Digital BW, The Print

Bo,

>I love that Tech Pan when shooting and I hate it when processing it!

So true.  I also love it when making large prints.

>That technidol beer foam developer makes me think that it's a cheap
>developer that needs a wetting agent to work.

I'm sure Kodak is making a huge profit on it.  However, I don't
underestimate the company's photo & chemistry expertise.

>... technidol looks like a good glas of beer.

But it costs more.

>I have learnt myself to do the following when developing Tech Pan.

>Only use destilled water - 20 degress celsius (68 in US?).

Definitely use only distilled water.  I develop at 75 F/24 C, mostly because
my summer water and darkroom temperature is about that.

>Presoak for two minutes with some slow agitation.

I use the Kodak method of lowering the dry film into the developer.

>Use Technidol that is  diluted for 25% more than stated.

I tried a 120 roll in 500 ml of solution that had just a single packet of
developer -- half what Kodak recommends.  It didn't work out very well --
uneven, lower speed, and flat highlights.

>Develop for about 6minutes and 30 seconds. Agitate continiusly for
>the first 30 seconds then 5 seconds every 30 seconds until finished.

Getting your agitation technique right is a huge part of the game with this
film.  I'm sure there are a number of approaches that work.

>To get rid of the red sensivity use a mild green filter. For me the
>red sensivity is no problem.

I love the red sensitivity.  The film also does not lose sharpness with
orange or red filtration like the "advanced grain" (Tmax, Neopan Acros,
Delta) films do.

>...can someone give me that EXPENSIVE Kodak formula?
>I have the wetting agent and soap to make it look like beer!

Maybe it is beer!  (I'll let you taste it.)

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com
__________________________________




--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark"
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
> 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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them short.
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