Efke 25 in PMK pyro

[tim_curry]

I'm trying to establish a baseline for Efke 25 in PMK pryo developer.

Planning on using it in 4x5, but I need a starting point, so I've

processed a roll of Efke 25 (35mm) using E.I.25, 32 & 50 with a white

wall & a black sheet of paper on a northern exposure wall in afternoon

light in clear sky (zones 10-1 each asa). I ran 11:00 min @ 70f in

10+20+1000 PMK, 0:15 sec agitation, 1:00 min water stop, 3:00 min in

TF4, 2:00 min in the used PMK and 30:00 min wash.

 

Negatives look O.K. (?) but I don't have a darkroom setup for printing

and I have no experience in developing, printing or evaluating B&W

negatives (have to start somewhere, so...). I can't seem to find

anything on Efke 25 in PMK, except a time of 4:45 & 5:15 from an old

post in 1999, which seemed way too short based on other times & my

trials with FP4+. Does anyone have any times which could be shared?

Did I over-develop and increase contrast too much? Thanks

[jonathan_borden]

I haven't used Efke 25 with PMK myself but Gordon Hutching's _Book of Pyro_ has a great section on doing exactly what you want to do: figure out the correct development times for a given type of film.

[donald_miller1]

Without seeing the negatives it will be difficult for anyone to definitively answer your question. The thing that I would do is evaluate the densest part of the negative which will be most affected by developing time. Do you still show detail in the darkest areas of your negatives? If you do, then the highlights aren't blocked. It is never wise to assume that one film will develop in the same time that another film will, especially from different manufacturers. Normally one would determine the effective EI of the film and then determine developing times, since these are two separate matters that need to be determined. I would suggest reading Ansel Adams "The Negative" for film testing procedures. It will give you the proper direction. I hope that I have been of help. Good luck and have fun.

 

Regards,

 

Donald Miller

[ed b.]

Try EI 12. 7 minutes in PMK at 70 degrees.

[fred_clerc1]

I haven't used PMK, but Ilford DDX to develop Efke 25. I didn't have any

baseline either, so I just picked the time for Agfapan 25, and it worked great.

[tim_curry]

I tried Ed's suggestion on time & temperature and it worked out very well (E.I. 12 and 7:00 @ 70f), much better than I could have hoped. This combination seems to yield a very useful rendering of the zone system with this film. Shadow detail is visible into the lower zones (zone 1 at times when viewed under strong lighting) and highlights are full and subtle.

 

Metals such as chrome really shine with a radiance which is real. Tonal gradation is excellent and 35mm portraits cropped and blown up to 8x10 show no visible grain! This is amazing film if you are able to deal with long shutter times and relatively static compositions. Use this as a starting point for 35mm & 4x5 and please email me if you find these numbers to be off.