Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/12/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I too have noticed variable grain in my Neopan 1600 negs but it usually was traceable to my inveterate tinkering with the developers. Overdevelopment is usually the culprit whether by temperature or agitation doesn't seem to matter. I have heard that significant temperature variation between developer and fix and wash can enhance grain but I've not seen it because I am very careful that all chemicals are within 2 degrees C of each other, including the rinse. How long did you develop in Xtol 1+3 and what kind of agitation? JB > John: > > >What film did you use? > > Neopan 1600 in Xtol 1:3. > > It's usually not this grainy for me. > > Then again, I usually don't pull a block-headed move like I did when > developing these. I needed new fix. I keep my fix concentrate in the > garage, which is insulated but not heated. I mixed my ~70 F room temp DI > water with my fix at a ratio of 3:1. And then let it sit for a couple > hours. I process at 70F, and that's usually room temp. > > When I poured the fix into my tank, my tank felt colder than it should have. > I measured the temp of the fix...which I should have done before starting. > 64F. I hadn't let it warm up enough. I knew I should have used a hot water > bath, or mixed it the night before...but in my haste to use my precious > developing time while I could, I forgot. > > When I started washing, I started at 66F, and gradually brought it back up > to 70F. I seem to recall somewhere that washing is more effective at warmer > temps than cooler ones. > > I believe I can see more grain in these images than in my past ones. > Usually, I just sharpen the whole image as the final step. I didn't how it > accentuated the grain in these, so I just sharpened selectively...around the > eyes, and set up a mask to fade out the sharpening effect. > > Is going from a water stop bath at 70F to fix at 64F enough to increase the > grain? I don't know. I've heard of reticulation, but don't recall ever > seeing it first hand. I'm thinking that's a more severe effect, though. > > > Eric - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html