john_enea2

<p>i have moved to almost 95%+ film in the last four years. I just prefer the workflow and the speed at image capture time. I found I slowed down, took my time and actually did much more pre visualization when shooting film as I know the number of shots was limited per roll. I do scan all my film, both black and white and slide. I enjoy it and the results are, for me, superior to digital (yes I have a very nice FF digital nikon camera).<br> but the choice for you is the end results. are yo just gonna post images on the web? make 8x10 or smaller prints, or go larger? that was my deciding factor. I have yet to see a digital camera B&W print at 11x14 or larger than matches a film baased, enlarger used, print. Maybe soon, the pentax 645z looks very promising. but for a lot less, I can get, to me, better results more robust camera bodies and not have to worry about my camera be out dated in a year or two. film lets me worry about the end results, not what camera am I using</p>

<p>my favorite is my fuji 645zi. i've tried many other MF cameras for travel and it seems to fit what I shoot the best. the lens is very very sharp. having a very small amount of zoom helps as well</p>

<p>I finally gave replenishment a chance. I like the results much better than using XTOL 1:1 or 1:3. Tighter grain and more importantly much better tonality. Now I mainly use pyrocat-HD but XTOL and Tmax 100 are a very special combination. you can always stop replenishment and go back to single use if you want.</p> <p>IF you dont have a lot of film to develop make sure you replenish anyway. every 3 weeks if I dont use it, I dump 100ml and replace with fresh developer. Still a very economical way to use the developer. </p>

<p>I had the same issue, life. Mine sat unused for over a year. The print head is totally shot and needs to be replaced. costs more than i paid for the printer new. I'm really unimpressed with the large epson prninters, their lack of help or proper support and will never buy an epson product again. Thankfully my enlarger will never need a head replacement.</p>

<p>cr 200 is very grainy. and goes off, yellowing, after a while. I bought a 100 foot roll and the first few were fine. but waited a year to shoot the next rolls and yellow. properly stores with all my other film so....if you get it shoot it as soon as possible.</p> <p>otherwise shoot what is left, the velvia flavors and provia while you can. shoot often and buy fresh often. the only way to tell fuji to keep making it is to have sales climb. </p>

<p>also, make sure you get the tetenal kit and not the arista kit. The tetenal kit has a stabilizer which is lacking on the arista kit. It is needed</p>

<p>I don't have a jobo. I just use a simple pattersen tank. But I have done 300+ rolls of E-6 in the 3 bath tetenal kit and the results are, to my eye, the same as the 6 bath results I got as well as the results from dwaynes before I started doing it myself. the 5L kit costs $100 which is less than $1.50 per roll. I know people who have used the kit in a Jobo and they like the results as well. Give it a try. you might be converted like I was<br> <br />You can get the fuji 6 bath kit from germany, but shipping is more than the kit itself. So if you are in the US, the Tetenal kit is your only real option unless you buy the chems in bulk </p>

<p>i did my first 4 rolls without hypo clear today. i changed nothing excpet skipping the hypo clear and everything looks just the same. i use the Ilford wash, 10, 20 30 and 40 but added a 50 turn wash just because.</p>

<p>i gotta admit that I stole the recipe from peter, based on the Orwo 54 thread</p>

<p>I assume you are talking of B&W reversal? I use Iron Out! This is a rust remover that contains sodium hydrosulfite aka sodium dithionite. 1 to 2 tsp for every roll and it is one shot. The stuff dies on completion, but it does smell pretty! You can get this at Lowes hardware store. The "Iron Out" step replaces flashing (re exposing), developing and fixing. It really simplifies everything. you MUST mix this stuff with distilled water as it will react to impurities in tap water.</p> <p>I posted a thread on APUG talking about my reversal processing using iron out. You can use any B&W film, but the best results by far are with traditional grain film, not Tmax or the likes. </p>

<p>try keeble and shuchat in palo alto. also, sign up for a B&W class at foothill and use the darkroom there. well worth it!</p>

<p>i just got back from yosemite where I shot over 20 rolls of velvia 50 in 120 as well as 14 rolls of B&W to process as slides as well. did the B&W developing yesterday with the color about to get started in a few minutes. For me I love the look but also the process of developing the slides myself. I get the 5L tetenal kit from freestyle that does about 60 rolls, so it works out to about $1.50 US per roll and I get the slides back the same day!</p> <p>I also have been stocking up on film but I keep saking myself, at what point do I give up. Film costs are very expensive and have no ceiling in site for the near or long term. I have become more selective in terms of what I shoot on slide film and what I use for daily snaps. I have many rolls of astia left, both 35mm and 220 that I'm saving for the right moment. but it seems never to be the right moment, so whats the point? it kind of feeds on itself. </p> <p>The only way to keep e-6 alive is to buy film new and buy lots of it. show fuji that we still want it produced and are willing to shoot it. besides you may be paying more for film and development (if you aren't doing it yourself), but the hardware (cameras and lenses) are at give away prices. </p>