RE: [Leica] My first band shots

["Gerry Walden" <gwpics@ntlworld.com>]

Whilst I will freely confess that I haven't used it for many years, there is
a lot to be said for good old TRi-X pushed as far as you want it. HP5 also
pushes very well but I think it is grainier.

Gerry

Gerry Walden LRPS
www.gwpics.com

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Mark
Rabiner
Sent: 23 August 2002 07:26
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] My first band shots


><Snip>
>
> Well I'll add in my $2. Do NOT push Neopan I cannot get that film to look
> good in low light and get the best results when pulling it to 800. If you
> want to shoot at 3200 buy 3200 speed film. I think the Delta looks pretty
> good but then all Im really after is a neg that I get some sort of
> highlights and decent shadows when shooting in the dark. I'm not close to
> being educated when it comes to comparing films etc. Anyway the few times
> I've done band shots in B&W were Delta in Xtol 1:2 shot at 2000 to 3200.
> I've done some with Neopan but only in more evenly lit stages...
> --
> John Straus
> Chicago, IL


Hi John! a few issues and disagreements:

There really IS no 3200 film from what I can see!
Kodak's has T-Max P3200. (Check the box) The P stands for push. As in
you've got to push it to get 3200 out of it in a  developer which is
good for pushing which may not be your favorite develop, Xtol in my
case.
Although I have to say that is easily done with their T-Max developer
although I'm not too fond of the tonality and sharpness you get from
that stuff. And I'm not the only one.
T-Max 3200 tests out for me in Rodinal, D76, and other popular
developers as 1600 to get the shadows to just come out right which is
how you judge film speed.
It's a 1600 film to call a spade a spade.

Delta 3200 I figured would also probably be mainly a 1600 film.
I shot many rolls in it in Xtol 1:1.
The shadows were still not printing, they were all not quite there so i
had to lower it it another half stop.
That brings it down to ASA 1200. A stop and a half over Tri X. Big
deal!?
Well at least your not pushing Tri X! And the stuff's not cheap.

Neopan 1600 tests out for me with Xtol 1:3 as being right on the money
as advertised on the box 1600.
And for some reason this film is inexpensive.

So according to my findings if you want 3200 in black and white you are
going to have to push. A mixed bag I think as the best developers are
not pushing developers.

Pulling though I'm not at all fond of either.
I set my ASA to say 1600 because that gives me the shadow separation my
printing paper requires for a full scale full substance print (my
college textbook)
If 1600 does it why would i want to give it even more exposure than that?
I think in 35mm especially we want a minimum density negative  for a
sharper less grainy image.
This means a negative not any denser than it has to be.
And we don't want to be over exposing which makes hard to separate
highlights They go into the shoulder of the curve where it levels out.

The pushing people are distracted and speedy. Always on the go cutting
you off in the middle of a sentence. Rushing off to go mix up another
gallon of D76. Maybe they're ADHD, I don't know.

The pulling people though are laid back Berkenstok smirky self satisfied
people who think they've got the inside track to Mahavisnu's latest
outdoor holistic orgy. Not my type either.


Mark Rabiner
Portland, Oregon USA
http://www.markrabiner.com
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