Digital BW, The Print

Paul Roark  wrote:

> 
> What pyro formula or source do you use?  I've been thinking a staining
> developer may be the way to go also (when my Tech Pan runs out).  That
> approach is sometimes said to work best with the old style films that had
> more silver in them.  Do you find it works with Acros 100 as well as the
> 400?

I have used PMK for small format films (tank development) and ABC pyro for large format 
films (tray development by inspection).

The 400 ASA T-grain type films (e.g. Delta 400) stain much better than the 100 ASA films 
but the developer is fine for the slower films as well.

The approach of scanning as color may allow one to vary the effect of the stain vs. the 
silver itself. In any case this is also the approach I've used.

Given the use of Photoshop it is less clear to me that any other characteristics, such as 
acutance effects or the ability to tame blown out highlights, are as important as the fact 
that the stock solutions last forever.

I still use ABC pyro for sheet film (8x10) development by inspection, but frankly for 35mm 
I've recently switched over to shooting with Kodak UC 100 which allows me to modify the 
color -> BW conversion process using adjustment layers.