Fuji Acros, daylight, bright specular highlights...best ISO?

[danielleetaylor]

I searched the archives and a number of people recommend exposing Fuji Acros 100

as if it were an ISO 64 film.

 

My question is: what is the highlight range of this film? I'm going to be

shooting surfers in bright sunlight. Splashing water often has very bright

specular highlights in this situation. Digitally, I often find myself dialing in

a half stop of underexposure. But that's digital where highlights clip.

 

Would I be better off exposing Acros normally to better hold the highlights, or

will I still get a better negative shooting at ISO 64? How well does this film

hold highlights?

 

Thanks!

[john_stockdale2]

One approach is to use a staining developer, because the very bright highlights are better controlled. Have a look at Ed Krebs's site. He uses PMK to develop Neopan_400 (mostly, if not all, 120 size)

 

http://edkrebs.com/

[chris_waller]

I rate Acros at 50 ASA in bright conditions, or even 40. I dev in Rodinal at 1:50, 20 C, 8 minutes at 50 ASA or 7 minutes at 40 ASA.

I give six inversions of the tank in the first 30 seconds then one inversion every 30 seconds after that.

[bobmichaels]

1/2 stop or even a full stop is not going to make a difference in a specular highlight. Acknowledge they are going to be gone no matter what you do and expose for the remainder of the scene.

 

How are you going to meter this? Are you just going to point the built in reflected meter out towards the sky and breaking surf? How you meter makes all the difference in the world in interpreting iso. I'd bet you'd be better off with a "sunny 16" calculation rather than trying to use a reflective meter.

 

FWIW, Long ago, I used to know two photographers published widely in the surf mags. They always shot K64 f8 @ 1/500th. And ALWAYS that same exposure, they didn't even own light meters. f8 was chosen because that was wide open on the Century Optics telephotos everyone used.

 

I'd bet anything that f4 @ 1/2000th would work great for you, assuming it's a sunny day.

[jtk]

Traditionally one assigns a lower ei to any film to control highlights and look deeper into shadows. I think Acros is especially prone to loss of shadow detail, so I'd definitely go with a 50 rating or thereabouts. Then you probably will want to reduce development time, depending upon the developer you select. This will produce a lower contrast negative. This is does not works as well with color film as does pre-flashing and down-rating with normal development...which is possible with only a few cameras, Canon F1n being the main example (has to do with perfect double-exposed registration).

[briandoubek]

I shoot this film (Acros 120) rated at 50, and use divided d-23 developer. Specular highlights

haven't been a problem for me.