Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/11/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On 11/22/05 6:35 PM, "Slobodan Dimitrov" <s.dimitrov@charter.net> typed: > Actually, I love shooting BW. And that's with whatever emulsion is > available. Just the other day, we finally had the signing ceremony > for our 30 year lease with the city of Los Angeles for the culture > center where I keep my BW darkroom. > On the way to the hill top carrying my own digital, I noticed 3-4 of > my friends lugging their chip boxes. So, I said--If you're all > shooting digital, I'm going back to my car to get the Rollei out. > Which I did, and used TXP 320, 3 rolls, with the 4th roll being TMY 400. > So, yeah, if I'm not pressed for time, and most of all, if it's > personal, it's always BW for me. > On the other hand, why I'm so disparaging of sub standard film is > because of all the problems with them. Such as low resolution, poor > contrast, grain clumping, erratic quality control, and the like. Even > found a small bug squished against the paper backing of a roll of 120 > once. > The following print series, shot in 1982, doesn't go beyond 8x8 > inches, because of Arista's poor quality: > > http://sdimitrovphoto.com/projects_folio03_02.htm > http://sdimitrovphoto.com/projects_folio03_07.htm > > Slobodan Dimitrov > Studio G-8, > Angels Gate Cultural Center > http://sdimitrovphoto.com > > > >snippet< >> Or BOWSING FAWNERS!!! >> (Antimetabole) >> >> NO I say! >> They have no reason to >> as they are happy in their own little Technicolor hells! >> >> >> Well in that case.. NEVERMIND! I'm in total agreement with your take on 4th party films. Films that don't come in a yellow or green or even orange box I look askance upon with suspicion and mistrust. With names that look like eye charts. The poor people who work in these factories in these troubled countries the moral must be uneven they're getting picked off on their way to work by snipers. Arista however is a different story. The urban legend for a long time was that it was really repackaged Ilford. Oh I forgot Ilford! The trusty white box. Even though that's from a troubled country too. With people being blown up all over the place. The factory in Cheshire was closed so a few guys got together and they're turning the stuff out in a closed down hunting lodge. But they got the factory cat to guard the place at night. In the past few months the newsbreak I've heard that this urban legend has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. It was even brought to the Senate appropriations committee floor. Where was promptly filibustered by a guy with slight stutter and drawl. But won in the end. However I'm not all that secure with Ilford pan F will test out like I think it might in Xtol or Beutlers or some Pyro ABC stuff. That THAT will be my high rez 35mm stuff as I do the whole tripod bit sometimes in 35 despite the conventional logic... That we might was well be doing that stuff with our trusty Rolleiflex. We must all, someday return to our trusty Rolleiflexes. And perhaps a Barnack on the side. Sell all our other expensive cameras and use the money for darkroom paper which if we don't have to coat it ourselves like Platinum will cost 20 bucks a sheet like Platinum. So we might as well scan the stuff and output to 8x10 sheet film or bigger to be contacted on a sunny cloudless day on Platinum. Or paper coated with the metal salts of our choice. And water colors. Oh! So if Pan F doest work out (and I hate Tech pan and who knows how long that will be around anyway?) I'll need an ASA 25 film for my low rez time exposure miniature Ansel stuff. And that's made by one of those odd companies. I hope the batch I buy for my freezer was mode on a more happy secure feeling day. If not I'll deal with it. Pan f in Xtol 1:3 has got to be as good as it gets. Although my feeling in general is it doesn't matter much with film you use as long as you run it in Xtol. With those other developers I mentioned on the side. And a new Rabinol by way of Beutlers with a tab of Vitamin C seems like it's got to be a no brainer main heavyweight contester. And test it out with Phenidone instead of Metol. Or both. Mark Rabiner Photography Portland Oregon http://rabinergroup.com/