Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/03/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On 3/20/06, Philippe Orlent <philippe.orlent@pandora.be> wrote: > Hi Daniel, > > First one is wonderful. I'd even crop something of the left to get > full emphasis on Rebecca. > BTW, how do you get the TX to look so grainless? I saw you developed > it in HC-110 and tried it myself with 6,5 minutes in dilution E this > weekend, but the grain still is very apparent. Philippe, I _have_ tried HC-110 in the past without getting the result I wanted. Marty whispered in my ear that I would probably never be able to get it either. I like HC-110 on just about everything else, but Tri-X gets too harsh. So this was processed in Xtol. I alternate between Xtol, HC-110 and D76 depending on film and situation. Maybe it's just me, but I find Xtol and 400TX just a tad too soft to my liking. Perhaps I should lengthen the time a bit to get some snap. On the other hand, D76 1:1 seems to be returning more and more as a favorite. It works with so much. I had been using D76 with Fomapan and still had some Xtol in stock. I was really satisfied with D76 1:1 and 400TX (kind of a tried and true combination so I wasn't being very daring) but had that Xtol still in stock. I mixed it up a couple of months ago so I didn't want it to sit around. So I developed this roll of Tri-X in Xtol 1:2 for 12 1/2 minutes (Tri-X exposed at closer to 800 than 400, but not quite 800). I think some of my success depends on an agitation technique I picked up from a guy name John Hicks (not sure about the John part, but I know his last name is Hicks) over at photo.net a few years ago. I was having problems with uneven development in 120 size. The edges of my films were darker than the rest. Here's a sample: http://www.rollei-gallery.net/ridings/folder-7519.html The explanation was too little development. At the time I was using a 4-reel (135) tank / 2-reel (120) tank and processing 4 or 2 rolls at a time. I was filling the tank. He pointed out that this was not letting the developer flow around enough and the exhausted developer was gathering at the edges of the reels. The easiest cure (the solution is to get the developer moving around by agitation) was to develop halv as many rolls as the tank would hold, placing empty reels on top and pouring in just enough developer to cover the bottom reels with film on them. Then just agitate normally. Two inversions of the tank every 30 seconds. Those inversions would allow the developer to flow off the film into the empty space and then when you turn back, the film would be covered with fresh developer. Every since then I have been having good luck with my processing. My skies, in medium format, have an even density across the whole frame and it even seems to benefit 35mm. I'm not sure if you need to limit yourself to just half the number of films. I suspect that three rolls in a four reel tank with only one empty reel would work out about the same. It's the empty space that gives the developer some breathing room that helps. Daniel > Not that I don't like that, but I also like the B&W look of your > photographs. > > Thanks for showing, > Philippe > > > > Op 20-mrt-06, om 20:05 heeft Daniel Ridings het volgende geschreven: > > > Remember when the kids were young and we could pack them into the > > back-seat and head out on a little field trip? > > > > Ewa, my wife, and I got a little sentimental. We gave them 20 minutes > > warning (in order to save their games etc) and then an order to pack > > themselves into the backseat of the Renault Clio. > > > > Now a Clio isn't big. We quit buying big cars because we rarely made a > > long trip all five at the same time. It's a little car ... and the > > kiddies are no longer little runts. They're 20, 18 and 16. > > > > But they have enough sense not to fight with us when they know > > we're serious. > > > > So they packed in. Really needed that 20 on the M3 ... but the 35 had > > to do today. I just had to take three shots to take them all in: > > > > http://www.dlridings.se/gallery/v/shoebox/2006v12/06v12-0003.jpg.html > > > > Sure, it's cramped ... but "yes", "you have to have a seatbelt" > > (actually, we didn't need to point that out): > > > > http://www.dlridings.se/gallery/v/shoebox/2006v12/06v12-0001.jpg.html > > > > Rebecca is the youngest, so her big brothers make her sit in the > > middle: > > > > http://www.dlridings.se/gallery/v/shoebox/2006v12/06v12-0002.jpg.html > > > > Then off we went and surprized them with an excellent Sunday dinner at > > a decent restaurant (not too far away ... they were kind of cramped). > > > > M3, 35/2.0 Summicron and 400TX. > > > > Daniel > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >