Full/pushed film speed

I'm basically using a decent old 6x9 folder, and after a bit of testing I can use HP5 rated at 320(ish) with the camera on a monopod and a lens setting of 1/25 @f11-16, sometimes with a contrast filter sometimes without. These negs dev'd in Rodinal 1+50 are just how I like them. Problem is though winter is on its way with a drop in light of sometimes up to 2 stops. I need to use the f11-16 setting (tessar lens and DOF) and 1/25 is as low as I can go - I know, use a tripod etc, but I'm on a 'light as possible' mission so the monopod stays. I thought of rating HP5 round the 640 mark and using Rodinal 1+50 for maybe 10 mins with normal agitation, and then a 10 mins stand. Does this sound daft! Thoughts welcome on a technique for extracting a sharp, tonally 'normal' landscape image from HP5 and Rodinal at a higher than 400 rating, given that grain is much less of an issue than it perhaps should be. Is Rodinal the one? I could use D-76 in all its various dilutions.
Pushing films is something I know little about, I'm more used to a lower than stated film speed with an adjusted dev time.

The best solution is probably to build your muscle (tho I also use monopod for city snapshots).

Delta 3200 at EI 1000-1600 developed in XTOL 1+1 (or DS-10 1+1) is very nice. But it has lower highlight contrast than HP5+.

If you need only EI 640, I'd use Delta 400 or HP5 Plus in Microphen 1+1 or DD-X. Grain is not ideal but better than Rodinal. And shadow details will be better.

I have pushed HP5+ with Rodinal 1:50 - but without the stand technique, just straight agitation every minute for 10 sec after a 30 sec initial. I don't know how big you will be printing, but to my tastes, the grain was not an issue in 8x10's from a 6x6 neg. Mind you , I know that is not a big enlargement from MF.
As far as Microphen goes - I assume the fault lies with me, I don't question what Ryuji said - but I found that in all applications it gave me acceptible, but not remarkable results. What I mean by that is that it seemed to not give me snappy sharpness (sorry about the "technical" terminology there).
I can dig up the Rodinal time somewhere if you are interested.

Peter

Hi

I have shot TriX at 800 and 1600, and developed in Rodinal 1+50 in my 6x6 and 6x9 folders. The results were quite acceptable.

Given the results of a test roll of Neopan 1600 that I ran through my 35mm camera and developed in Rodinal 1+50, I really wish Fuji made this film in 120 size!

The other option is to use a higher dilution, like 1+100. Shoot some test shots, and develop using reduced agitation for 20 to 30 minutes. There are also some times for HP5+ in Rodinal at 800 and 1600 listed on the MDC.

Paul

gnashings said:

As far as Microphen goes - I assume the fault lies with me, I don't question what Ryuji said - but I found that in all applications it gave me acceptible, but not remarkable results. What I mean by that is that it seemed to not give me snappy sharpness (sorry about the "technical" terminology there).

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Sharpness increases a bit when I use an ascorbate version of DD-X. But loss of accutance is common when I try to push speed.

I once used maybe 25 rolls of HP5+ in Microphen 1+1 (EI 400) as the standard combination with an old rangefinder camera for "old timey" look. It's a bit more grainy than D-76 but more versatile for street photography.

Ryuji said:

Sharpness increases a bit when I use an ascorbate version of DD-X. But loss of accutance is common when I try to push speed.

I once used maybe 25 rolls of HP5+ in Microphen 1+1 (EI 400) as the standard combination with an old rangefinder camera for "old timey" look. It's a bit more grainy than D-76 but more versatile for street photography.

Click to expand...

*Sigh of relief*

Glad it wasn't all down to my "skill"

Normally, you can expect to gain an 'effective speed' with Rodinal by simply increasing the development time; the contrast will not rise significantly, unlike most developers. But HP5+ is the one film Agfa doesn't recommend with Rodinal at 1+50, and my (limited) experience bears that out.

So, if you want to stick with Rodinal, you can go with Tri X or Neopan 400.

Or, if you want to stick with HP5+, you will get excellent results with Xtol or DDX. In either case, you will get as much of a speed increase as you wish, and fine negatives as well.

There are subtle controls you can make use of: increasing the development time while reducing agitation to every fifth minute, which will give you a shadow speed gain with normal highlights; using XTOL as a seasoned, replenished developer, which is dependable and adds local contrast while retaining a normal scale, and so on.

DD-X, I understand, works in a similar way, although I have no first hand experience with it.

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So its looking like good negs can be had using HP5 rated at perhaps 640/800 dev'd in XTOL. This sounds good to me, and i'll give it a shot when the darker days come round because i've been out with the 6x9 folder with HP5 today, and most of the shots were around the f16/22 area at 1/25th with a yellow or orange filter. Pity there is not this level of light all year round - must swap the Pennines for California.

I haven't used HP5 in it, but I use TriX 400 with Diafine when I use my holga with either a heavy red filter or in lower light. I normally rate it at about 1250 and I get incredible results, beautiful grain and tonality. It does not look pushed, because it really isn't, Diafine increases the speed of TX that much. According to the box, you can use it for HP5 at 800, but I have never tried it and I will let someone else chime in as to whether that is a good combo.

I know that you weren't looking for a new film, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

The best "quality" pushes I have seen come form XTOL. I shot last years vacation with TRI-X all at 1600 and made 16x20 prints from 6x6 negs. They were grainless.

The best pushing I have seen is from Microphen. I don't have the experience with it with TRI-X at 1600 so I don't know about grain and accutance but it sure can deliver speed.

PC-TEA and 510 Pyro (and D-76) also push pretty well - I would say they will not deliver the quality (grain/accutance) of XTOL. Or the Speed potenial of Microphen.