Film and Developer for MAXIMUM grain ?

Black Dog

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• Oct 20, 2006

• #26

I believe William Klein used Super XX for his NYC pics-not sure what he souped it in though.

 

Black Dog

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• Oct 20, 2006

• #27

Printing on a harder grade of paper also exaggerates grain-see Bill Brandt, Giacomelli etc.

 

Markauf

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• Oct 20, 2006

• #28

Kodak Infrared + Mid day sun = Maximum Grain

 

MattKing

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• Oct 20, 2006

• #29

donbga said:

GAF high speed color film was a wonderful film, IMO. It had wonderful grain, could have a soft pastel color pallete when exposed for that effect. It was an often misused and misunderstood film. I miss it a lot. Unfortunately all of the slides I made with HS-GAF disappeared years ago in a long distance move.

Sarah Moon's 1972 Pirelli calendar,

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is probably the best example available that demostrated the beautiful characteristics of that film.

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Don:

It just goes to show, it's not the film, but the photographer.

I must confess that most of my experience with the high speed GAF was vicarious. In those days, I was a student, working part time at a couple of camera stores. Most of the GAF stuff I saw was shot by customers, and I expect was generally "misused and misunderstood" as you say above. I'm also not entirely confident that the labs we were using at that time (E6 I think, or was it E4) did a particularly good job of processing it.

In those days, I would have been much more likely to have Kodachrome in my camera - I think it was Kodachrome 25 by then, but might have still been Kodachrome II.

Thanks for the alternate perspective.

Matt

 

TheFlyingCamera

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• Oct 20, 2006

• #30

For major grain, take Tmax 3200, shoot at 1000 (the real film speed for it), soup it in HOT dektol (75+ instead of the usual 68). I used to soup it diluted 1:3, 3 1/2 mins. You could drop it down to 1:9 and stretch the time to something like 12 mins. You'll have a VERY active developer at that point, and it will punch the heck out of the grain, but you'll still get tonality that isn't a harsh binary.

 

DBP

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• Oct 20, 2006

• #31

That's the Tri-X recipe I was looking for when I found the other.

 

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david b

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• Oct 20, 2006

• #32

Thanks everyone for your responses.

I think I am going to try Ilford Delta 3200 (at 1600) and develope it in Rodinal. I'll show the results in a week or so.

 

Black Dog

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• Oct 21, 2006

• #33

I've used 35mm Delta 3200 in Rodinal(at 800) and the results were surprisingly finegrained-overexposing and overdeveloping would make grain coarser however. TMAX 3200 is probably coarser.

 

Stephanie Brim

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• Oct 21, 2006

• #34

Delta in Rodinal is grainy...very, very grainy. You'll most likely be pleased.

At 3200, anyway.

 

Soeren

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• Oct 21, 2006

• #35

Ole said:

Monobath processing (developer and fixer in one) gives massive grain - enough to see grain in a contact print from a 5x7" negative. 35mm 400 ISO film, developed in monobath, should be worth a try. I would gave said 3200 ISO film, but not in midday sun!

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I would like to hear more about that monobath aproach. Please tell. Ole.
Cheers
Søren

 

Black Dog

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• Oct 21, 2006

• #36

More info in The Film Developing Cookbook (Anchell & Troop, Focal Press).

 

Ole

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• Oct 21, 2006

• #37

Yes, TFDC is where I found the monobath recipe. It's a vile, concentrated brew that develops and fixes the film to completion in about 4 minutes - then just wash it, and you're done.

There's a bit of speed loss, as the shadows are easily fixed before they're developed. There is also horrendous grain, and absolutely no chance of influencing the contrast by adjusting development times: When it's done, it's done. Any adjustments must be done when mixing the brew. Anchell & Troop's starting recommendation gave a little more contrast than I like, so I would cut the suggested thiosulfate by 20% to allow the shadows a better chance at developing.

 

Markok765

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• Oct 21, 2006

• #38

Would monobaths be used for newspapers?

 

Ole

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• Oct 21, 2006

• #39

Markok765 said:

Would monobaths be used for newspapers?

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That was one of the uses, yes. A four-minute processing, a quick dunk in water, then straight in the enlarger - still wet.

It was also used for in-cartridge processing under difficult conditions, actually processing 35mm film while still in the cartridge!

 

Soeren

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• Oct 21, 2006

• #40

Hmm I must dust off my copy of TFDCB. Missed that recipy :rolleyes:
Cheers
Søren

 

Black Dog

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• Oct 23, 2006

• #41

Also remember Ag magazine publishing details of monobaths (not sure which issue but probably before #14).

 

dpurdy

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• Oct 23, 2006

• #42

I used to do max grain stuff for a few people. I tested rodinal vs beutllers and found the beutlers to be grainier. You can shoot tmz at 1000 and processing in beutlers dooesn't build a lot of density so you can print a little higher contrast which will increase grain as well. For film speed reduction in bright sun you can use a polarizer or ND filter. You will get very beautiful tonality out of that process.