Contrasty film

Stephanie Brim · Apr 2, 2008

I'm wanting to shoot a film with high contrast for a few shots I'm wanting to do soon. What films play well with HC-110 or Rodinal (as I've standardized on these developers) and deliver a pretty contrasty image?

Crap, forgot to mention that I'm wanting this in 120 or 4x5. Tech Pan is DEFINITELY out at the prices I'm seeing it go for.

Uhner · Apr 2, 2008

Try Ilford Delta 100 in Rodinal. This combination is capable of producing punchy negatives from very low contrast scenes.

Neal · Apr 2, 2008

Dear Stephanie,

Good news (or bad??? ;>) ) You are in control of the contrast (and all the other things), not the film or developer. You should get good photos from any of the films available using the developers you have.

Start here and concentrate on chapters 4-6: http://photography.cicada.com/zs/

Neal Wydra

Michel Hardy-Vallée · Apr 2, 2008

Killer high contrat: Tech Pan in Dektol stock. Bulletproof. Below that, you can try ortho or document films, they can build up contrast pretty quick. With normal films, slow speed films like Efke 25, PanF+, Delta100 or TMAX 100 generously developed will do.

RobC · Apr 2, 2008

Koadk technical pan if you can still get any. But it may be tooooo contrasty.

Contrastique · Apr 2, 2008

Kodak Technical Pan indeed. But yes, you can make every film quite contrasty though this film is a real different animal.
See here for results of my experiments with Technical Pan developed in HC110:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Larry.Manuel · Apr 2, 2008

Agitate more, more time when developing.

My first roll of 135 Delta 100, exposed at EI 50 was viciously contrasty after too much agitation and too much time in Rodinal 1+50. Trial and error - very reliable way to learn.

First time: 9 1/4 minutes at 20C [68F[, constant agitation for first 30 sec, then 3 inversions every 30 sec. Overkill.

Next time: 8 min, 20C, 3 inversions in first 30 sec, then one inversion per 30 sec. Much greater range of mid-tones, velvety silvers. Nice.

My current practice: Gentle stirring for first 30 sec, then one back-and-forth with stir rod or one very gentle agitation per minute. 8 min, 20C 1+50.

jim appleyard · Apr 2, 2008

Good answers guys, but not really what she was asking. To increase contrast you must: increase time in dev., increase agitation, increase dev temp., or all three.

cotdt · Apr 2, 2008

TechPan or Adox CMS20 in pretty much any developer. even in low-contrast developers these films have a ton of contrast.

CBG · Apr 2, 2008

jim appleyard said:
Good answers guys, but not really what she was asking. To increase contrast you must: increase time in dev., increase agitation, increase dev temp., or all three.

With HC-110 or Rodinal you can add the use of stronger concentrations of developer to time temperature and agitation.

C

IOS · Apr 2, 2008

I have gotten strong contrast using Apx100 with hc-110 and high agitation.

Michel Hardy-Vallée · Apr 2, 2008

jim appleyard said:
Good answers guys, but not really what she was asking. To increase contrast you must: increase time in dev., increase agitation, increase dev temp., or all three.

Yeah, that's pretty much what we said.

All films will have higher contrat when developed longer, regardless of developer.

Vaughn · Apr 2, 2008

I'll echo MHV and suggest copy film, if you don't mind the film being orthochromatic. Very responsive to increased development (by temp, time and agitation) as well as exposure. But it is not cheap either. Ilford make a nice one in sheets -- don't know if it is availible in rolls.

I have used both Kodak and Ilford copy film with HC-110 and have been able to get as much contrast as one could possibly want...and more.

Vaughn

Nick Zentena · Apr 3, 2008

If you want cheap high contrast the choice is Freestyles Lith film. Then you can read all the threads on reducing contrast -) For 4x5 look at the 3.9xsomething or other. The 4x5 is really 4x5.

AgX · Apr 3, 2008

cotdt said:
TechPan or Adox CMS20 in pretty much any developer. even in low-contrast developers these films have a ton of contrast.

Adox CMS20 is not available in type 120 or sheet film.

Stephanie Brim · Apr 3, 2008

At the time they didn't know that. I forgot to mention that I was looking at films for larger formats. Sorry.

Doug Webb · Apr 3, 2008

It is easy to get high contrast with Ilford Pan F, readily available in 120, but not 4x5. Just underexpose and overdevelop and the contrast skyrockets. This is true to a certain extent with any black and white film, but more so with 100 speed and slower films. If you are busy, as I am sure you are with a 4 month old, why not just try some film that you already have and just underexpose and overdevelop, if you get close to what you want just add a little more aggressive agitation.
Good luck,
Doug Webb

Mike Wilde · Apr 3, 2008

Affordable ortho option

Consider Lith film - red blind, develop by inspection under safelight. ASA about 3-6 under daylight. When not developed in lith developer, it is capable of grey scale- consider a more dilute developer as a start , like HC-110b 1:1 .

It is also very cheap - buy some 8x10, etc, and cut it down to 4x5 in your darkroom, just like paper under safelight. It is also very fun to use in manipulating images to high contrast in the darkroom at higher developer concentrations.

ntenny · Apr 3, 2008

AgX said:
Adox CMS20 is not available in type 120 or sheet film.

It's not? Phooey, I was just getting interested.

Adox ORT 25 is available in both and can give nice contrasty results without extraordinary treatment. I've played with it in Diafine and Caffenol LC+C, which not unnaturally give very different contrast (example of each attached---the landscape is Diafine). Neither is at the extreme you see with something like Tech Pan, though.

-NT

Thomas Bertilsson · Apr 3, 2008

Well, I think that it's easy to make things way too difficult.

If you want high contrast - develop your film longer. How much longer? Depends on how much extra contrast you want. Trial and error.

- Thomas

Nick Zentena · Apr 3, 2008

Mike Wilde said:
It is also very cheap - buy some 8x10, etc, and cut it down to 4x5 in your darkroom, just like paper under safelight.

Why not just buy the precut 4x5 [3.9x 4 something or other] stuff and save the hassle?

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=&pid=1197

AgX · Apr 3, 2008

Thomas Bertilsson said:
Well, I think that it's easy to make things way too difficult.

If you want high contrast - develop your film longer. How much longer? Depends on how much extra contrast you want.

Yes, but it will produce also more fog and more grain.
But as said, it's trial and error.

Alan Johnson · Apr 3, 2008

The Rollei Ortho is available in 120 and produces more contrasty results than traditional film:
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00JP3A

Michel Hardy-Vallée · Apr 3, 2008

If you want low grain, high contrast, and cheap, in 120 and 4x5, definitely go for either Efke 25, ADOX ORT 25 or Arista APHS. The ADOX is much cheaper than the Rollei.

Ortho films can build up contrast until they're bulletproof, and grain just does not exist.

cotdt · Apr 3, 2008

push any low ISO film a couple stops and you can get high contrast

Contrasty film

Stephanie Brim

Uhner

Neal

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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RobC

Contrastique

Larry.Manuel

jim appleyard

cotdt

CBG

IOS

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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Vaughn

Nick Zentena

AgX

Stephanie Brim

Doug Webb

Mike Wilde

ntenny

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Thomas Bertilsson

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AgX

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Michel Hardy-Vallée

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cotdt

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