[Leica] Excuse me, I actually have photo question.

[Aaron Ruby <aruby@rci.rutgers.edu>]

Dear LUG:

Would it be possible for anyone not engaged in the current exhibition of
addled reasoning and righteous indignation to give me a few clues on
what I might be doing wrong when processing HP5+ (rated at 400) in XTOL.
I seem to be getting excessive grain and lowish contrast negs. I've been
using 8.25 minutes at ~70 degrees. I'm not sure what to try next.
Longer? Shorter? I'm a bit confused. My agitation doesn't seem to be
that rigorous--I invert 4 times every 60 seconds after inverting
30seconds initially.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Best,


A. Ruby


P.S. If you want to bitch about political issues an express a lot of
moral outrage, why don't you debate something at least PLAUSIBLY related
to the list group, like the fact that we all own cameras made by a
company that may well have prospered from Nazi contracts during WWII, a
company that as recently as 1994 included a photo by Leni Riefenstahl in
their "Leica Magic Moments" book but conveniently omitted all mention of
her propaganda filmmaking career under the Nazis in their bio of her. In
fact, the bio reads as though none of this never happened, jumping from
1932, when her filmmaking career began, to 1962. Say what you will about
the merits or liabilities of Riefenstahl as artist and collaborator, it
is still shocking that a German company in the post-WWII era would
demonstrate such a complete case of cultural amnesia. So if you want
something to get into a state about and at least attempt to stay on
topic, chew on that.