brian_c._miller3

Well, I haven't yet found a U.S. distributor, but I did find:

<p>

The Maco website: http://www.mahn.net/

<p>

And some useful info:

http://www.jetcity.com/~mrjones/infoshts.htm#MACOIR820C

<p>

Possibly <a href="http://www.onecachet.com/">Cachet</a> carries the

IR film, but I didn't see it listed on their website.

You can get large grain out of Tmax if you push it like crazy. I

have been successful with Tmax 400 at 1600, developed in Xtol 1:2 for

25min.

<p>

Shoot with a wide angle lens, and then crop down to the very center

portion, and enlarge that. I use an Olympus Pen-F, and there is no

way I am giving up 1/2-frame and Ilford Universal 400.

You probably want the <a

href="http://www.photoformulary.com/">Photographer's Formulary</a>

for strange chemical concoctions. I tried "Divided D-76" but I

didn't use distilled water, so the chemicals didn't work right. I

have learned my lesson since then. :-)

<p>

They have a few divided formulas, so you will have to go and

experiment. Since I started using Xtol, though, I haven't felt the

need to try the alternate chemicals.

Ah heaven's sakes, both of you should fly over here to Seattle! We

have plenty of it! :-)

<p>

Or else you can get it from <a

href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/">B&H Photo-Video</a> via mail

order.

You can get by with loading the film onto a reel using a dark bag,

but TechPan is kind of thin and can kink easily. I use a dark bag

rated for 5x7 sheet holders.

(And now from the "Somewhat Better Late than Never" department:)

<p>

Well, something like this requires quantity time in dilute

developer. I have been getting great negatives from Tmax 400 @ 1600,

Xtol 1:2, 68F for 25-30min.

<p>

Something like this I think I would give it an hour, Xtol 1:3, 75F.

That's the best lunatic guess I can give.

Um, I think with stock Xtol I've been using 6-1/2min @ 68F.

<p>

Use a B+W 091 (Wrattan 29) filter for getting the evergreens (pine et

al) to become grey. B+W 092 will give the best effect. Ilford also

makes its own filter, but you must have a gel holder for it. B+W 090

(Wrattan 25) gives good results, but evergreens remain black.

You should really get the B+W 092. I have 091 and 092, and the 092

gives the maximum performance from the film. 091 is the minimum red

which I use with this film. My area has plenty of conifer

(evergreen) trees and 090 (Wrattan 25) will not change their color.

The 091 will make most species turn grey, and the 092 will render

everything white. <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/">B&H Photo-

Video</a> has them in the $50 range.

Try <a href="http://www.ivey.com">Ivey Seright</a> (this is the one I

use, I think E-6 is $1.60/sheet), <a

href="http://www.evercolor.com/">EverColor Fine Art</a> (Galand

Rowel's choice), or <a href="http://www.calypsoinc.com/">Calypso

Imagine</a>.

Ilford XP-2 <i>is</i>, in fact, a C-41 process film. Any pro lab

should have no problem with processing it. Fact is, the cheap shops

should also have no problem. The film goes straight in with all the

other color film, no muss no fuss.

<p>

Unlike Kodak T400CN, XP-2 produces a true black & white negative.

The lamps in the color printers need to be adjusted before the film

is printed. Otherwise you will wind up with a sepia or blue cast to

your prints.

<p>

T400CN has a dye in it to produce a black & white print on color

paper with no adjustments needed.

Never mind what's in the books. Depending on what you want to do

with the film, you will probably use far less time than what they

recommend. I expose HIE at ASA 400, and then (if I remember right)

develop it in Xtol, 68F, 6.5min. The original times are for high

contrast arial photos, and that's definitely not artistic use. So

feel free to experiment, and bracket like crazy.

I bought one through E-bay. It was advertised as having no ground

glass, but it actually came with no back. This is a wonderfully

sturdy camera, and it folds up into a "packable" size. For $200,

it's OK.

<p>

I have to fabricate a back for it, fabricate lens boards, get the

bellows replaced, and buy a lens and film holders for it. Other than

that ....

I use this film with B+W 092 red filter for maximum effect. Ilford

sells an opaque filter just for this film. Using SFX 200 with a #25

filter results in deciduous vegitation turning white, but conifers

remaining dark. A B+W 091 (Wrattan 29) filter will turn the conifers

grey. A B+W 092 (as dark red as you are going to get without going

to opaque) will turn conifers white.

<p>

I rate SFX at 25, and I bracket +-1 and +-2. I also photograph a

scene with both 091 and 092 filters. Both Konica and Ilford respond

fine to commercial film development. I develop SFX 200 with Xtol.

Can't remember the times right off hand.

I have always used a changing bag to load and unload HIE. If I can

find a room where I can turn off the light, I will use it, too. One

fellow told me that he lost a roll of HIE because he <u>unloaded</u>

the film in subdued light. When I load the film, I have noticed that

my changing bag isn't totally proof to IR light, and there is some

piping beyond the felt.

<p>

After the film is developed, the unexposed areas should be absolutely

clear. Anything else means that it is fogged. For a long time I

didn't have a dark room, and I loaded the film onto reels in my

changing bag. Well, that was fine for normal film, but I wasted at

least five rolls before I realised that the problem was my changing

bag. So I had to wait until night, and turn out all the lights

before I started my development process.

<p>

I use Xtol with this film, I think it's either 6 or 6-1/2 minutes at

68F. Anyways, the usual development times listed by Kodak will

produce a contrast which is much too high. I have tried having it

developed by a local pro lab, but they used Rodinal and I never

received satisfactory results.

<p>

I have found that setting an SLR and using TTL light metering with a

#25 red filter, a setting of ASA 400 is good. Since this film pipes

light, overexposing it will result in those neat halo effects. Check

out <a

href="http://members.aol.com/joepaduano/infrared/index.htm">Joe

Paduano</a>'s web site, and he has also authored a good book on

infrared photography.

I use Xtol, but I give my film a presoak to wash away dyes which

leach out (Agfa APX 25 jumps to mind). I have used Xtol with 15

rolls, and I think it's fine. Just adjust the development times as

you go along.

I have found that Kodak E100S pulled one stop produces great

results. While I haven't yet tried it with evergreens, I have used

it with architectural shots.

<p>

My Pentax Spotmeter V was worked over by Zone VI Studios. According

to the old web site, they modify the Pentax and Soligor to have IR

filters and other good stuff.

<p>

Besides pulling the film, try gradient filters like Cokin or Lee, and

open up the lens. I remember someone saying that Galen Rowel got a

total of a 14-stop range using judicious filter positions. Put the

ND part of the filter over the bright part of the scene and go for

it. I have one Tiffen split ND filter, and it's convinced me I need

something like Cokin or Lee.

I have used Tech Pan, and Gene Crumpler can give you an earfull on

using it.

<p>

If pictorial results are what you are looking for, use Technidol, and

nothing else with Techpan. Techpan has an inherent high contrast to

it, and I mean an extremely high contrast. Technidol is one of three

developers which will tame it, and the other is very dilute Xtol.

Follow the directions included with the Technidol developer, and

you'll have some nice negatives.

<p>

If you want to use PMK Pyro with a slow film, go with <a

href="http://www.agfaphoto.com/products/apx.html">Agfa APX 25</a> or

<a href="http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/bw.html">Ilford Pan F

Plus</a> (ASA 50).

I haven't used dilluted Xtol with Konica, and <i>if</i> I remember

right, I've been using stock Xtol at 6min at 68F. (it's either 6 or

6-1/2min) I would take a loose guess at a diluted time of 1:1 at

9min, and work from there.

Tmax is fine film, just watch how you process it. I am a nut when it

comes to precision processing film, and I have had excellent results

with Tmax. I have processed Tmax film in Tmax, Xtol, Xtol 1:1, Xtol

1:2, and D-76 developers. I don't have a personal problem with this

film at all.

<p>

Here's what to avoid: don't develop Techpan in Rodinal. When I first

started photographing, I unwittingly bought Techpan and then had it

developed by a local lab. Man, I was horrified and heart-broken.

Develop Techpan in Technidol or a developer developed specifically

for it. If you use Techpan then you can get some really great,

grainless prints out of 35mm.

<p>

Ilford SFX 200 is good film, but what it is designed for is infrared

photography. Unlike Kodak HIE, it is easy to handle and process.

Use a B+W 091 or 092 filter, and you can get some really neat effects

out of it. Konica is also good, <a

href="http://homes.acmecity.com/movies/director/343/landscape/bwstream

.gif">here's one good shot from my first roll.</a> I recommend that

you only use IR film around vegitation, or when you want a large

vista to be completely free of any haze effects.

<p>

Pick up a polarizer, and a yellow (#6) filter. One thing to

remember: use just enough filtration to achieve the effect you want.

If you use the #25 against red rocks, the rocks will veer towards

being white instead of grey in the final print. I prefer to darken

the sky with a polarizer rather than a #25.

<p>

One of the things you can do is pick up a blue filter. The #47 will

bias your film towards acting like the old ortho films. You will see

a special quality of light in the shadow areas. I use an 80B, and I

like it.

<p>

The most important thing above all is to learn and have fun.

I've had the same problem with some of my film. I think it could be

drying speed, or humidity of the air. One guy who worked in a

commercial lab told me that during the summer some brands would have

a horrible curl.

<p>

You can take hang your film in the shower, and use a small heater and

shower curtain to create a dryer. Some of the commercial film dryers

aren't much more than that.

Check your mixing of the Technidol. Most people complain about

Techpan being too high in contrast. I have never had a "muddy"

negative with Techpan. At ISO 25 and times straight from the

technical sheet, I get negatives which are a little high in contrast.

Loose extrapolation from the Kodak website: 70F, 17min in fresh

undiluted developer. (I found that Tmax 400 at 1600, in Xtol 1:2,

68F, 25-30min produces a decent negative).

<p>

I have found that IR films just don't push well at all. Of course, I

only have used them for the IR spectrum, not for their orthocromatic

properties. However, Kodak HIE is a grainy film. I'm not sure if

HIE or TMZ (Tmax P3200) is grainier. Try TMZ at 25000, and let us

know. :-)

Mightn't this be just a difference of radically different times

required for the film developer?

<p>

From what you've described, it's definitely the developer. Once upon

a time I got my chemicals swapped around in the process, and I used

hypo clear before the fixer. Well, I inspect my negatives

immediately after fixing them. When I pulled the roll out of the

tank, you can imagine my suprise when I saw the negative on an opaque

background. I then realised my error, ran the negatives through the

fixer, and all was well.

<p>

Other than running a test strip, no, you can't tell when a batch of

developer might be bad. But you don't need much for a test strip.

Just expose a roll of 35mm at something, then wind the film almost

all the way into the canister. Using a dark bag, cut off a square or

so and leave a bit on the canister so you can easily grab some more

from it. Develop the square, and there you have your test strip.

I have used HC-110 and Agfa APX 25. Agfa is really easy to develop,

but I recommend that you dip it in a drying agent after you finish

washing it. I have used Kodak Photoflo with good results, and I now

use Edwal LPN with distilled water. One commercial lab I've used,

which incidentally uses Rodinal, very often put irremoveable streaks

on the film due to faulty drying.

<p>

I have used T-Max 100 with excellent results, but I am extremely

precise with all of my developing procedures.

<p>

Tech-Pan is fine with Technidol. I haven't yet used it with Xtol.

Just mix the developer as directed, and it's fine. Technidol can't

be used with anything other than Tech-Pan.

<p>

If you want to compare the film grain between the Kodak products,

take a look at Kodak's book of black & white films. There is a page

in there which compares about eight of them, and Tech-Pan comes out

the undisputed winner. A violin (some similar stringed instrument,

anyways) was photographed with each of the films, and then a section

of a 13x enlargement was published next to the film. Tmax 100 was

excellent, but Techpan was the clear champion. The enlargement looks

like a contact print.

<p>

Believe it or not, Kodak produces Techpan in 8x10 sheets.

I have heard that a batch or two of Xtol didn't have a good seal on

part A. I have only had one packet which had a "caked" part A, and

all the rest have been a normal, dry powder. Try it on a test roll

first before using it on your normal work, as I have heard bad

results when the caked part A has been used.