Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/06/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mark- I saw an article about Adams, and from the illustration, it seemed that looking at his negative they looked almost black; I would assume he developed them until the curve was WAY up on the shoulder; That would obviate any 'mottling'!. It would also lessened the contrast range. The article told of the fellow who did his prints (must be nice to have a trusted companion to do the scut work!) and used a guide Adams marked on the sleeves where things were to be dodged, and burned- he indicated it took a loooong time to get a print. Both from the heavy density, and from the fact that Adams was very particular about what went out of the darkroom. Dan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Rabiner" <mark@rabinergroup.com> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org> Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 11:00 PM Subject: Re: [Leica] B&W Films/Developers > On 6/29/04 4:11 PM, "Wade Heninger" <lists@heninger.org> wrote: > > > > >> I've read that it is a very active developer. Thus developing times can be > >> very short, making it easy to overdevelop negatives. > > > > Not as short as acufine, and never had issues. I tried all kinds of > > experimenting with dilutions and times. All too contrasty. > > > > So I didn't continue because Xtol, FG7, Acufine all work great. > > > HC100 is notorious among the local people I know here in Portland over the > decades. A consensus on the darkroom newsgroups on the big wide internet I'm > not sure of but I kind of get the vibe they agree for the most part. > It doesn't look much at all like d76 and is a Phenidone developer and in a > number of other ways not at all like it as a formula. > > I used it for a while because the word was out Ansel used it. He was still > alive then. But how he got the results he (or his assistant got for him) got > my pals and I never could figure out. He supposedly diluted it way beyond > dilution B. I could never get that to work for me at all I always got uneven > development. Mottled negs. Calico. Same as my pals. We were all Calicos > then. > > We all went back to d76 and our work shot up in quality as a result. Way > back then. Early 80's. Ansel died I think in 84. > > I agree that Fg7 and Acufine and of course Xtol are great developers. When > used at the right dilution. > > But to use a different developer with every roll of film as it seems someone > is doing is not going to make for any kind of results or knowledge. > > I'd use a certain developer for a few months playing around with different > dilutions. > > > > > Mark Rabiner > Photography > Portland Oregon > http://rabinergroup.com/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >