Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/03/01

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Subject: [Leica] Neopan-Xtol Xpert-Tease Sought
From: mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)
Date: Thu Mar 1 09:59:15 2007

Whenever anyone asked me what they should do for general black and white
street photography with real, not chromegic black and white film I advise
them to do what I do.

Which is Neopan 1600 @ 1600 in Xtol 1:3.

I seem to go between this and Neopan 100 in the studio or for tripod stuff.
Hardly ever using the 400. As I seem to be getting better than what I always
thought of as "400 results" from my 1600. With certainly full shadow detail.


I develop my Neopan 1600 in Xtol 1:3 for 11 minutes.
The rest you'd have to interpolate for the way you do it:

My temp. is 70 degrees F.
I agitate every minute. And for the first full minute.

That's it. The results are remarkable.
If you showed me those 16x20 prints 20 years ago I'd guess the ASA was
slower than 400. 300! Which they never made that's just how I judge my
quality.

Darkroom 16x20s more than hold together without looking stretched full range
they have a real vitality.

And you get your cake and eat it too. Amazingly fine grain AND the
appearance of great sharpness.

And I pre soak. How you'd interpolate for that I don't know. Could go either
way. Maybe I used to know.

As others seem to be using 2 - 3 minutes more than me maybe that's it.






Mark Rabiner
8A/109s
New York, NY

markrabiner.com



Replies: Reply from imagist3 at mac.com (Lottermoser George) ([Leica] Exposure and Development)
In reply to: Message from henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff) ([Leica] Neopan-Xtol Xpert-Tease Sought)