Has anyone tried Bergger Prestige Variable NB FB Glossy?

[Tom Kershaw]

Spotted: https://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/bergger-prestige-variable-nb-fb-glossy-8-x-10in-pk-25/p6622 - seems very little information online about this paper. I guess it would perform in a similar way to ILFORD MG CLASSIC?

Tom

 

[Bob Carnie]

Sorry Tom no direct experience with the smaller paper, but I am very interested in the Bergger line and what they are up to in the next few years.. Also I am interested in knowing where their papers and film are manufactured... Any of our European Friends here with info please post.

I have used the warmtone version and its a really nice paper.

 

[payral]

Spotted: https://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/bergger-prestige-variable-nb-fb-glossy-8-x-10in-pk-25/p6622 - seems very little information online about this paper. I guess it would perform in a similar way to ILFORD MG CLASSIC?

Tom

Instead of just guess, try it.

 

[removedacct1]

Spotted: https://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/bergger-prestige-variable-nb-fb-glossy-8-x-10in-pk-25/p6622 - seems very little information online about this paper. I guess it would perform in a similar way to ILFORD MG CLASSIC?

Tom

I have used Bergger's Warmtone FB and found it to be excellent. Very similar to Ilford's Warmtone FB, but I liked the Bergger more. I expect the neutral version is just as good.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I have used Bergger's Warmtone FB and found it to be excellent. Very similar to Ilford's Warmtone FB, but I liked the Bergger more. I expect the neutral version is just as good.

The 'Bergger' products do seem to be held in high esteem even if seldom discussed.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

I recently tried out the Bergger NB VC FB in the 11x14-inch size. My paper was sourced from Freestyle in L.A. It is a high-quality fiber-base VC paper that compares with Adox MCC 110, Fomabrom 111 VC and the neutral Ilford paper. I found it to be a little less "snappy" than the Foma and Adox papers and didn't like the way it toned in selenium as well as the others either. When using very hard-contrast filtration, the selenium tone was markedly different than the tone at softer filtration settings; "bluer" rather than eggplant black. That's just personal preference, however. You may find it suits your needs just fine. Certainly, the quality is good; rich blacks, neutral tone, white base.

Hope this helps,

Doremus

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Thanks. Did you have a chance to compare with the MG CLASSIC paper from ILFORD?

Tom

 

[koraks]

I sometimes print on Bergger prestige wt satin (or semi-matte, I don't have it here with me). It's a magnificent paper. Not as warm as fomatone, but definitely a warmtone paper. Surface is similar to mcc in terms of its structure. Give it a try, you can't go wrong with it.

 

[mcfitz]

Yes, it is excellent, but I have no experience with the Ilford paper so cannot say how it compares.

This is a scan of a print on the Bergger VCNG, developer Neutol Neutral, selenium toned afterwards.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Yes, it is excellent, but I have no experience with the Ilford paper so cannot say how it compares.

This is a scan of a print on the Bergger VCNG, developer Neutol Neutral, selenium toned afterwards.


View attachment 218404

From what I can tell over the internet that print looks really good and similar in tonality to the few examples Bergger show.

Tom

 

[mcfitz]

You can obtain a sampler pack of the 4 Bergger fiber papers, 8x10 inch format, from Labo Argentique for 49.90€
I did this several years ago, it was a very good, economical way to test the range of papers.

https://labo-argentique.com/produits/papers/baryta-papers/bergger-prestige-pochette-echantillon.html

Bergger and Labo Argentique are affiliated, I have always had good service from them.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Does anyone know where this paper is manufactured ?

 

[Lachlan Young]

Does anyone know where this paper is manufactured ?

Coated by Harman as far as is known, formulation seems to be from Boespflug/ Bergger, modified (probably fairly heavily) to run on Ilford's plant from what I understand.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Coated by Harman as far as is known, formulation seems to be from Boespflug/ Bergger, modified (probably fairly heavily) to run on Ilford's plant from what I understand.

Interesting

 

[MattKing]

Harman does a lot of contract coating.
Even Eastman Kodak does contract coating - although on a much bigger machine.
A lot of contract coating is of non-photographic products.

 

[lensman_nh]

Harman does a lot of contract coating.
Even Eastman Kodak does contract coating - although on a much bigger machine.
A lot of contract coating is of non-photographic products.

Which is one reason that I think Harman will survive. They are not in the film manufacturing business, they are in the coating business. Film and paper are just one of many products that they can produce. This make amortization of plant possible over a wider range of products than just film, and should make the numbers work out better in the long term.

Kodak could maybe do the same, but because their plant is on a much bigger scale they are going to have issues of scale that Harman do not.

Either way - here's to hoping they both survive...

J.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Picture attached shows 'made in United Kingdom' from: https://labo-argentique.com/produits/papers/baryta-papers/bergger-prestige-variable-nb-brillant.html

 

[koraks]

I was always under the impression that Inoviscoat did the coating for Bergger. But maybe they only do Bergger's film?

 

[esearing]

Its a nice paper and responds colder to Ansco 130 1:1 , but very neutral with Ilford Multigrade developer identical to MGFB Classic. Tones beautifully brown with selenium + Thiourea (40/60). As a neutral tone there is not much difference from Ilford MGFB Classic Glossy except it is a tad slower, needing slightly more exposure. I am not a master printer but I feel shadows go darker as well as colder with the Ansco 130 formula with slightly less detail even when split grade printing. It fares well with bleach & redevelop processing. Might be a good base for Bromoil too, but I haven't tried it yet. Its limitation is that it is not produced in many sizes.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Its a nice paper and responds colder to Ansco 130 1:1 , but very neutral with Ilford Multigrade developer identical to MGFB Classic. Tones beautifully brown with selenium + Thiourea (40/60). As a neutral tone there is not much difference from Ilford MGFB Classic Glossy except it is a tad slower, needing slightly more exposure. I am not a master printer but I feel shadows go darker as well as colder with the Ansco 130 formula with slightly less detail even when split grade printing. It fares well with bleach & redevelop processing. Might be a good base for Bromoil too, but I haven't tried it yet. Its limitation is that it is not produced in many sizes.

Good to know there isn't much to differentiate the 'Bergger' paper from ILFORD MGFB Classic. As I'm in the UK getting hold of the ILFORD range is very straightforward, and evidently available in the full range of sizes.