Re: [Leica] All hail Tri-X

[Bernard <5521.g23@g23.relcom.ru>]

Gaifana@aol.com wrote:

> << But it beats me how people can go out to a "serious shoot", and
> load their
> cameras with TX. Perhaps living without auto exposure forces the less
> adept
> among us to resort to the easy way out with tolerant, yet inferior
> film: it
> takes a little
> time to get the red dot to light up.....
>
> Which is more time than one often haves. I'm not convinced that a
> centerweighted meter not calibrated for b/w film sensitivity and
> lacking both exposure lock and an easy compensation dial is very
> conducive to "precision" photography. A TTL meter might be better than
> nothing, but it is not a substitute for a Zone VI spotmeter.

Perhaps a smaller spot in the M6 metering would be handy. Or even an AE
lock.

> Tri-X, developed in normal processes, allows you to dispense with most
> fiddling around and lets you compose and shoot.

Right. And that is at least a good part of the reason so many people
still load up with Tri-X: you get home with at least "something". But
something is not enough. Everytime I get home with "at least something",
I'm very disappointed; I want *the* thing. This is not to say I'm such a
master, but I'm trying, and as long as I try, I'll try with something
other than Tri-X, because..... I don't like grain, and I do like
sharpness.

Now if you like Trix for the way it looks, go right ahead; it's a matter
of taste. But half the "halelujah" comments I keep reading about this
film, are not about how nice it looks, but with how much it lets you get
away with. And to those who feel they need to be rescued by their film,
I say: learn to expose and process correctly.

> Obviously you are a hack because you don't use Tech Pan. It's clearly
> superior to all other films, and it requires a lot more precision in
> shooting and development. If that's too hard, try some Verichrome Pan.
> In my experience, that needs a bit more precision than the newer
> films.

I use Agfa APX 25 mostly; unfortunately tech pan is unavailable here.
Delta is only for when I have to use something faster.

Bernard