tri-x can't do.
 I use a divided D-76 with Borax as an alkali developer in the 2nd bath, cheap
and very good, not to temperature sensitive and virtually impossible to blow
the highlights with overdevelopment. I have reduced the Sodium Sulphite in the
A bath down to 50gram/1000 ml as I find that this gives me a tighter grain.
Excess of Sod/Sulphite mushes up he grain. I tried FG-7 but didn't like it for
my shooting. 
 The Tmax films are probably very good, but I have never gotten along with
them, they seem to be films for severely controlled light situation, studio
etc. In real life they tend to blow either the shadows or the highlights.
Murder to print.
 I use the Delta 100 for a lot of slow shooting, very good film and sharp as a
tack. Really shows off that expensive Leica glassware that we use.
 If I were you I would pick up some 100 ft rolls of Delta/Agfa/Fuji/ even Tmax
and shoot some tests and try them in some different developers. if nothing
else it keeps you shooting for the fun of it and it is educational. Some films
work very well, the Delta 400 is nice and tightgrained, the Agfa APX 400 is
too contrasty for me and the Fuji 400 is no match for the Fuji Neopan 1600
rated at 800.
 I have a standard test that I do on any film, I shoot it at manufacturers
rating and develop it in Rodinal 1: 100 for 20 min ( agitate twice/60 sec).
This gives me an overall view of the film and what it can do. the Rodinal
gives very sharp grain and reasonable contrast and printable negs. This
establishes a baseline for further experiments. I will load up 4-5 rolls in
cassettes, each a different film, shoot them all in a very short time, same
camera, same lens and run them in the rodinal 1:100/20min. It is amazing what
differences they will show. It is also easy to extrapolate the correct time in
some other developer this way. If your Tri-X looks good in this soup ( and it
will) any of the other films that needs more or less time can be adjusted for
use with the FG-7, by adding or subtracting time from your Tri-X times.
 I do these tests about once a year, run through 6-7 different films, 100 feet
of each, various developers, exposure indexes etc and then I normally sit back
and say" Well, the Tri-x is still my favourite and you cant go wrong with D-76
either" We might bitch at Kodak occasionally, but let us remember, they also
got somethings right and Tri-X is one of the things. Is it only me,or is it
something about Tri-X and Leica M's that is a particularly good match?
Tom A