Super high contrast

So you're all gonna say 'why?', but if I wanted to go about getting

lith-style contrast out of a 120 b+w film (I don't think the brand

would matter), how could I go about doing this? I want really dark

darks, and not too a bunch of fog when I'm developing. I'd like to

use HC-110, but I could use D-76 just the same. Thanks in advance.

why ?

 

i guess you could start with a high contrast film like tmx, expose it at 400 iso or even more and process with continuous agitation ....

 

and if you want to dry it realy fast, you could give it a final rinse in ethyl alcohol, light it and stop the combustion quickly !!! :-)

 

[],

Overexpose and over-develop.<br>

<br>

You will also increase grain and the negs will be extremely

dense so your printing times will increase but it works.

<br>

http://www.photo.net/photo/677601<br>

http://www.photo.net/photo/685945<br>

This is 35mm so grain won't be as much of a problem in 120.

These should be clickable:<br>

<br>

<a

href="http://www.photo.net/photo/677601">htt

p://www.photo.net/photo/677601</a><br>

<a

href="http://www.photo.net/photo/685945">

http://www.photo.net/photo/685945</a>

hi rob,

 

i thought you had to "underexpose and overdevelop" in order to get lots of contrast, just like to commented on the second photo.

Technical Pan

 

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/products/films/bw/catalog/kodakProfessionalTechnicalPanFilm.jhtml?id=0.3.8.20.14&lc=en

MACOPHOT ORT25 Film:

 

See www.mahn.net

Kodak Tech Pan will work nicely.

Pan F+. Rate it about 80, and push it a couple of stops. Shadows and dark areas will be empty, but highlights contrast is low enough that you can still preserve details there.

HIE comes to mind if you want to go through the hassle of buying it in 120 format. Push

it, now we are talking contrast!

I've heard about how contrasty tech pan is, and I think it would work, but I don't know how to develop to make it contrasty, and I don't know how available it is locally. I'd hate to make a $4 roll into $10 because of shipping. But anyway, how would I make it contrasty, ie blown highlights and dense shadows. Thanks

Depends on "how contrasty" you want your Tech Pan negatives. Check out the Kodak Tech Pub on their web site for more information.

Thanks for your help. I was looking at that and I was amazed at the versatility of that tech pan. Wow, its no wonder its hard to get to work right. Anyway, I've got the dektol I would need to develop to a high contrast, and I guess $12 for the roll and shipping isn't too bad, considering what I'd have to do otherwise. Thanks again.

I'm not sure if Kodak still makes Kodalith Ortho in large rolls. I at one point worked at a place that used to have it in 54 inch wide rolls! I cut some strips of it to roll up in used 120 backing paper so I could shoot 120 Kodalith. Check with a large print shop and hope thatthey haven't all gone completely digital. You can cut the film with a straight edge and utility knife, working under a red safelight.

Easy to do really. Just take any film, underexpose it by say half a stop, and then double your developing time using whatever developer you want. That will get you all the contrast your paper will be capable of anyway. Have fun. Oh! And Tmax is not, and I repaet, not a high contrast film. Where you got that info beats me. Probably because you haven't calibrated your system from exposure through developing.

Tech Pan at 25 hc110 and Tmax at 80 hc110

Sorry wrong image. I'm new at this posting stuff. Let's see if I can get it right this time.<div></div>

Another one.<div></div>

Neither of the above photos have <b>"lith-style contrast"</b> as requested by Eric. I like both of images very much, but I have no idea what they have to do with this thread.</p>

 

As already stated by several of us, the correct film for Eric's request is Tech Pan. It's really the only choice for what he wants (except perhaps for some similar film as Gigabit from another vendor).</p>

 

Thread closed.

No! Thread still open! Mention was made of Tmax being a high contrast film and this image was meant to show that, no it is not. And neither is tech pan strictly a high contrast film. As with any film, it depends on how you expose and process it. Tech pan is not the only film capable of high contrast. You can easily make any film into a high contrast film simply by exposing and developing it properly for the desired effect. Mark, you aren't the only one reading these threads and many people have emailed me, and met personally with me in the field, to say they read these threads and get much more than what the main question asks. Because one of the respondants here made the remark that Tmax was a high contrast film, I put up these images to show whomever would like to see, that Tmax is not a high contrast film and the purported tech pan "high contrast" film isn't just that either. And with hc110 no less! That my young man is why I contribute to these threads. Knowlege is a wonderous thing. Let the knowlege flow from whatever source. And that's Mr Lumberjack to you pal.

Maybe when you post an image to prove that TMAX is NOT a high contrast film, you should mention why you are posting it (instead of just the image with no text), especially when the reason is apparently completely different than the subject of the thread that Eric started.

 

Regarding whether TMAX is appropriate to the intended use that Eric is asking about, perhaps everyone should pay closer attention to the wording of the original post which specified "lith-style contrast." For that purpose, Tech Pan is the "best" solution.

If you want unprintable highlights, TP and HC110. VERY contrasty. TP and

DD23 works also 6 minutes Bath A and 3 minutes Bath B will raise the level

and give you the high contrast you are looking for.

I'm not too familiar with Tech Pan as it is so expensive and grain

doesn't bother me, but it would seem that any type of film could

be made pretty contrasty by over developing. Why waste so much

money on Tech Pan unless contrasty AND grainlessness is

important?

 

I would think a $2-3 roll of Pan F, Plus X, FP 4+, Tri-X or pretty

much anything could get you this far cheaper. Using a more

concentrated developer or one that emphasizes contrast would

allow much more experimentation at a much lower price. As you

are using 120, I wouldn't think grain would be too much of an

issue.

Grain isn't an issue, I'll be contact printing from these negs. I'm still not made up, but I'll probably buy a cheap roll locally and see how it develops out. And keep the TP in mind if that roll doesn't pan out.

No one has said it but how about very weakly diluted Rodinal with underexposed film and push development? I'd say Rodinal 1+10 with APX100 exposed @1000 will destroy all detail and give an ultra-high contrast image for very little money (I wouldn't use this for pictorial results, but then again, I haven't done any ultra-contrast stuff, so I don't know what you're aiming at).