Exposure screwup

Well, I've done it again. Shot some portraits this weekend and miss read my meter scale for exposure. I'm so used to shooting outdoors that when I meter for EV indoors I still use the top scale, which turned out to be around EV13-13 1/2 which should have been the bottom scale at around EV6. Needless to say I'm way underexposed. I shot Foma 200 sheet film...8X10 no less. Any help or suggestions for development to salvage said screw up. I was exposing with a petzval F8, 12 inch at around 1/2 to 1 second. Should have been closer to 6 to 8 seconds. I need to put up a sign in my darkroom, a note in my meter bag, or possibly just have the warning tatooed to the inside of my eyelids!!!

There is an EK developer for severe underexposure. Perhaps someone has the formula. A number like D93. I think it has alcohol in it.

21 Feb 2010

RPippin:

Oh Big Bummer! I have some sources of old developer formulas. If I find anything for severe underexposure I will let you know.

Regards,
Darwin

Not much different than if the sheets all has a big "X" scratched on them There is nothing that can be done.

But, I'd go ahead and process them. Some low contrast scenes can tolerate considerable underexposure and still be printable. Also, maybe you don't have perfect metering technique and accidentally overexposed some of the negatives (giving near correct exposure).

In 1947, according to my Wall and Jordan, Kodak announced SD-19A. By adding .2% solution of 6-nitrobensimidazole nitrate and Kodak anti-fog nr. 2 to D-19, a speed increase of as much as four stops is obtainable without too much troublesome fog, so says the book.

21 Feb 2010

RPippin:

I found in my files a developer formulation from Kodak for "Extreme Underexposure". They called it D-82. The formulation is as follows:

*****
Kodak Developer D-82

Water (50C) - 750 ml
Wood Alcohol (Methanol) - 48 ml
Elon or Metol - 14.0 gm
Sodium Sulfite - 52.5 gm
Hydroquinone - 14.0 gm
Sodium Hydroxide - 8.8 gm
Potassium Bromide - 8.8 gm
Cold water to make 1000 ml

Dissolve chemicals in the order given.
Develop about 5 minutes in a tray at 68 F.
The prepared developer does not keep more that a few days in a full bottle. If wood alcohol is omitted and the developer is diluted, the solution is not so active as in the concentrated form.

*****

The above is quoted from Kodak literature circa 1944. Hope this helps and good luck.

Regards,
Darwin

It will take a bit of experimenting but try a flash exposure on unexposed film to give a Dmin of about .05 -.10
Then flash your sheets before developing. This should bring out most if not all of the detail. A further test with more film exposed the same way you did in error and flashed would allow you to see the results before processing the negatives you want to salvage. Try a few developing times to give you a selection of contrasts.

RPippin said:

Well, I've done it again. Shot some portraits this weekend and miss read my meter scale for exposure. I'm so used to shooting outdoors that when I meter for EV indoors I still use the top scale, which turned out to be around EV13-13 1/2 which should have been the bottom scale at around EV6. Needless to say I'm way underexposed. I shot Foma 200 sheet film...8X10 no less. Any help or suggestions for development to salvage said screw up. I was exposing with a petzval F8, 12 inch at around 1/2 to 1 second. Should have been closer to 6 to 8 seconds. I need to put up a sign in my darkroom, a note in my meter bag, or possibly just have the warning tatooed to the inside of my eyelids!!!

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Chill Richard. We can work on a snippet and get it exactly right. I have all the chems Darwin mentioned above.

The good news for you is that grain usually doesn't amount to a hill of beans in 8x10.

Oh and why don't you buy the damn gossen that has made my life so simple, rather than futzing around with that damn semiconducting slide rule with a pistol grip.