Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/07/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I agree that getting the way inside story on developers is the main sharpness control in analog photography that and making smarter lens choices like farily modern Leica glass. I also found Xtol 1:3 to give me the kind of sharpness I dreamed about but with also almost ideal fine grain. Previously you'd get one or the other but never both. A classical acutance developer gives you more grain than you'd normally like making you opt for slower speed films. Xtol itself has tons of sulfite and is not, with Beutlers in the acutance category of developing agents check the Steve Ansel, Troop book. And either is Rodinal surprisingly in the top shelf on that end. A consideration for all the negs I've shot not developed in the ideal developing dilution combination is the fact that now with carful scanning and then sharpening produces an image which in most cases is not wanting in any consideration. In a pigment inkjet print on 100% rag matte paper. I've gotten a reprieve from all my wrong doings. As in the past messing up a print was one thing but developing the neg in the wrong soup left you stuck Mark William Rabiner > From: "Henning J. Wulff" <henningw at archiphoto.com> > Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2011 11:59:58 -0700 > To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > Cc: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > Subject: Re: [Leica] Medium Format Digital > > Unsharp masking was used in the darkroom sometimes, but anyone who > has tried it knows what a long and painstaking process it is, and > it's another thing that has to be done numerous times to be able to > predict the results. Even if one does get a handle on it, it is then > used only occasionally, and on prints that _really_ need it. > > A common way to 'sharpen' was to use some kind of 'high accutance' > developer, if the result was to be B&W. If you used a developer with > a relatively low amount of solvent, and didn't agitate too much, you > could easily get 'sharpened' edges. I still use a bit of that > technique with Xtol; For a given area of film and tank volume I mix > just enough developer with water so that the developer is close to > exhausted by the time the process is done. One-shot naturally. That > means in my case that HP5+ gets developed 7 rolls in an 8 roll Nikor > tank, Xtol at 1:3, 17min total developing time with the last 5 > minutes no agitation. By that time the developer is almost exhausted, > and the only increase in density is a slight edge enhancement > (sharpening) and lifting of the shadow density. The result is an > effective speed of EI 640-800, and a very slight 'sharpening'. > > > > > At 8:38 AM -0700 7/8/11, Bob Adler wrote: >> Hi Doug and all, >> >> I certainly did not feel that Mark had implied, in any way, that I >> was misleading. I value Mark's input as he has a deep understanding >> of photography and photo techniques both in film and digital arenas. >> >> So thank you Doug ( and others) for coming to my defense, but I took >> Mark's input as valuable constructive (and correct) observations. >> And I learned that I like a bit of sharpening! >> >> Does anyone know how sharpening was done in a darkroom? Was it in >> the selection of the paper contrast or something else? >> Best, >> Bob >> >> Bob Adler >> http://www.rgaphoto.com >> >> On Jul 8, 2011, at 3:11 AM, Doug Herr <wildlightphoto at earthlink.net> >> wrote: >> >>> Mark Rabiner wrote: >>> >>>> I will say the so called unsharpened ones dong look at this mag not >>>> soft. >>>> They seem to have an edge even. >>> >>> If you're accustomed to working with AA-filtered files, >>> medium-format digital can be quite a revelation. Bob has no reason >>> to mislead us; this is what I expect to see from his camera at that >>> location. Technically his photos look like DMR*5. >>> >>> Doug Herr >>> Birdman of Sacramento >>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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 > > -- > > Henning J. Wulff > Wulff Photography & Design > mailto:henningw at archiphoto.com > http://www.archiphoto.com > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information