Digital BW, The Print

Mark,

>Techpan in Xtol????  How????

Kodak originally recommended it with a 1:5 dilution.  For the last 2 years,
I had Xtol that worked extremely well at a 1:3 dilution (18 min. 75 degrees
F).  This year and with 2 new batches of new (and different production
numbers) Xtol, produced very high contrast with the 1:3 approach.  The new
Xtol seems to be close with a 1:5 ratio, but even there the curve shape and
speed are not what they were with the older batches of the developer.

Part of what led me back to TP is the scanner's ability (perhaps preference)
for higher contrast/dynamic range films.  TP is easier to control and often
gives better results when the contrast is higher than what I'd want to print
in the darkroom.

At any rate, my wonderful TP-Xtol combination turned out to be
inconsistent -- probably due to Xtol's inconsistencies.   It's a shame,
because the Xtol softness gave the best evenness of 120 development I've
ever seen and the finest grain, with an ISO of about 32.

I'm assuming Xtol at 1:1 with normal film is consistent enough to be
useable, but even that may be optimistic.  If Xtol and Tmax or Neopan 100
are consistent, then their grain is close to TP in other developers.
Photoshop's unsharp masking can kick the detail contrast up as needed --
there is sufficient information on the film and in the scans.  However, TP
still has enough of an edge in the combined grain and sharpness, especially
with an orange or red filter, that I'm going to see if I can use TD-3 or
another developer and get consistent results, but it's a much closer
question than it was last year.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com

___________________________________________

...
> But I love those grainless 22 x 28" prints made from a medium
format TP-Xtol
> negative.  Some 4x5 shooters thought I most be using an 8x10 camera.
...



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