Re: [Leica] XTOL JB: request for summary

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

Christer Almqvist wrote:
> 
> Well, I know that magazines are easily available _anywhere_ by
> subscription. I even have a recent issue  of Camera Arts generously brought
> to me by a fellow LUGger who came to se me from NA.  But the point I want
> to make is that most people do not want to fork out money for  an annual
> subscription when they just want to know the highlights of one special
> article. And  most people do not have the time to read _all_ magazines
> either. When there was a test of Delta and Tmax 3200 in half a dozen
> different developers at several ISOs in the French Réponses Photos, I wrote
> a short English summary of the results (it  took minutes, not hours to
> write), and when the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung had an interview with
> Mr Cohn, I summarized it too and published both for the LUG. It must have
> been the right thing to do because in both cases I got several private
> thank-you notes by email.
> 
> I must say that I was a bit disappointed that nobody was able or willing to
> summarize the current Camera Arts article on Xtol, particularly as there is
> a wide interest in Xtol in this group. But I am still hoping. (Or will it
> be that next time somebody asks if a Summilux is better than his Summicron,
> the answer will be that Summicrons are easily available, and go and get one
> for ourself and test it?)
> 
> Chris
> >
> 
> >Camera Arts is in fact easily available here--by subscription. It is available
> >from Lotus View Camera, Ernsting 31-32, 5121 Ostermiething, Austria. Telephone
> >+43.6278.7900, web page: http://www.lotusviewcamera.at/; it is not
> >cheap--135 DM
> >for a year's subscription (6 issues)--but worth every pfennig.
> >
> >
> >> Please give us a short summary of the article. Camera arts is not really
> >> available in Europe
> >>
> 
> >> >The June/July issue of Camera Arts has an interesting article "New Products
> >> >for the B&W Photographer" on XTOL.
> 
> --
> christer almqvist

ON page 55 under the title "Under the Safelight: New Products for the B&W
Photographer" by Steve Simmons is the Article in Camera Arts June/July about a
quick test on Delta 3200 with three different Developers.
Steve Simmons is the Editor of this illustrious with a touch of funk magazine.
In a preference to the short but juicy article he states that it was prepared in
collaboration with Dick Dickerson, Silvia Zawadski and John Placko. The first 2
being from the Kodak group that invented Xtol the last, Placko is with Ilford
which made one of the two other film developers in the test.
So the article starts off being notable for an involvement with Silvia Zawadski
which Anshell/Troop credit as being the major force behind Xtol. It says she and
her partner can be reached AT:
Querybw1aol.com.
Which is called Dick and Silvia's BW Toolbox, Inc.
This tag alone is worth the price of admission. It's like Nepiece and Talbot
have come back to life and have a website that you can get in touch with them on!.
The three developers at hand are Xtol of course and Ilfords new developer
Ilfotec DDX which comes in a liter liquid container and was here Diluted 1:4,
The Xtol got 1:1 dilution, 10 minutes at 75 degrees.
The parameters of the test were odd to me as they mentioned "the old minimum
time for maximum black procedure for establishing the proper proof time and then
finding a  density for zone 8 that provides a tone barely perceptibly darker
than pure paper white." Sounds like that little Minor White yellow book but is
Greek to me.
He used Ilford's Multigrade 4 paper with no filter for testing all three films; questionable.
The tests will be continued in the next issue with photographs. This installment
has 3 density graphs. I've spent hours over graphs but these for me were meaningless.
As there is no one in the collaborative group representing PMK which was
invented by Gordon Hutchings and I think put together by oneself or by
Photographers Formulary out of Missoula Montana the PMK gets trashed undefended.

It's stated that unlike the other developers the PMK doesn't get 3200 speed out
of the film but 1600 and that it develops more grain. But it's straight-line
burn downable highlights are noted. But not in the context of being a Pyro
developer which is what that is all about.
I've found Delta to have a real speed of 1600 and Pyro is well known for not
being about speed.

AS one reads the article one gets the impression that we are comparing three
Ascorbic Acid Developers as it opens with an unqualified discussion of Ascorbic
Acid. But PMK is Pyro Metal and that is never mentioned, the DDX is also not
discribed and is anyone's guess. Sounds like something you spray on bugs. The
Ilford guy, Placko, is aparently not in allowed to say.

Good News to me in the preliminary discussion of the Ascorbic Acid is the
mention of DQE; Detective Quantum Efficiency.
In terms of Grain, Speed and sharpness when one goes for one the other two
usually suffer. That is DQE. Xtol is revolutionary because it effectively and
compleatly breaks that rule which could be called the Cake and Eat it rule.
Xtols has it's cake and you get to eat it. It gives sharpness without increase
in grain while providing maximum speed. All rules are broken; all bets are off.
It's a warp in the space/time/darkroom continuum.

Short as the article is you don't want to think you've gotten it from me. This
issue is worth special ordering. I don't subscribe I get them when I like them.
This particular issue is so chock full with for me must read articles that if I
didn't have the money I would have stolen it.(Not) Also beautifully printed.
Notable is an interview with Harry Callahan by John Paul Caponigro. This single
best interview with a photographer I have ever read in 35 years of reading all
such things I could find.

Not notible is an article on C-76 by  Kurt Fishback who spent a lifetime using
it cause if it aint broke why fix it. Not the most recomendable stuff as it just
blocks up your highlights but Mr. Fishback's shot's of other notable
photographers and artists look great but with some of the "before's" looking as
favorable as the "after's" having been printed way down.

But a goodbye to the article in question which seems turning into to be
primarily about Delta 3200 primarily developed in Xtol being a major issue that
anyone doing black and white should be looking out. But diplomatically
represented is Ilfords whole commitment to Black and white which remains and
Pyro which is the other bright shining star in the darkroom firmament. (not a
quote either)
Mark Rabiner