PatB

Thanks for your answers. Craig, that's the thng, my throughput is the biggest worry. Similar to Peter, economy is not the reason. I am looking for a bit more bite and better tonality. The small grain is fantastic with tmax films and xtol but the pictures can be a little bit flat. So you're saying that a 1:2 dilution yields results that are similar to replenished xtol? Hmm, perhaps I should try that first.

<p>Hi All,</p> <p>I’ve been using Xtol in 1:1 dilution so far but having read about the benefits of replenished Xtol I would like to try it myself.</p> <p>I have just mixed a fresh batch of Xtol and I would like to end up with 1 litre working solution (fit for my Paterson tank) and even though people describe replenishment as a very straightforward process, I am still confused by some of its aspects. I should also mention that I am using Tmax100 and Tmax 400 films.</p> <p>My understanding is that you need to season the developer first by developing about 5-6 rolls using my 1000ml stock Xtol stock solution and stock developing times. By the end of this process, the stock solution should lose its properties and I should THEN start replacing the recommended 70ml per each roll I develop, is that correct?</p> <p>Since the tank takes 2 rolls of 120 film or 3 rolls of 135mm film, I’d need to remove 140ml (2x70ml) or 210ml (3x70ml) from my 1000ml working solution and replace it with the same amount of fresh stock developer, right? 860ml working + 140ml fresh etc.</p> <p>Does it matter whether I add the required amount of fresh solution right after development or just before developing new rolls i.e. leaving the working solution ‘as is’ in between developments.</p> <p>I’ve also not managed to find any guidelines as to how often you need to use/ replenish the working developer to avoid exhaustion. My worry is that I may have 2 weeks or a month when I do not shoot any black and white films. Some people suggest that you remove some working solution and add fresh Xtol if you’re not doing any film development for longer periods to prevent it from dying. Would the recommended 70ml do the trick or would I need to add more? How often? Once a week, two weeks, a month?</p> <p>I am sure I’ll fine-tune development times throughout the process but what would be the best starting point once the developer has been seasoned. Do you think that the times for 1:1 dilution would be appropriate or should I go for slightly longer 1:2 ones?</p> <p>Finally, a lot of people using replenished Xtol have noticed some loss in film sensitivity. Do you find that to be the case? Once seasoned, should I expose Tmax 100 and Tmax400 at 50iso and 200iso accordingly? Even now, with 1:1 dilution and the recommended times, I find that Tmax 400 needs anywhere between +½ to ¾ f stop exposure compensation. Tmax 100 appears to retain its box speed a bit better but, again, benefits from slight overexposure.</p> <p>I hope someone will be able to clarify the process for me!</p> <p>Thanks in advance.</p> <p>Pat</p> <p> </p>

Or people simply add tags for every possible piece of equipment (digital or film) to generate views. I often use the advanced search feature to filter out these douchebags...

For the UK I would also add discount films direct or 7 day shop. I've been using both for years, excellent prices and service.

Other people have said that already. The shots look underexposed due to camera's metering algorithms. Next time use a light meter or measure the part of the image you want to be correctly exposed, lock the exposure and recompose, especially if it includes massive bright areas, like the sky in the photo. Don't be affraid to overexpose with negatives.

On drying, I've found bathrooms and shower cabins to be good places for drying films; especially if you leave them to dry overnight so that no one uses or even enters the room. Also, turning the hot water on 2-3 minutes before hanging the films allows any air dust particles to settle - my films have been much cleaner by using this method.

<p>Hi Lubos, thanks for taking your time to measure everything. It looks like a tight fit, going by the dimensions on the camera and the ringflash, but I guess I'll try to find a local supplier and take the camera to test it out.</p>

Ag photographic lab in the UK do a good job with scanning but go with the largest scan possible the medium and small sizes are not worth the savings.

<p>Hi All,<br> I asked this question on the light sub forum but judging by the archive posts, there aren't too many MF users there. So here it goes again.<br> Has anyone had a chance to use Elinchrom's Eco Ringflash with Mamiya RZ? Is the length of the ringflash rails long enough to accommodate normal to short telephoto lenses? Any mounting or focussing issues?<br> Many thanks!<br> Pat</p>

Hi All, Has anyone had a chance to use elinchrom's eco ringflash with mamiya rz? Are the rails suitable for the camera's dimensions? Any mounting issues? What about focusing and the bellows? Any issues there? Many thanks! Pat

<p>Many thanks for all your thoughts. I'll experiment some more.</p>

Hi All, Do you find that the developing times from kodak for the above combination are too short? I find tmax100's ones spot on but I never seem to be able to get the full 400 iso rating with tmax at 9min and 15 secs at 20°C. Even with this development regime and rating it at 320iso I get slightly underdeveloped negatives ( I scan them on a dedicated scanner). I use a Paterson tank and invert every 30secs 4 times (invert+1/4 turn, invert + 1/4 turn etc.) in about 6 seconds. I tend to hand meter as well, meter checked against other meter an cameras and no issues with other films. So far I've had decent results with 9mins and 45 secs at 320iso but since I keep reading that xtol and tmax should achieve 400 iso easily, I am a liitle perplexed by these results. What' s your experience with the combo? I know it' s only 1/3 of a stop but I would rather have the full 400iso rating. Should I extend it to 10mins, 10min 15secs to get there? Any thoughts appreciated.

<p>Thanks for your replies and reassurance. I will proceed as normal but will report back should I have any issues. </p>

Hi All, After mixing a new batch of Xtol I realized that I had made a (small?) mistake. I dissolved part A packet in 4 l completly but then instead of mixing part B first and THEN topping up to 5 l I added 1l of water to the 4l part A solution to make 5l and then mixed in part B - don't ask me why, it was an end to a very long day... I was using a new mixing container for this, marking each litre with a sharpie as I was adding water in 1l increments. The 5th litre mark was slightly higher than the rest when I marked it during mixing but when I remeasured the volume difference between clean water and Xtol solution it was a mere 50ml. The volume difference will be therefore insignificant, around 5ml per each 1:1 1l working solution that I tend to use, however, will the fact that I added the extra water before adding part B affect anything? Is there a practical (the slight increase in water volume after mixing in both parts) or chemical reason (strength or concentration of part A to mix well with part B) for using only 4l of water to begin with? Many thanks! Pat