randall_pukalo

Alex, use the times and agitation shown in the (well written) manual. That is, 6min15secs First developer time for your first batch of film, spinning the Paterson twirling stick 2 full revolutions every 15 seconds. Don't bother with inversion it is a messy hassle, spinning works fine. Then increase times as shown for your second and third film runs. I have done more than a hundred rolls using the excellent Tetenal E6 kit with great results. Don't worry as long as you get the temperature correct, it is very easy . warm the developers in a Styrofoam cooler filled with water at 110-115 degrees and let it slowly drift down in temp. When FD gets to 101 to 100.5, "prewet" the film by filling the Paterson tank with water from your tap at 103F (this warms the film to compensate for the temperature drop and evens out the development) and pour out once it fills to the top. Then pour in the FD and start developing. Very easy and ensu es great results.

<p>The two films have noticeably different looks, and 120 provia 100f is still reasonable at $7 a roll from BH.</p>

<p>Several years ago, this topic came up. The white spots are often caused by bad or underutilized chemicals sitting in processing machines designed for mass usage (large throughput of film), now a thing of the past. Fuji Europe even had some special chemistry to try to tackle this. So if you cant see the duest with a loupe, and your film was processed at a lab or your chemicals were not freshly mixed up, this could be the issue.</p>

I see a HUGE difference in quality between the two images in terms of sharpness, don't you? Try posting same shot images, as your 35mm sample is poorly focused and has very little depth of field. If you try the same shot with each while using a tripod you will see a massive difference in sharpness and resolution for landscape or other high detail scenes. Also, for both shots posted you should be using slide film. Not a portrait negative film. This change alone will greatly improve both your 35mm and 645 landscape images. And when you get back your 645 slides you will most certainly be impressed they will be works of art unto themselves and you will appreciate medium format. And shooting slide film creates a tangible, real, beautiful object that digital does not. Not saying better than digital, it is not, just unique, different, and beautiful.

<p>The Tetenal kit is maent to be used in ANY type of processor. I use it in paterson hand tanks, just follow the times/instructions exactly and you will get perfect results. I have done ober 200 E-6 rolls this way, with great results. Would not go back to the Kodak kit, even if it were still made. Check You tube as suggested for video tutorials.</p>

I believe Kodak even advertised this fact, mentioning the far better shadow detail than Velvia. Check out the old Kodak links for vs, I am certain I read this, probably there.

get a Tetenal c41 kit from Freestyle photo and do it yourself for far less cost, and far better results. Never again scratched or fingerprinted nets, and its EASY. YouTube it, many how to videos out there. I do slide film E6 and the misleading old article here at Pnet kept me from trying color for years. When I did, I saw how easy it is. Try it, you will never look back!

<p>A sad loss of a little discussed on the net, but excellent, film. BW400CN was originally part of the Portra family of Kodak films, and as such, provides wonderful smooth skin tones, yet excellent contrast. It is one of my favorites, soon to join the ranks of 400UC, another classic that died a few years back.</p>

<p>Yes, the Kodak disposables have the excellent Kodak Gold 800 film in them. It is a close relative of Porta 800, and a shame it is no longer available except in the OTC cameras.<br> Both Gold 800 and 400 (aka Ultra Max 800 and Max 400) are incredibly good films, that unfortunately have a bad rep from the early days of the Net of being grainly low quality stuff. Maybe once true, or more likely related to use of old expired film, but not now. Fantastic saturated colors with great skin tones (unlike the Fujicolor 400 which can bring out the red in Caucasian faces as you noticed) and very little grain when fresh.<br> If you want a very similar look, try Porta 800, at approx. $10 for a 36 exposure roll. Fantastic stuff.<br> Or, try Fuji 800. It is a completely different film from the 400. It handles mixed ligting well, and has great skin tones without the red face issue of the 400. In fact, last year I shot an indoor event, mixing the 2 films - all the 800 came out great with perfect skin tones and even good results without flash inder fluorescent lights, but the 400 shots suffered from the red face issue. It was an eye opener to me, how different the 2 films are. Maybe the 800's better handling of people and indoor lighting is due to the fact that it is a close relative of Fuji's now cancelled 800 NPZ/ 800Z Potrtait Film. (edge marking of Fujicolor 800 = CZ= Consumer Z, while NPZ = New(?) Professional Z.)</p>

<p>Yes, in the end, you may make a living (or at least, some $) from photography. I wish you the best. My point was that it is very difficult to do so in the digital age, as skill sets that were once rare are now much more common. So you should expect what you have encountered to date, it will be difficult to get established, and you may need to do many freebies, and perhaps weddings to make a local name for yourself, where people will be willing to pay more than just your basic expenses and a few extra bucks gratuity. Until you have developed a great reputation, you are just one of many people nowadays with a fancy camera and lens (many of whom will do the shoots for free).</p>

A side effect of the rise of digital is that great photography is so much easier. Cameras are cheap, everywhere, and capable of fantastic results. Good photographers are now a dime a dozen, so to speak. Everyone has a friend or family member who takes great shots. Digital has made photography so easy, that sadly it has also killed the market for selling photos. That is part of what you are encountering.

<p>Use the LIQUID C-41 TetenaL kit, not the powdered kit for best results. Freestyle Photographic sells the liquid Tetenal kits in the usa. The Tetenal liquid kits are fantastic.</p>

<p>Last night, after I pulled my slides from the developing tube (its easy to DIY!) and let them hang to dry in my kitchen, my photographic world was rocked! As I peered thru my loupe, the astounding sharpness of the Contax 45mm lens was incredible. I was testing my new G2, and did a bunch of f2 snap portrait shots of my kids, and some focus testing at f2 of a Minnesaota state map on the wall. Perfect focus on the eyes in every shot (dont know how the camera does this so well), and razor sharp detail in the maps shots. The map shots in particular blew me away. I can see micro detail, and its all super sharp!<br> I will try to scan and post a sample.<br> But for those wondering as I was, a good used G2 has super accurate focus, and the lens is sharper than a razor blade!</p>