PC-TEA pushing

[bljkasfdljkasfdljskfa]

Do you use it for pushing film? Is it a good pushing developer? I hope

I can use PC-TEA as my only developer.

[patrick_gainer]

The short answer is yes, but.

It is pretty flexible, but will take some experimenting on your part because I have different ideas about what constitutes pushing than most folks do. I used to think I was pushing when really I was just not pulling. Anyway, I would suggest a test roll of 35, all the same exposure. Develop a few frames at a time for each development condition you want to test. Things you can try: different development times, higher pH, and anything else you can think of. TEA is both the storage medium and the alkali in unadulterated PC-TEA stock, so adding more TEA to the working solution is an easy way to increase activity for the individual tankful. Adding carbonate is another ploy. Simply diluting the stock less is another.

 

The ultimate result of pushing is higher negative contrast, no matter what you hear about compensation. Many scenes that require pushing are of low contrast, at least in the center of interest, and so may profit from extended development. HP5+ is not noted for high contrast, especially at high dilutions, so may profit from a less dilute working solution.

 

Before you decide if you need to push, try setting your meter at 4 times box speed and taking your reading from the darkest shadow where you want some detail. This will be the minimum correct exposure in most cases, and will not require real pushing, but may need a boost to contrast for easier printing. You might want to spend another test roll on just such scenes.

[bljkasfdljkasfdljskfa]

Patrick I don't really understand what you are talking about vis. not pulling. I need to push for handheld night shooting. I need to push Neopan from 400 to 1600 for starters. I tried PC-TEA for 17 minutes. Pretty good. Seems close to times of 1:2 Xtol, of about 18 minutes at 68 degrees. I like it better than Neopan 1600 in Diafine according to my scans so far. Much finer grain at least.

 

Of course pushing means more exposure errors, as it is more difficult to expose correctly. Evenly lit, low contrast scenes look good. Contrasty scenes are a major pain in the ass as usual.

[bljkasfdljkasfdljskfa]

I also need to pull HP5+ to 100. I am going to have to test as well I guess. I just wish the devel. times were published somewhere like digitaltruth mass. dev. chart.

[patrick_gainer]

Chances are pretty good you would not like the results. That's just my opinion, of course.

 

What I was talking about was that by one method of metering exposure I was pushing, but by another I was using minimum correct exposure. I don't know how you meter, so cannot tell you how to develop. Chances are, you want more contrast for available darkness shots, but I don't know for sure. More contrast is what pushing in the usual sense will give you. There will usually be some increase in shadow detail as well, but you may wash out highlights in the process. I think you will have to practice. The rule "expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights" is still a good one. If you expose just enough to get the shadows and develop as much as you can without blowing the highlights, you will win. This means you have to know your equipment, your developer, and your techniques so that you can apply them to your choice of scenes.

 

One roll of film should give you what you need, and it will be worth more than all the development charts you can buy because it will apply to your equipment and your kind of picture.

 

I have had experience at photographing a symphony orchestra from my position on stage as principal oboist. (During rehearsal breaks, of course.) I had to quit using auto exposure because everywhere I looked the indicated exposure was different because of light reflected from music stands, etc. I found that I could set the shutter and f-stop at 1/60, f/4 and leave it.

[bljkasfdljkasfdljskfa]

Patrick: I know about bright objects at night sqewing the exposure, so lately I just meter from my hand by putting my hand a foot or so away in front of the lens so it covers most or all of the frame, and add one stop to that reading. If I'm close to street lights it's 1/30 or 1/15 at f/2 for 1600.

[kunihiko]

Dan, I thought same thing "I hope I can use PC-TEA as my only developer" and have some rolls of NEOPAN400@1600 developed. My time/temp were somewhere around you mentioned.<BR>And my choice goes to... I'm going to mix new batch of Microphen tonight.

[bljkasfdljkasfdljskfa]

Kunihiko: How so? Why do you find Microphen is better (I haven't tried it with Neopan).

[patrick_gainer]

So the only thing to worry about is contrast, and you are the best one to judge how to handle that with a little experimenting.

 

I also don't see Microphen as being a whole lot different. PC-TEA is easy to modify for more contrast. I'm not trying to sell it. I haven't earned any more than the payment for the article in Photo Techniques, and nobody gets rich from those fees. I'm just expressing an opinion.