Wilmarco Imaging

Agree with mikemorrell.

Agree with Ben, something in the range of 600mm will allow camera position and framing similar to 180mm on 6x7. The 8x10 camera needs to have enough bellows to handle a 600mm lens. Another option is a telephoto lens, an example of which is the Nikkor-T ED 600mm f/9, with flange focal distance of slightly more than 400mm and covers 8x10 at f/22.

Great photo. One roll in the two roll tank is no problem. Check for the recommended fluid volumes Arista recommends for this situation. On Paterson tanks, this information is molded into the plastic on the bottom of the tank. Use the stick/column for agitation and give the tank a rap counter to avoid bubbles. I use photo flo and methyl alcohol in water. I squeegee my negatives. There are polarized views on this step of the process. Prepare for pointed debate about this.

180mm on 6x7 is a common head and shoulders portrait focal length. I enjoy it. I also enjoy 50mm on 6x7 for environmental portraits, from full length to waist up framing. I did a series of personal reportage portraits using the 90mm RB KL lens. It was a nice series. Not too edgy in the creative respect, but effective. Subject was framed slightly lower than chest up, seated. I want to give 250mm on 6x7 a try. Lots of great focal length choices in the RB system.

Looks nice.

It sounds like you are asking more about lighting, and less about how to operate a speedlight. Is this correct? Lighting is mainly about power (do I have enough light?) and quality (do I like the aesthetic character of the light?). If portrait is your genre, then read these websites thoroughly: - Sekonic - Profoto - Strobist - Flickr with the search term "portrait" Spend time (hours and days), looking at images in your genre (portrait, as one example): - Flemish Renaissance painters - the Peales (Rembrandt and Charles Willson) - Yusuf Karsh - Annie Leibovitz After you have done the above, you will be a lot further down the road of learning.

Dust during scanning, or chemical splatter/drying marks. Film changing temps on a regular basis is not good either. Is there a reason you do this?

Agree with orsetto. Optical formulas and coatings improved over the years.

Good test and nice images.

You can do C-41 at home without collecting 16 rolls of film. I just read the Kodak Flexicolor bottles, regarding storage: Developer and bleach: store in a corrosion resistant container, with a corrosion resistant liner Fixer: keep cool No mention of refrigeration. Suggest you search for and read Kodak publications CIS-211 and Z-131. These are foundational pieces of C-41 documentation. Also go to Photrio and read everything posted by user Photo Engineer, a former Kodak color chemistry engineer.

I see "pop" in the Tri-X image. I use D-76 1+2 as my standard developer, for the roughly the same time as you used it. Great results. 100ml stock solution + 200ml gets the job done for a sheet of 4x5 or a roll of 135. Higher solution quantity for 120 film, based on the recommended volume printed on the bottom of the tank.

I don’t have experience with chems other than Kodak, sorry. My guess is that separate bleach and fixer from any manufacturer would be better in every way compared to blix.

Absolutely. Use a PET (beverage style) bottle, full to the brim and capped tightly. Working solutions will last "a very long time". More than 2 or 3 months. Using separate bleach and fixer addresses the comment above regarding short life. Use Kodak Flexicolor chemistry, for example from Unique Photo in New Jersey.

All three films are different. Portra 160 and Ektar are low grain films. Portra 400 has low grain, but more than the other two. The palettes are slightly different. What do you mean by "latitude"? Do you mean the range of values within a scene, or the ability to handle exposure at lower than box speed? Are you exposing Portra 400 at EI 6? Or are you exposing a high contrast scene at EI 400? Please post some examples of what you are seeing. It will help the discussion.

Often. As mentioned, moving the light back is one option. For power pack systems, e.g. Speedotron, a “dump strobe” can be used to drain energy from the main light. Also use small aperture and slow film/low ISO. Some aesthetic things will change, this may or may not be acceptable.