ramiro_aceves

Hello.

ISO-800 is the true speed of this film, at least in ID-11 1:1 dilution.In my opinion I do not like the grain. :-(

You can check the graphs and data of my test in:

http://perso.wanadoo.es/terenciano/3200tmax.html

Good luck.

Ramiro.

Hi

I found glass marbles great for my developers. I store D76 at 1:1 dilution in four 250 cm3 bottles. I use marbles to fill the bottle to the brim. Also I use them for Rodinal 250 cm3 original bottle, although Rodinal has got good keeping properties, I have noticed a little decrease in strenght when it gets darker. With marbles, always clear, no problems.

Good luck.

I have tried brown beer bottles with succes. They provide very good D-76 or ID-11 keeping. Be carefull to write on the bottle that it is very dangerous to drink it. I always paint a big scheleton.

Sorry for the poor english

Ramiro.

I sounds really interesting. I can not resist to give it a try.

Ramiro.

Thank you very much,

I hope you build your densitometer.

If you need some help plese tell me.

Good luck.

PS: There seems to be no interest in it, I have received no responses.

:-(

Hello

As film development involves too many variables, I have learnt after some experimenting that I never trust on published development times anymore. So every time I try a new film I guess its development time or use a published starting point and after two or three iterations I am on the right one.

Thermometer differences, different agitation methods, enlargers, papers, scenes etc... invalidate every published time.

Good luck.

Ramiro.

Thank you for information. Yes, you are right, I saw the increasing grain with 1:50 dilution and Tura-P150 film, that it is suposed to be APX100 ?¿? I have to try it with other films.

We'll keep in touch

Sorry, I found my post:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0051ww

Hope this helps.

Ramiro.

Hello

I made some tests in the past year with Rodinal 1:25, 1:50 and 1:100 dilutions and posted here. I could not see any evidence of reducing grain at the big dilutions. I even noticed a grain increase with 1:50 dilution compared to 1:25 dilution. I have not tested edge effects.

I hope you can find my tests in photo.net.

Ramiro.

Hi friends.

Just my two cents about Rodinal. Although it last a long time, it gets darker and it looses developmnet strenght, resulting negatives with less contrast. I posted some time ago some tests here confirming that. So, I always put some marbles on Rodinal bottle and now It actually lasts forever.

Ramiro (Spain)

Hello:

I have uploaded to my web page the densitometer building details.

I hope you like it.

Any questions or suggestions are welcome.

http://perso.wanadoo.es/terenciano/densitometro.html

Thanks.

Thanks for the links, I will study them, and after searching in Spain I will make a decision.

Many thanks.

Sorry for my primitive english.

Thanks Jorge.

I would like to use that LED, it will be better than the bulb, smaller and colder. I am going to see what I can find here.

Thanks.

Hi again:

For Richard and Pablo.

Densitometer calibration is made by comparation with a step wedge. I bought a really cheap one from Stouffer. You need to recalibrate it from time to time, so it is a good idea to buy one of this. It is also useful for knowing exposure range of papers.

There are some issues that need to be solved with the home made densitometer. Densitometer readings are affected by voltage changes in the main 220 V line, due to diferences in light power of the bulb. I do not know if a LED diode can be used, because CdS cell needs plenty of light to work. It will be better using a better power supply, transformer, rectifier and some chip for stabilice voltage. Also, it is needed a warm up period of around 15 minutes. It is a good idea that more people build it and experiment to improve the machine.I know it can be improved very mucha, but as I am a lazy boy and it works reasonable well, I have not experimented anymore. If the 40W bulb can be changed, It will be a very good idea, cause bulb heat is bad for negative.

We will keep in touch.

I am drawing the mechanical details.

Ramiro.

Ok, let me some more time and I will make drawings showing more building datails. I hope you can do the densitometer without any effort. This is a prototipe, sure you can do it with diferent photoresistors. It is a matter of a bit of experimentation.

Ramiro.

Tonight I draw the schematics, I think it is better to post it here instead of waiting to the WEB page.

Here It is the simple and cheap densitometer.

I will make mora drawings of the mechanics details.

I hope you like it.

Hi friends!

Sorry for delay, but lot of work this days.

The sensor is a CdS photoresistor MORIRICA MKY 54 C348

I am drawing the schematics. I will announce here when I upload them to the WEB page.

Any questions will be apreciated.

Ramiro.

Hello Craig and forum:

Nice to meet you again. Thank you very much for encouraging me to do my densitometer. With your help, I think I have now a better machine. Yes, that were very early tests, I do not remember how I did that previous tests ¿Do you remember If I did them with the my densitometer, or using the hand held exposure meter.....I do not remember, I am getting old and the previous test were some time ago :-).

I have been several months out of B&W busines but I am back again now. Also I changed from Windows to Linux and I lost your e-mail address.

I have found a spreadsheet of our comparison and I send you the graph.

Let me know if you remember the details of that test.

I am back again in photonet hearing this marvellous forum.

Hello dear B&W friends

Some time without posting here......

I have placed in my WEB page all my densitometric film tests for you.

Main page is in spanish but I think you will not have any problems for

reading tables and graphs. Also uploaded pictures of my home made

densitometer. In the future I will publish the schematics for you to

make one if you wish. The densitometer is calibrated against a

Stouffer step tablet. It is an ugly prototipe but it gives

surprisingly very acurate results.

Main page with plenty information about VHF Amateur Radio:

(english and spanish)

http://perso.wanadoo.es/terenciano/index.html

Perhaps there are radio hams among B&W fans :-)

Densitometric tests (only in spanish at the moment):

http://perso.wanadoo.es/terenciano/fotografia.html

Densitometer pictures:

http://perso.wanadoo.es/terenciano/densitometro.html

I would like to hear your commnents and please tell me if you have

problems to see the WEB page.

Thanks you.

Ramiro (Spain)

I also use AP tank. It is an excellent tank, but sometimes the reel "float" and film go out of developer. I fix the problem putting a plastic ring on the "central column" over the reel to avoid that. The plastic ring is made with an ilford fp4 film cap, and a hole inside.

Sorry for my english.

Ramiro (Spain).

I will vote for ID:11 or D-76 at 1:1 one-shot for the reasons stated before: Economy, consistency and good grain-sharpness balance. Only a caution, be carefull when storing the stock solution. Use distilled water and a good dark glass bottle. I have noticed strenght increasing with time in as shorter time as 2 weeks if not glass bottles are used. I do not know if it is related to air breathing trough the plastc bottle, or to light going trough the bottle affects developer. You can see my tests here in photo-net (I hope they are archived). DO never store the 1:1 solution. Only store the stock solution and mix 1:1 just before developing.

Sorry for my bad english.

Enjoy

Hi all

Many time without writing here....

Just my opinion about the subject. I think densitometers are not absolutely neccesary for testing films. They can help you very much doing the job, but the real test should involve your paper. Zone I test to determine speed is done easier with a densitomter, but it can be done using your paper also. With practice, Zone I test is easily done by eye. On the other hand, for finding development time, I find densitometer readings without sense if we do not take into acount the kind of paper and enlarger used. I find useless taking Ansel Adams density numbers for ZONE VIII, and try to get that, for example without testing them with your paper (that gave me some nightmares and headaches). I have found that Ansel`s Zone VIII numbers for me a bit overrated. On the other hand, once you stablish that for example, Zone VIII has got a value that works for you and you enlarger, you can find it quicker with the densitometer if you change film. I am working with very simple home made densitometer that gives me acurate results. I calibrated it against a Stoufer Calibrated Step Wedge. I hope one day to publish it in my web page, but now I am very busy for that.

I have tested many films with the densitometer, and one day I will publish my results. I have done all that work just cause I like the technics involved and I enjoy it, but I can say that you can test the film with some bracketing in the exposure and some bracketing in the developing time, and get very good and quick results with any numbers, densities and logaritms. If you find that your prints have poor shadow detail, expose more. If they lack of contrast, develop more. Easy, isn´t it? At least, the important thing is the print, no the numbers, and flare can flaw our "high accurate testing".

Enjoy !

Ramiro Aceves (Spain)