Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/01/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mike, Although I've got through over 600 sheets of Ilford Cooltone in the past month I hadn't toned any of the prints. However, to try to answer the original question and to satisfy my own curiosity I've just run a test of a) normal dev 60 secs, b) extended dev for 3 minutes to see if the paper "cooled" more than with normal dev time, c) 5 minute Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner at 1+3 and d) 5 min Fotospeed AU20 Gold Tone. For print development I use Fotospeed PD5 print dev... a pretty standard brew much used in the UK (where Dektol is not used by many printers). The normal 60 dev time produced a fully toned print with well sepatared mid-tones, rich blacks and sparkling whites. Everything one could expect from a b&w paper. The 3 minute "extended" development (who would want to dev RC paper for 3 minutes you may ask? However, it is meant to look "cooler" with extended development so I tried it)... and I cannot really judge that the colour has changed at all... nor have the tones. Both prints look very similar under artificial light (it's dusk here in the UK so the prints may look different in daylight tomorrow). The selenium toned print has taken on a *slight* purple tinge... which makes the untoned print look *ever so slightly* greenish. The gold toned print looks hardly any different from the untoned prints. When all four test prints were placed against each other on a well-lit surface the selenium toned print stood out as being noticeably different... like a luscious and luxurious Dark Belgian chocolate! ;-) I couldn't do this test using normal Ilford MG IV as a benchmark because I've never been ably to produce a satisfactory print from that material since it came out... even on my "programmed" Durst Multigraph (and I tossed out my remaining stocks some time ago... and I hardly have anything favourable to say about Ilford's Warmtone either. I've been a firm Agfa man in the past four years or so since Ilford stopped producing their old and late lamented MG III FB. But Ilford's Cooltone is a different matter... straight out of the box... bang, bang, bang... print after print was right on the button (although Mike may think my printing a little dark... for his tastes?). Interestingly, the Durst Multigraph settings for MG IV gave perfect grading (to a 1/10th of a grade) and exposures (to a 1/100th of a sec) with Cooltone whereas I have never had that satisfaction from Ilford's straight MG IV nor their Warmtone papers. Hope this helps... although YMMD if/when you get some across the pond. (Hassle your Ilford reps from Monday morning... this paper is very good... and hassle them for fibre production to start too!). BTW: This morning I air-mailed you a factory-fresh box of 100 (8x10) as, like me, you think it's *very* pretty stuff! Mind you, you didn't say my images were anything to talk about! 8-0 Cheers, Ed Buziak / Publisher "Camera & Darkroom" ed.buziak@camera-and-darkroom.co.uk * Web site under construction * - ---------- >From: Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net> >To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us >Subject: [Leica] Cooltone RC Test? >Date: Fri, Jan 14, 2000, 10:08 pm > >>>>talk to us. how does the cooltone stack up to selenium toned/dektol >developed/ilford MG?<<< > > >Knocks it into the weeds, from first looks. This is *very* pretty >stuff... > >What say you, Ed B.? > >--Mike >