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Question for the Gods of film
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My favorites are Agfa APX 100, Ilford Delta 100 and 400, Fuji Neopan 1600 and Ilford Delta 3200
I would imagine the Efke would have very fine grain but I’ve never used it so I could be completely wrong.
Ilford XP2 400 and Kodak 400 CN both have a C41 process, so any one hour lab that processes film will be able to process them for you. I like the XP2 better. There can be a bit of snobbery where these two films are concerned, lots of people are quick to say they are not ‘real’ b&w films but I’ve seen heaps of really nice pictures printed in Black & White Photography Magazine (a good mag to get btw) and have also seen some very nice prints come out of the darkroom which have been shot on XP2.
lousy wrote:
The Efke 50 seems to be what I’m looking for, judging by the prints I saw yesterday… grainy Black and white.
Be carefull with Efke film. The quality control is not too good if Efke 820 IR is anything to go by, easy to scratch, if you don’t pre soak the film a number of times to remove all the Anti Hilation layer you will end up with dirt all over the negs….
Just stick with the main brands first like Ilford, Kodak or Fuji…. you can make these grainy in development also
You may be experiencing a different problem Martin if you’re getting dirt on your film. The pre-wash simply removes the anti-halation layer which is just a dye and the wash also helps bring the film up to the appropriate temperature before pouring in the developer. Not pre-washing shouldn’t cause any major problems though as lots of people don’t bother with it. I would still recommend it though.
I agree for someone starting out with film not to bother with Efke for the reasons Martin has given. Plus it’s only available online so go for any of the Ilford, Kodak or Fuji films as advised.
Peter
It,s great to still have such a good choice of films and so many wise heads to guide you. Choose one slow film and one fast and stick with them. I would recommend you buy the cheapest and freshest you can get. On the HP5 saga it is still an option and is a good all round film and can be used as a slow or fast film by using two different developers, Perceptol or ID11. It can be rated from 100asa to 1600 asa with good results. PS its great for concerts.
jb7 wrote:
“Question for the Gods of film”
?
well, they’re all so self effacing and devoid of ego around here that a title like that is bound not to attract any replies-
so I thought I’d break the ice-Pat asked me about film already, and I wasn’t really able to help him-
its a while since I shot any 35mm-However, now that he’s mentioned some subjects,
I might suggest efke 25 on a tripod for the architecture (ask Rob)
and Tri-x or T-max 400 for the street-Among others, of course-
Wouldn’t have a clue about landscape, though Acros seems highly recommended by some-
So there- ice broken-
watch the disagreements come flooding in-j
Well the ice has certainly been broken there Joseph.
All this talk of “anti hilation layers” and ‘foibles’ and other stuff is frightening me :? :wink: I think it’ll be just lash a roll in the camera and get it developed for now. developing my own is a long way down the line.
I really appreciate all the input though and it does seem very interesting and worth while.Thanks again peeps.
Pat
I’ve a spare roll 35mm Kodak Tri-X which I can send to you compliments for FPWorkshops, PM me your address if you fancy trying it.
I would like to thank Fintan for his kindness in sending me, not one, but two rolls of B&W film.
This gesture was made earlier in the thread and it just goes to show that there’s always someone
prepared to help on this site. It also shows the advantages of learning from a forum such as this
and long may it last. Well done Mark.Thanks again Fintan.
Pat
:D
Lousy now my advice is their workshop.
top class!!!I am waiting anxiously my stuff from macodirect……ordered Sunday, no sign :(
Gizzo wrote:
:D
Lousy now my advice is their workshop.
top class!!!I am waiting anxiously my stuff from macodirect……ordered Sunday, no sign :(
Post some info on that Gizzo if you would please.
Pat
about the workshop?
I don’t know when it’s happening next, maybe in 2009.it’s a whole day in the darkroom. suits a beginner (like me) and it’s very interesting because you get to see a negative developed and how to work on a print under the enlarger.
obviously if you print regularly this is too basic. but in a whole day you get to know what you need to start and how to. I’ll warn you. It’s easy to get “hooked” and soon you’ll discover that you need an enlarger, then maybe a rolleiflex. or an hasselblad or…….anyway I am pretty sure guys from fpworkshop will give all the infos you need.
Hi pat,
I started developing myself about a week ago.Ive been shooting Ilford HP5 and developing with Rodinal sucessfully.
Im not sure if your shooting small or medium format, but ive read that if your shooting small HP5 and Rodinal is a grainy mixture – youi might not want that.
Aparently it depends a bit on how much you Dilute rodinal eg. 1:50 instead of 1:25.
I didnt pick Hp5 up from anywhere – its all sefl taught. Id shot Ilford HP5 and Delta (But not deeloped), HP5 was just the first one that caught my eye in the shop after i bought the developer :)
Gizzo wrote:
about the workshop?
I don’t know when it’s happening next, maybe in 2009.it’s a whole day in the darkroom. suits a beginner (like me) and it’s very interesting because you get to see a negative developed and how to work on a print under the enlarger.
obviously if you print regularly this is too basic. but in a whole day you get to know what you need to start and how to. I’ll warn you. It’s easy to get “hooked” and soon you’ll discover that you need an enlarger, then maybe a rolleiflex. or an hasselblad or…….anyway I am pretty sure guys from fpworkshop will give all the infos you need.
Sorry I meant to post to this thread earlier. Our 2009 schedule is not yet finalised but should be soon. Details of the Darkroom workshops we ran in 2008 are still on our web site.
Peter
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