plus-x development time w/ sprint standard film developer

[micah_mayo]

Hi,

 

I've been using t-max 100 for about 6 months or so fairly

successfully, and I've decided to play around with some other films,

so I picked up a roll of plus-x 125 at the camera shoppe the other

day. I'm shooting 120film in the 6x4.5 format. Now, reading in these

forums I've heard some say that the reccomended development times for

plus-x 125 are too long and result in overly contrasty images. Now, on

sprints web site a development time of 8:30 is reccomended. Has anyone

tried this, how were the results? Does any one have any reccomendations?

 

Micah

[conrad_hoffman]

My recommendation is not to follow recommendations. Shoot a roll on some unimportant stuff, chop off a piece, and process it. See what you think and adjust the development accordingly. No one can give you a more accurate time than that.

[conrad_hoffman]

Sorry if you didn't like the answer. To put it another way, using other peoples times introduces a bias that can do more harm than good. When the results suggest you should change the time, there's always that feeling in the back of the mind that maybe you don't really need to change as much as you otherwise might, or that some other part of the process is causing a problem. You don't need affirmation, you need facts based on your own process.

[scott_walton2]

Funny thing is... Conrad spelled it out. "Recommended" times are just that...a starting point. Conrad also described what is called a "clip test". Take the roll you describe (ie a roll of PXP) and shoot it in your back yard or whatever making sure you have highlights, midtones and deep shadows. Seemingly , on a sunny day, for a good comparison, shoot the whole roll of that one scene. This will make your job easier to see the differences. Cut what you feel will be a few frames and develop @ recommended times for whatever developer you are going to test. Take another clip (with 120, just put the roll your clipping from into a dry developer tank so as to not expose to light) and develop it 15% less than "recommended" time if your 1st clip is a bit dense. The second clip should be a bit easier to print as the highlights won't be as dense. Now, before you develop anymore, take those dried clips and lay them on a newspaper. The old "rule" was that you should be able to read the newspaper through even the highlights. If this isn't the case, take a third clip and process it 10-15% less than the second clip... with one caution... try to keep the times above (as long) 5 minutes. Under 5 minutes and you will get into the realm of to short of a time and get mottling that are very visible in your skies and other places that will ruin a picture.

I do clip tests whenever I change films or developers and find that the "recommended times" are usually overdeveloping the films. The clip test that, when printed, gives you a print that has deep shadows with detail all the way up to the highlights (except the specular highlights) that when printed, render details without having to burn, is the perfect time and you should then make that time "Your Time". The rest of your rolls will be developed at this new time and your job in the darkroom will be alot easier, with better looking prints! I do have to say though, on cloudy days, you will have to add sometimes up to 15% of time because what you will find out shooting on cloudy days will be that with your "new time", your film will be to flat. The additional push will give your highlights a boost in density that will be needed to get great contrast for your cloudy day shooting.

Hope this all makes sense.

[jack_lord1]

hey scott i got a question. when you say highlights and that newspaper-thru thing you mean the "black" part of the film, the real highlights on the print, ain't ya? thanx for the heads up!