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In the daytime, you can push Neopan 400 to 1250 with ease. On foggy, overcast days it will only help the tone and contrast. This one is admittedly overdeveloped a bit in Diafine "Bath A" stand, but I still like the look.<div></div>

Another one from that roll, EI around 1250:<div></div>

Eric: before taking any suggestions on pushing, read this paper:

 

http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/pdf/push%20processing.pdf

 

As usual, since you are new, if you do accept suggestions on photo.net, accept them from people who know what they're doing. There are too many people who give bad advice, especially people who say they haven't done it, but it should/shouldn't work, etc. Take all advice with a grain of salt.

 

After you read and understand that paper, test for your light and equipment (quite a bit). Pushing well is not easy. Don't give up.

 

DD-X and Microphen and Diafine should work well once you figure out correct times. I've used Microphen and Diafine successfully with this and other films. When you test don't be afraid to overdevelop the living crap out of this film in a compensating developer such as Microphen/DD-X/Diafine. Here's a picture from Neopan 1600 I developed yesterday in Diafine bath A (without soaking it in the Bath B). Agitated for the first couple of minutes, then let stand for an hour or so. EI ~1250. A little overdeveloped for this EI for the light on the street, I think 40 minutes would do.

 

Plenty of density and detail even in the blacks.<div></div>

I didn't expect this thread to take so much of everyone's time.

 

As a consumer, if I buy a product that is claimed good by both the retailer and a manufacturer - I expect the product to perform up to the specs. This time it wasn't the case, so either the manufacturer or the retailer doesn't do what they need to do to keep it fresh enough for quality results. Simple as that. I've had great results with low fog with this film before, just not this time.

 

I am familiar with cosmic rays fogging the expensive Delta 3200 and TMZ faster than the 400 speed films. But if this film can benefit from being kept refrigerated, why shouldn't they keep it refrigerated? Why should photographers resort to testing for very high base fog the supposedly fresh, in-date Delta or TMZ before commiting to a large number of rolls? It's already very expensive.

"ISO 800, 1600 and 3200 film is way too grainy."

 

Decides who? Grainininness bureau? The graininness is specific to each individual photographer's process and taste. I've printed great 11x14 prints from pushed film. Even Delta 3200.

 

Digital? Sure, why not?, but don't rule out film either.

"I really can recommend the ROLLEI R3 film, then you have a range of ISO 25 - ISO 6,400 to pick! It's a excellent 3-layer B&W film, and needs absolutely an pre-soaking! Recommended delopers are D76 (stock) or ROLLEI HIGH SPEED (RHS)! Give it a try!"

 

You are recommending because you are selling it? At those prices you'll just continue to recommend it ad nauseum (without selling much).

Why my work in particular, Jamie? Does my subject choice suck any more than what's usually on w/nw (except the occasional stand-outs)?

"...we never found out what Developer Dan was

using....."

 

I am afraid, you'll have to read again..

"just buy enough for your immediate needs."

 

Or, fearing exorbitant amounts of fog - not buy at all.

 

In any case, I don't know about you, but I only want to pay for something like this only if I know the fog isn't going to be a major PITA. How much film do you shoot?

"All film over 400 is refrigerated or frozen from the Store I get it at"

 

Which store? Freestyle? If not Freestyle, then which store? Again, I am looking for a reliable source of relatively fog free 3200. Thanks!

"By taking pictures of them, spending time with them, I believe it helps everyone. Give them faith that they are not invisible. Show the world that there are people in our back yards that need help too."

 

Do you really think the world doesn't know who/what homeless are? Do you know the meaning of the word "ignorance" (not that I claim to be NOT ignorant)?

 

Give whom faith that they're not invisible? Last time I checked, they're not invisible. Thousands of people see many homeless people every day in any city.

 

"Take my picture, five dollars!"

 

The poverty/homeless problem won't benefit from photography at all. There are other, less exploitative (not that I think photography isn't exploitative by its nature - it absolutely is) things you can do to help that issue.

"Damn quit bitching..... Life is good and I ever doubt Digital will ever figure it out......"

 

My point is: if the retailers can prevent the fog by storing this expensive film accordingly, why shouldn't they? At $6 a 35mm roll? Come on!

"Poor people have a lot of texture, try shooting them"

 

Hmmmm... Flowers, insects and plants have even more texture. So does dog shit. Why not just shoot it intead?

rich815: what are you shooting that Delta at? 800? Maybe they look fine to you, but not me. There is again too much fog in the shadows.

Besides, you seem to be more of a collector. Collectors don't understand these sort of things.

"people in the confessional?,coal miners at work?,submarine races?"

 

Some day I'd love to photograph those types of events as well, but for now streets at night, parties, bars and basements will do.

Marc: fogged! Again, your seconds image has very muddy blacks and overall muddy appearance, and although the one I am showing is even worse, yours isn't great either. The first image you uploaded here is in better condition, but still as far as fog is concerned I've seen better.

I developed it in PC-TEA. PC-TEA isn't the lowest fog developer - I'd imagine HC-110 or another restrainer rich developer would work better with highly fogged film. But when the film is fogged why should we blame the developer? PC-TEA produces excellent relatively low fog negatives with film that isn't fogged. HC-110 would probably be better for fogged Delta 3200, but HC-110 gives less shadow speed than D-76 (probably because it is so restrained), and is counterintuitive for pushing.

 

I've had very fresh Delta 3200 before, with very little fog which scanned and printed beautifully.

 

Here's an example: http://www.photo.net/photo/3894446

 

That was developed in Xtol.

 

What's interesting about that specific negative is just how fine and sharp the grain is. Not typical of Delta 3200. The 11x14 inch print is detailed and looks great tonally. The blacks are black, unlike this foggy Delta I bought from Adorama that looks like a Xerox copy from a newspaper.

 

By comparison, here's the scan from the foggy rolls from Adorama. There are no blacks in these negatives. It's just ugly.<div></div>

"Dan, I totally agree, but I'm getting tired of waiting on that. Zeiss/Cosina, please?"

 

Zeiss? Cosina? Maybe half the price of Leica, bust still an f-ing fortune. Even their film cameras.

"there are people here who regularly buy that film dozens of rolls at a time"

 

So where do those people buy that film? Maybe then I can find a reliable Delta 3200 film store? And who are the people here? Thanks!

"Have you ever used Delta 3200 before?"

 

Yes I have, and I understand what is and how much there is base fog.

 

This isn't the first time I've used very foggy delta, and quite frankly at $6 a pop it sucks to have to deal with it. Don't ya think?

I just simply drop a piece of film under the lid of the tank, and fix for twice the time the little snip takes to clear. Easy?

"Dan, I'm curious what you are using for a developer with Delta 3200. Could that be some difference?"

 

No, there couldn't.

"Haven't you bought the hexar af yet Dan? Should try out a 35mm lens:)"

 

Riigght.

"my advice is to go out with a specific camera/lens combo at the start of each shoot and use that all day, this works really good with prime lenses."

 

My advice is to choose one camera and one lens (this may be a prime or zoom on a digital or film camera, or pinhole or a holga) that you are comfortable with and shoot that ad nauseum. Emphasis on ad nauseum.

 

"You will force yourself to be much more observant to the world around you in that zone."

 

No you will not. A piece of equipment won't do that for you. The reason why you want to limit yourself to a simple equipment and process configuration is that it's easier to remember better. Most of us are not taking notes, or have good memory. If you do have extremely good memory that will let you learn on the other hand, go ahead and play around with different combinations of focal lengths/cameras/film/whatever.

 

That said, I trully suck at street photography! It's been three years and I still use just one lens (50mm), and STILL didn't learn anything about light or composition.