Best tamming of Fomapan 100?

[afrank]

Hi all, I am looking into getting nice landscape shots developed from Fomapan 100.
I got access to both R09(rodinal) and D76.

Any suggestions on how to handle the great contrast of Fomapan 100? I am trying to achieve tonalities similar to Ansel Adams photo from: Yosemite: Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome 1940 or The Portfolios of Ansel: Portfolio IV Plate 5, "Cathedral Peak and Lake".

I am looking for nice blacks, clear highlights and none creamy grays ( see above reference). I know that darkroom work comes into play, so I want to develop with a tequnique that would allow me to achieve that look with Fomapan 100. TY!

 

[NB23]

Did you shoot with zones in mind or simply mid-grey and pray?

 

[Bruce Robbins]

Hi,

I use Fomapan 100 in my Rollei SL66E and develop in Rodinal at 1+50 for results that I really like. Agitation is for twenty seconds initially and then ten seconds every minute. The relatively high dilution helps to prevent highlight build-up and sharpness is great. Mid tones are punchy and the overall contrast looks just right. I highly recommend it. I've got pics using this combination at my website, URL below.

 

[afrank]

NB23
Did you shoot with zones in mind or simply mid-grey and pray?

I use spot metering with a dslr and "the zone system" (still no expert, but try to preserve detail by placing the zones accordingly). I do like the rich blacks on some small shadow parts that usually tend to fall into the gray areas. Since they are shadows of other sections, i cant just dodge them out :/

Bruce Robbins
Hi,
I use Fomapan 100 in my Rollei SL66E...

Thanks! Isn't rodinal more grainy? Or is the low dilution and agitation what keeps it low?

 

[gorbas]

Very nice work Bruce!!

 

[summicron1]

tonalities similar to ansel adams'? wow, you don't want much.

Sit urself down with a zone system book and learn about expanding and contracting zone scales, then figure out what the particular scene you are shooting needs in way of exposure AND processing (over and under one or two on either exposure or processing or both) and fire away .... you will needed to dedicate a film back to each combination -- some folks narrow it down to film shot at par, film shot one stop over and one for film shot at stop under and then process them accordingly.

or something. Adams had a whole system and used individual film holders marked for how they were exposed and how they were to be processed depending on the scene.

Tell you the truth, when I shoot Ilford XP2 at asa 400 in my Rolleiflex, or Leica, it comes darn close. Try that and save yourself a lot of homework.

 

[afrank]

tonalities similar to ansel adams'? wow, you don't want much.

Hehe I knew someone would say that! I dont want his style or quality, I just liked 1-2 specific examples of his. He had lots of variations depending on the visualization he had of the scene.

ATM i use delta 400 and HP5 but its just tooo contrasty, while other retro style films are just grays with no blacks or whites.

I am looking for defined blacks on shadows like the ones on those specific 2 examples(they were not burned in because they were detail shadows).
Maybe I am missing some Zone+development combination.

 

[removed account4]

i usually tame my film with coffee

YMMV

 

[Ian Grant]

I've used quite a lot of Fompan 100 & 200, both films do need taming in terms of contrast, I did some Zone system tests when I began using them and found that half the box speed and about 70-75% shorter developer times compared to ther films gave me realy nice negatives, very easy to print, good tonality etc.

Ian

 

[piu58]

> half the box speed and about 70-75% shorter developer times

That is the key. I used the film for some time and came to similar results. The film tends to build up highlights qickly.

 

[baachitraka]

Fomapan 100(135) came good with Rodinal 1+50(300ml + 6ml) but the agitation was according to the article.

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

15 mins: Three inversions at the beginning and three at every 5th minute @20° C and this prints very well on MCP 310 with Focomat Ic.

Note: I shot mostly during day time in Italy with Yellow-Green filter and my incident reading was EV 14 @ISO 50(filter compensation).

Unfortunaltey, I do not own any scanner yet to show some samples.

 

[Bruce Robbins]

Fomapan 100(135) came good with Rodinal 1+50(300ml + 6ml) but the agitation was according to the article.

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

How do your negatives look? I've found that Fomapan 100 and Rodinal 1+50 gives me negatives that I just know will print well.

 

[baachitraka]

How do your negatives look? I've found that Fomapan 100 and Rodinal 1+50 gives me negatives that I just know will print well.

If I compare with APX 100, Fomapan 100 is slightly contrasty when developed for 15 mins and I personally like it for its grain. My printing size is up to 8x10 inches.

 

[mwdake]

about 70-75% shorter developer times

Is it just me or does that sound like you are suggesting developing times that are 70-75% of normal. Such as, instead of 10 minutes use 2.5 to 3 minutes.

 

[brucemuir]

I think he meant 25-30% shorter
Good catch there mw, it took me a reread for it to sink in.

 

[mwdake]

I think he meant 25-30% shorter

I am sure that is what Ian meant.
Just wanted to make there was no confusion.

 

[Larry H-L]

Agree completely with Ian. The film isn't contrasty, it just needs adequate exposure and less development than many other films.

 

[Darkroom317]

Ian is correct. I shoot Fomapan 100 at 50. I develop in Rodinal 1+50 for 8 mins and I get good negatives from it. They have good shadow detail and good highlight detail.

 

[Craig Swensson]

Instead of starting a new thread i`m going to tag a few questions onto this one.
I am about to try some foma 100, so this thread has been helpful.
What is the 200 like? I see that some strongly suggest shooting this film at 50.Does the same apply for the 200, half the speed also?
Also I have been using microphen exclusively, any reason why I should change if I decide to use a lot of this film, i am considering buying bulk rolls if all goes well.
Which leads to next question.
Re - loadable cassettes, how many times can i expect to use each cassette before light leaks become a problem.
I have seen some new stock kood plastic cassettes. Some say plastic, some say metal, but surely new ones would be the best option.
regards

 

[polyglot]

Yes, the 200 works best (in my experience) at about 100 or 125.

 

[Ian Grant]

Instead of starting a new thread i`m going to tag a few questions onto this one.
I am about to try some foma 100, so this thread has been helpful.
What is the 200 like? I see that some strongly suggest shooting this film at 50.Does the same apply for the 200, half the speed also?
Also I have been using microphen exclusively, any reason why I should change if I decide to use a lot of this film, i am considering buying bulk rolls if all goes well.
Which leads to next question.
Re - loadable cassettes, how many times can i expect to use each cassette before light leaks become a problem.
I have seen some new stock kood plastic cassettes. Some say plastic, some say metal, but surely new ones would be the best option.
regards

Microphen should be fine with Fomapan 200, they have published similar Fine Grain PQ developers themselves and give times for Microphen. Like Fomapan 100 I shoot the 200 at half the box speed and get excellent results.

If you check the light seals re-loadable cassetes can be used many times I'd guess I used some of mine 20-30 times, probably more. I always shecked the velvet light trap wasn't lifting at the corners and made sure it was clean and the pile of the velvet wasn't becoming compressed. That way I never had an problem.

Ian

 

[Craig Swensson]

Thank you Polygot and Ian.Just the info I was after.I had read somewhere that 7-10 was maximum for the cassettes, but I did wonder at the economics of that number.cheers