dev. comp. w/ neopan 400@800 w/ flash

[oolalajp]

greetings,

sorry if this question has been asked before, but i couldn't find what i was looking for in the advanced search.

i've been enjoying pushing neopan 400 to 800 recently and have worked out a development regiment i'm happy with, but now i've added another variable and would appreciate a little insight if you have it.

what i'm wondering is if introducing flash into the above equation will alter/shorten my development time, and if so by how much. i'd love to hear any rules of thumb out there (particularly related to using flash when pushing) or from anyone with experience relevant to the above situation. the flash used ttl metering, with EI set at 800 and f5.6 throughout. this is for a contax g2 with tla 200 flash using the distagon 2.8/28mm lens.

thanks so much in advance!

 

[RidingWaves]

Well I'd keep the processing to what you've been doing at 800 as a start.

 

[oolalajp]

@riding waves...cheers for that! i guess i'm just worried about blowing the highlights with the introduction of flash...i'm rather inexperienced in that way...

 

[MattKing]

The addition of flash may change the character of the light - potentially increasing the contrast of the scene. As the "push" development you are using really only increases the contrast of the film you are otherwise under-exposing, you need to be careful to ensure that the flash illuminates evenly. Otherwise, your highlights may end up being over-exposed, while the shadows remain under-exposed.

At the least, you should consider diffusing the flash if you are increasing development to increase contrast.

If you are able to tailor the flash to boost your shadow detail, you may end up with enough exposure to make the push development unnecessary.

 

[oolalajp]

thanks so much for your suggestions, mattking! my intention in pushing the film is to try and get a little more dof; the increased contrast is kinda a bonus for me, most of the time. cheers!

 

[markbarendt]

what i'm wondering is if introducing flash into the above equation will alter/shorten my development time,

No.

 

[markbarendt]

thanks so much for your suggestions, mattking! my intention in pushing the film is to try and get a little more dof; the increased contrast is kinda a bonus for me, most of the time. cheers!

More light will definitely allow more DOF.

There are a lot of variables and variations in technique involved in using flash well. Be prepared to do a fair amount of experimentation and reading.

A "smart" flash with built in auto mode helps a bunch, these have their own built in meters to control the volume of light they provide.

Modern cameras capable of balanced fill flash when paired with smart flash meters are handy too.

A decent book to start with is Joe McNally's "The Hot Shoe Diaries".

 

[oolalajp]

thanks so much for your thoughts and suggestions, markbarendt!