Digital BW, The Print

Gareth,

It seems like lots of little companies and individuals (like me) have at
some time come up with "the" solution for Tech Pan development.  It's
expensive and time consuming to test all the brews.  It's also impossible to
compare all these developers based on just the claims of the manufacturer.
So, I'll start my search for an Xtol replacement by going with what I found
in past testing.  If some one else has good test data or experience with one
of the brews and it's not overpriced, I'll give that a try also.

For testing I shoot grayscale patches (from the Kodak Bland-and White
Darkroom Data Guide) covering a 13 stop range.  (This takes 4 frames -- one
on the spot meter reading, one -3 stops, one at +3 stops, and one at +6
stops.  They are read under my enlarger [dichro head] with an enlarger
meter.)  I also shoot resolution charts and plain, middle-gray frames (to
evaluate the evenness of development).

If, like with SpeediBrew's CELER MONO, the seller gives a speed, that helps,
but it is only one end of the curve.  Also, the way most people measure
speed, it might be mostly reflecting contrast, and not how many stops below
the meter's gray point that shadow detail can be printed.  I want to know
how far down the shadow detail is useable.

Most developers do not allow TP to capture a very broad range of light.
With most developers it ends up having, if you're lucky, a latitude that
close to slide film (about 7 stops -- with low quality shadows at that).
This is just not enough for good printing for many scenes.

Yesterday I developed a 120 roll of TP in Kodak's Technidol.  Since that is
the (way too expensive) special developer Kodak makes for the film, it seems
like a good standard against which to measure other brews' performances.
With Technidol, the TP had a straight-line curve that extended for about 11
stops.  The toe and shoulder were short, but the shoulder was not totally
useless.  My scanner (Nikon 8000) could separate the entire 13 stop range of
my test procedure.  This is impressive for TP.

What I'd like to see are the characteristic curves of competing brews
overlaid on this Technidol-TP curve.  That tells me the most about speed,
dynamic range, and the "look" of the film.  (I prefer a slightly "S" shaped
curve to a straight line.  I think it gives a better balance of contrast and
dynamic range.)

The Technidol plain gray (ground glass over the lens at f 11 and middle gray
exposure) frames were reasonably even -- a very hard thing to accomplish
with medium format & TP.

If Technidol were not so expensive ($5 a roll for medium format), I might
stop my experiments here.  However, I also have a 1998 TD-3 test that shows
it can capture all 13 stops, give a true speed increase, comparable grain,
OK evenness, and a nice, "S" shaped curve.  So, given it's vastly lower
price, I'll see what I can do with it.

I have no doubt there are a number of good TP developer combinations.  I
used to mix my own POTA before Kodak started making that commercially.  (It
has since been dropped because Technidol is finer grained and more even in
development.)  Having once mixed developer from the raw chemicals, I don't
want to bother with that again.  So, price and easy, reliable availability
are part of what I'm looking for.  Over here, Photographer's Formulary has a
good reputation and will probably still be in business for a long time.  So,
if their brew works as well as I think I can get it to work, it has
substantial appeal.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com
___________________________________________

>Anyone tried this?

>Quote from Speedibrews site

>Technical Pan film is in a class of its own with resolution streets
>ahead of CCD/Digital. The snag is the harsh contrast (necessary for
>astronomy purposes) which makes Tech Pan a right pig to work as a
>pictorial film. Many low contrast developers have been tried over the
>years but Speedibrews now has the answer for workers preferring to
>scan film negatives and work on prints via a digital option.

>CELER MONO tames Tech Pan, yielding a clean negative absolutely
>tailor-made for digital scanning. The negatives contain an amazing
>tonal range, almost impossible to duplicate by conventional
>developers, whilst offering a true 2-stops speed increase to a nice
>and familiar 100 ISO film rating. The resolution even out-performs
>most camera lenses.

>Because Tech Pan is a specialist film, the extended red sensitivity
>is really effective under artificial lighting. CELER MONO is a
>universal developer, working with all films, including the 'So-
>called' "Chromogenics", all of which can be printed conventionally,
>or digitally scanned.

>Most films are developed in 10 to 12 minutes at the standard 20
>degrees Celsius. The modern trend to higher temperatures is also
>recommended and times for 24 degrees Celsius are given in the
>comprehensive instructions.

>Unquote

>Seems like a good product but has anyone used it?

>Gareth
__________________________

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "dirkhobman"
<dhobman@h...> wrote:
> I have had mixed results with TechPan and personally preferred the
> old Agfa APX 25. I found it had much smoother tonality with
excellent
> grain characteristics. I still have some rolls of it, but in the
> meantime have found Efke R25 to be a fine alternative. I also tried
> Acros 100, and, like Paul, had unrealistic expectations (though its
> reciprocity characteristics make it outstanding for low
> light/nighttime photography). Efke R25 can be hard to find, but if
> you'd like to try it, you can buy it at the following site:
>
> www.jandcphoto.com
>
> Also, though I haven't tried it, Maco also produces an ISO 25 fine
> grain film that is panchromatic. You can find it for sale at:
>
> www.freestylephoto.biz
>
> Happy shooting!
>
> Dirk Hobman
>
>
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark"
> <paul.roark@v...> wrote:
> > Don,
> >
> > I agree, Fuji makes great films.  I think their color technology
> has the
> > best grain.  So, with luck this new c-41 film will be an
excellent
> addition
> > to our quiver.  My only disappointment with Acros 100 was that I
> wanted more
> > than just another excellent 100 ISO film.  My expectations were
> unrealistic.
> > Tech Pan still has a noticeable edge in image quality.
> >
> > Paul
> > http://www.PaulRoark.com
> > ___________________________________
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: D. Hill [mailto:hill14701@y...]
> > Sent: Friday, August 15, 2003 7:44 AM
> > To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: RE: [Digital BW] Re: TechXactol
> >
> >
> > Having been a loyal fan of Fuji films for the last 12
> > years or so - I thought they had reached an excellent
> > film with acros.
> >
> > Leafing through a magazine yesterday (Black and White)
> > I noticed that Neopan C41 will soon be released.  I
> > imagine it is modeled after xp-2 - but very exciting
> > news none the less.  As this was a European magazine,
> > one can only hold their breath as to wonder if it will
> > actually be released in the states.
> >
> > Don
> >
> > --- Paul Roark <paul.roark@v...> wrote:
> > > >>  So I'm going to see how Neopan 100 works.  It
> > > >> claims to have the finest grain of any 100 speed
> > > film.  We'll see.
> > > >
> > >
> > > I'm under-whelmed by my first Neopan test.  It's
> > > just another Tmax 100, as
> > > far as I can tell.  Not in the same league with Tech
> > > Pan.
> > >
> >
> >
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Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and
other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:

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If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to
unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same
page.

Please follow these basic guidelines:
- Include your full name with your message.
- Include the address of your website, if you have one.
- As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep
them short.
- As the topic of a thread changes remember to change the subject header.
- Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or flames
- Complete your Yahoo profile.
- Before posting a question, search the message archives and the various
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Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/