AZO isn't For Everyone...

[Tom Duffy]

vis-a-vis Tmax 100 - I was never happy with any contact prints I made from tmx or even Acros, which I like much better. I think the grain is too fine and the lacking edge effect.
MAS uses Super XX and Weston pyro. This makes a high accutance and grainy negative. His contact prints are superb. There's a lot more going on here than just curves...

 

[bmac]

The really cool thing about this board is that you are free to start your own thread if you want to ask an off topic question.

 

[Tom Duffy]

Brian,
we're discussing the factors that affect the appearance of prints. I think that's still on topic.

jdef,
no, I can't see the grain, but I do see it with a very small amount of magnification. I think this "subliminal grain" and accutance enhance the sense of sharpness about a print. Every 8x10 contact print I've made from a "fine grain" film (acros, delta 100, tmx) has been disappointing in comparison.

 

[Donald Miller]

While this does not directly relate to the issues of Azo, it does respond to the issue of film that has arisen out of this thread.

I have found in my experience that the following films developed in several developers do exhibit marked differences in accutance, edge effects, and local contrast.

To begin, the films (TriX and Bergger BPF 200) that exhibit the greatest presence in a print have all been developed in ABC Pyro. By this I mean the local contrast within broad tonal ranges in addition to very evident accutance. The downside to films processed in this manner is the prevalent and evident grain. This grain is apparent in enlargements of 11X14 from 4X5 negatives. For this reason ABC pyro is not a good choice for enlarged negatives. ABC Pyro is probably the finest contact printing developer (depending on the film of course) for the reason of local contrast and accutance, in my experience.

The film that has the greatest edge effects in a print has been Efke PL 100 developed in Pyrocat HD (1-1-120 minimal agitation). Prints from this film and developer combination rival the sharpness and local contrast of a contact print when the prints are of equivalent size.

The film that exhibits the most enhanced local contrast and superior tonal range when printed on a condensor enlarger is, in my experience Tri X developed in HC 110.