Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/11/27

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] Neopan 400
From: marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small)
Date: Mon Nov 27 21:12:52 2006
References: <200611280002.kAS02JbZ014999@server1.waverley.reid.org> <001601c7128c$ef5f2560$6501a8c0@asus930>

At 08:31 PM 11/27/2006, G Hopkinson wrote:
 >Marc I haven't seen such an opinion on the Neopan 400 before. From my
 >own recent and limited b&w renaissance, I've had better
 >results from the Neopan vs HP5.

Hoppy

Perhaps I spoke in haste and, certainly, whatever 
works for you, works for you.  I go back a LONG 
way with Ilford, back to H.P. 3 in 1965, which I 
used to pump up to 1200 ASA for astrophotography 
in my High School days.  This is an emulsion I 
really like and understand after four decades of 
use.  I generally develop it in home-brewed D-76 
but I also use one of several Crawley mixes or 
ID-11 and even XTOL, when I can find it.  For 
that matter, I've had some really good results with HP-5 and Rodinal.

I had a miserable time with Neopan in its early 
days and I've not tried it since then.  It was an 
unworkable emulsion with a huge learning 
curve.  I had climbed that one already to tame 
T-Max but simply lacked the time and energy to 
learn how to use Neopan when I was so damned 
happy with HP-5.  (I eventually DID learn the 
trick to using T-Max and came to love it for its 
virtues, though I never warmed to its higher-speed brethren.)

So, if you find Neopan friendly to your needs, I 
apologize.  I simply find it an unworkable film 
with little apparent benefit and much 
difficulty.  Perhaps I ought to try it again.

Marc




msmall@aya.yale.edu
Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!



Replies: Reply from hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (G Hopkinson) ([Leica] Neopan 400)
Reply from harrison at mcclary.net (Harrison McClary) ([Leica] Neopan 400)
Reply from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] Neopan 400)
In reply to: Message from marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small) ([Leica] First test Summicron Collapsible)
Message from hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (G Hopkinson) ([Leica] First test Summicron Collapsible)