Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Bill- thanks for taking the time and effort to put forth some (to me anyway) insightful info... I'll be picking up Anchell & Troop's book post haste!! I just have to create some time to do more development experiments! And convince the sife that the chemicals won't endanger the household- now, I develop at the New England School of Photography, where I clean the gang room enlargers in exchange for access.... Related question; What reels are folks using for 35mm development-? I really like the reels at NESOP; they have two prongs that catch the films holes making it extremely easy to roll em up. Are these "Hewes reels"? At home I have the plastic type and really don't like them. Next I'll be investing in some one and two reel tanks and reels for 35 and 120... Anybody selling any tanks/reels? thanks, Bob Keene > >We've seen some silly things on this list over the time I've been on it, >but suggesting that black-and-white is dead or dying because a few >successful commercial photographers work in color just about takes the >cake. I'm going to assume it wasn't serious. > >A number of well-taken points have been made in this discussion that I'm >just catching up with. I want to comment on a few that hit home with me: > >_ Why Tri-X? Because of its beautiful tonality and smooth gradation, >mainly. And then the ease and familiarity of use. It is a wonderful film, >and yes, Kodak has updated it over the years. Others are good too, notably >HP5+. For Medium Format, I like Verichrome Pan too, an old-fashioned film >that Kodak seems to scarcely market. >snip< > >A second is that Xtol is the current state of the art in black and white >film developers and can be thought of as a radical modernization of D-76. >Sodium isoacorbate, a vitamin C derivative, replaces hydroquinone, and a >derivative of Phenidone replaces metol. Like D-76, Xtol is a solvent >developer; that is, it has a lot of sodium sulfite. (Other developers that >use Phenidone or its derivatives include HC110 and FG7, both of which are >non-solvent developers, and Microphen and Acufine.) > >Troop and Anchell say that with Xtol, Kodak has disbanded further research >into black and white silver-based film developers. > > >Bill > >------------------------------