Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/10/09

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To: "Leica Users Group" <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Subject: Re: Film preferences
From: Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@apple.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 96 01:13:48 -0700

>Can experienced folks post their favorite film type by purpose?
> 
>This is a part of the imaging equation I've always been, uh,
>blurry about.
>
>In particular, I'm curious about the speed/grain trade-off.

Some folks accuse me of being old fashioned or sloppy, but I use
very standard film/developer combos because I'm comfortable with 
how they work. Tri-X in D-76 is standard B&W, I also like Plus-X
in Acufine rated ISO 250-320 (seems to have a nice long toe in 
the gamma curve with nice skin tone modulation). I also like to 
shoot with Ilford XP2. B&W is my favorite photography, although
I shoot with color neg a lot and then convert the images to B&W
with a flatbed scanner or a film scanner if the image is more
interesting that way.

Color film -- well, on the rare occasions I shoot slide film,
usually Ektachrome 200 or Kodachrome 100, depending upon the
subject. The more outrageous color of things like Velvia don't
really appeal to me. Negative films ... I use whatever I can
get at a reasonable price in an ISO 200 emulsion usually, and
occasionally punch things up with an ISO 400. Color
rendition is so much a part of the printing process or scanning
and manipulation digitally that color neg film is less critical
so I worry about it less.

I'm not given to making lots of HUGE prints, I prefer a certain
intimacy with my piccies, so a book of 5x7s works well for me.
Thus the grain/speed issues are not critical for most stuff. 
The occasional and exceptional image I want in 16x20 or greater,
well, it depends upon the image as to what I find acceptable in 
grain. 

Godfrey