scott_walton2

Regular (1 shot developers) will give you high contrast if developed to the "recommended" time. Testing is the thought for the day and a pull of 15% is a good stating point.

Diafine is a very good alternative as it is a "speed enhancing" developer and being that it is a divided developer (2 bath), it is known for it's compensating properties... will only develop the highlights to their optimum and boost shadow detail. You will also find out that it is a "high acutance" developer which translates to very sharp grain! It is a great developer to have on hand and has saved alot of images for ALOT of shooters!

I have gotten the starburst using a 150mm down to a 65mm. Try a test from 2 stops closed down down to all the way closed but they have to be in direct line. The starburst is exaggerated with less leaves in the lens... 4-5 leaves are good so with this being stated, older lens are better but it can be done with newer lens.

I have shot a ton of this film and used to shoot it 100ASA with a red filter (25A, not the opaque infared filter) and developed it in D76 1:1 for 6.5 minutes @ 68?F with great results. Some of the highlights had to be post flashed for a second but it worked out very nicely. Do a clip test first... shoot 4-5 frames in a situation like you will be shooting (could be your backyard...) and clip that off and process. This will give you a very good indication how you will proceed.

Will, When pushing film, you should expect a few things... higher contrast, more grain and usually loss of shadow detail. If the roll was exposed in sunlight, i.e. scenics, if your not careful you will have "bullet proof" negatives that will be very hard to get a decent print. My advice is to use a Split Developer. A split developer is a specific "divided" developer that you will put your film in Bath A for a specified time (usually 3 minutes) and the transfer it to Bath B where the actual development takes place. One of the advantages to using a "Split" or "Divided" developer is that they are know as "compensating developers" and will develop the film out to an optimum density and not over develop like will happen when using a regular developer. Diafine, Divided D76, Divided D23 are to name a few. Diafine can be gotten at your photo store (usually good photo shops stock it) and it will last forever! I say this with reservation in that it works beautifully with non t-grained films (i.e. regular old silver based films like TriX, PlusX, HP5+, FP4+, ect.) but if your film is t-grained film like TMX or Delta 100... rating it at 400 isn't a problem and you will get negatives that are fine if you develop it with a time that is for 200ASA!

I have used Forte's Portrapan which if still available, was beautiful. I has a retouching tooth on both sides, is wonderfully low contrast and extremely fine grain. It had a wonderful glow to it no matter what you printed it on. The downfall is that it is only available in 120 (at least when I used it heavily).

Printing it on Ilford's warm tone, Forte's warm tone fiber and the now discontinued Ektalure rendered some beautiful images.

Take a look at Extensis Photoframes. They are plug ins for PS

Ever think of a filter holder for behind the lens? The diameters are smaller and the filters are shaded being inside the bellows. There is a filter holder, Xenophon that is made for this and works well! Go here:http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/XB6550.html?ac.cat.CatTreeSearch.detail=y&type=SPDSEARCH

I shoot with D100's and Dynalites. With your camera, you should be able to go to your WB setting and then with another dial, dial in some more settings. I usually end up with using flash WB set to a -1 setting. Try the daylight setting too though.

I regularly shoot on camera with a Photoflex 12x16 softbox (XS) using my Norman400B's and a bracket I had a machine shop make for me. When it comes time for the group shot I have a couple of light stands setup with the same setup, The 400B's and 2 mediums ready to go... if I need just one, I use one. With the larger softboxes I "usually" put on the round mask so that the highlights are round in people's eyes. With shoot through umbrellas you will lose more light than using softboxes and for me anyway, softboxes are easier to set up. Colleen, both will work and give similiar results... it is a personal thing and I love the soft light too and is why I use it on camera also.

And if you want to make enlarged negatives from kodalith...for alternative printing, that and POTA work especially well.

Your image is nice but it does lack contrast. Judging by the shot, you could easily boost it up a grade with any loss of shadow or highlight detail. The "mist" could be caused by the water content in the air, spray on your lens or dirt on your camera lens/enlarger lens/condensers but it does give a soft feel to the shot.

Pro labs will be more than happy to give you sheet film boxes... just ask!

As Michael points out about the collar that can be placed between the shutter and lens board, I have one for my 360mm on my Linhof III and it is really nice... short bellows draw and easy closeups. One could be easily made by a machine shop.

Try here:http://www.satinsnowglass.com/. There is always the Beattie's which I use but they aren't cheap... $250USD +

You can pick up a 2 way level in a good hardware store that is only 2-3" long. Just lay it on your front standard, back standard and you really should be in the ball park. It has always worked perfectly for correcting X and Y axis if I need to get that critical. Usually, a view with a ground glass with a grid in it works well too!

I have been shooting since the late 70's and have always enjoyed it. Both lens are good but your viewing will be a bit darker with your Angulon. Not really a big deal. Xenar's, in their original Compur shutters are very easy to clean and lube and completely resurrect. Most of the time, the Xenars are non or single coated which there again isn't a bad thing (only when it comes to flare when shooting towards the sun) and a simple shade of your darkslide when in that situation will work well... You will have these lens for a long time and with an occasional "working of the shutter" by going through all the speeds quickly, will usually keep things in order. Both lens are very sharp and very useful in their ranges.

Platinum is a beautiful medium and there is no way to view them in all there beauty on the web. There are some good sites with alot of info but to really appreciate them... you need to view them in person! Take a look at Ed Buffaloe's site at www.unblinkingeye.com for some good info.

Tadas, I know how you feel, it does seem that most camera clerks are of the idea that they know what is best where in fact, don't. If they are so good, why are they working there... ok, that might not be that fair to say. Back in school, I worked for a camera store and made it a point to try different developers and combinations for info (mainly for my own info). Anyway, if you want to try another shop, WB Hunt in Melrose MA usually is very good but they do have their "Know-it-alls" like anywhere else. The 1:9 sounds like it could be a company called Sprint. They have good stuff with a vanilla scented stop bath (that is indicator also) and a fixer that is relatively odorless. It does replicate D76 but is easier to work with due to it is liquid. HC110 (Kodak) has been a time tested developer and by using dilution B, it also is similiar to D76 1:1 in it's grain and contrast if developed for your shooting. It does last a very long time as does a developer called Diafine. Diafine is a 2 bath developer, as is Divided D76 and Divided D23, and takes on a whole new realm of negative/print beauty.

Agreeing with both above, take your bottles out of the fridge and just keep them in the darkroom at room temp. After they warm up and with a good shaking, they should go back into solution.

Thanks all! That is what I needed... real world feedback.

Cheers

Scotch tape on the edges has always worked perfectly for me. You never see any lines and the negatives are always perfectly place.

The only chemistries I have premixed are Developers, Stops and Fixer. HCA's and End Runs are always mixed up fresh. The HCA's tend to grow the scum quickly when diluted and is the reason why I mix up fresh. For the film End Run I use Edwal's LFN...(Low Foaming Agent) which comes in a dropper bottle and 3-4 drops in a large tank is all I need. Heico's Perma Wash is as easy so I mix it up just before I start printing. Keeps the bottles to a bare minimum.

Your best bet is to stay with your widest lens. I have to shoot from a helicopter with my Tec V a good deal. It isn't hard and I always get the results I want. With the finer grain 400 speed films, if you can... do yourself a favor and shoot 400. Your shutter speeds will be a bit higher and stopping down is also in line here because you can take an in between setting getting the best of both. A good handle makes things simpler and if you have a viewfinder, this helps too. If your doing scenics, prefocus your lens and lock it down. A 135mm lens will have a broad DOF even at f11. Take an incident reading and go with it... even shooting 100asa. I have even taken my Tec III (the one I beat on) out and shot while I was X country skiing...

I still LOVE my good old Aristo heads on my D2's... They have made me tweak my system and it is perfect for the look I want and get.

Has anyone had experience with either of these units, the Quantum

Radio Slave or the MicroSynch? I'm familiar with the Quantum but I

have just learned of the MicroSynch. Are there any other because I

need to make a purchase and would like some more info/opinions. Please

email directly at: walton@ll.mit.edu