How did you decide which film you'd use?

RalphLambrecht · May 3, 2014

kiemchacsu said:
By the way, could anybody show me where is the best source to buy FP4+
I'm talking about online stores.
Thanks!
Trung

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that is a perfectly fine film for MF and up and the best place to get it is where they actually have it. Don't shop for price;shop for availability and freshness.

brian steinberger · May 3, 2014

kiemchacsu said:
By the way, could anybody show me where is the best source to buy FP4+
I'm talking about online stores.
Thanks!
Trung

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

http://www.bhphotovideo.com

JW PHOTO · May 3, 2014

RalphLambrecht said:
I would never choose a mediocre film for financial reasons. I don't use enough for that to matter,and I'm happy to pay for what I likeKodak could double their Tmax prices and I would still buy nothing but.frustration is the worst expense.

Hey Ralph, don't give them any ideas or they will double the price. I'm not a real big Tmax 100 fan, but I really like Tmx 400. I like it in FX37 and Xtol for fine grain and very good film speed. I really don't think TMY2 has any competition in the 400 speed films when it comes to speed and fine grain. Just my thinking of course and other folks think differently, thank God. JW

markaudacity · May 3, 2014

37th Exposure said:
Kodak Tmax400=takes forever to fix and does not perform in Rodinal, not worth the trouble for the slight improvement in image quality.

Rodinal and TMY are not a great match. Have you tried it in another developer?

Thomas Bertilsson · May 3, 2014

What EXACTLY is so bad about Rodinal and TMax 400?

Silver gelatin prints from TMY-2 negs processed in Rodinal.

Black Dog · May 3, 2014

Nice pics there Thomas...I agree there. Grain isn't the finest though, but you can make that look work for you. I used to love Kodak Recording Film in Rodinal, or Fortepan 400.

37th Exposure · May 3, 2014

markaudacity said:
Rodinal and TMY are not a great match. Have you tried it in another developer?

Yes, it does fine in d76 and Tmax. Rodinal is ok but the grain comes out worse than say HP5 and with a speed loss, not the reasons for choosing Tmax. Based on actual clearing tests, the tmy-2 takes forever even in fresh rapid fix. So I gave it up altogether. Too much trouble for a slight gain in image quality. HP5 offers the best combination of speed, image quality, price, versatility, convenience, QC in any film so it's my no.1 after Agfa 400 bit the dust.
The film I've used the most in my life to date was Kodak Tri-X which is why I got to know it well enough never to use it again. With online shopping and companies like b&h, I no longer have to make my film choice based on take it or leave it.

horacekenneth · May 3, 2014

Gorgeous photos Thomas

markaudacity · May 3, 2014

You're the first person I've ever heard say they didn't like the tonality of Tri-X. Thank God for choices, yeah? ^_^

RedSun · May 3, 2014

For me, I just want to use whatever film I do not want to keep...

Vilk · May 3, 2014

Thirty-three years ago I loaded a roll of HP4 in my first camera; I never found a reason to load something else. Each time I might have bought a small batch of something else, usually because the price was good, I would end up giving most of it away. It is HP5+ today and it still gives me everything I ask it for.

MattKing · May 3, 2014

I use TMY-2 for my fixer clip tests, in order to ensure that any film I develop is fully fixed. Usually, it takes about 2 - 4 minutes longer to fix than Plus-X.

kiemchacsu · May 3, 2014

Ricardo Miranda said:
Here is one: http://www.silverprint.co.uk/Catalogue.asp?PrGrp=2

markbarendt said:
Where are you?

Thank you, I forgot to mention that I prefer films shipped to USA.

RalphLambrecht said:
that is a perfectly fine film for MF and up and the best place to get it is where they actually have it. Don't shop for price;shop for availability and freshness.

Indeed I only shoot 35mm. I once shot with fp4+ and I liked it. For slow film at the moment, I am happy with Tmx but since you guys here seem fasnited about fp4+, I'd like to try it again. Do you think that for 35mm, fp4+ would have significant advantage over tmx?

brian steinberger said:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com

It's about 6 bulks per roll there. Now I am regret that I didnt grab 100rolls expired 7.2013 for $300 from ebay recently.

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markbarendt · May 3, 2014

Dead Link Removed

Dead Link Removed

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/183125-Arista-35mm-Metal-Reloadable-Cartridge-25-pack

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/27326-Arista-35mm-Bulk-Film-Loader-Bobinquick-Junior

NB23 · May 4, 2014

Thomas Bertilsson said:
What EXACTLY is so bad about Rodinal and TMax 400?View attachment 87300 View attachment 87301

Silver gelatin prints from TMY-2 negs processed in Rodinal.

Loss of speed, Grain, Tonality. DD-X, for example, whipes Rodinal. As doD-76, X-tol...

Yes you might prefer rodinal. But do you really like your films to be underdeveloped? You lose a lot Tmax virtues by using rodinal.

Maybe we should ask you: what is so good about rodinal + tmax films? What does it do better then X-tol, for instance?

markbarendt · May 4, 2014

NB23 said:
Loss of speed, Grain, Tonality. DD-X, for example, whipes Rodinal. As doD-76, X-tol...

Yes you might prefer rodinal. But do you really like your films to be underdeveloped? You lose a lot Tmax virtues by using rodinal.

Maybe we should ask you: what is so good about rodinal + tmax films? What does it do better then X-tol, for instance?

NB23 I don't think Thomas is trying to be an evangelist for Rodinal. What I believe Thomas is saying is that you can do very good work with Rodinal and showing examples to back up that claim.

Two thoughts.

First, how much we develop our film is a choice we make, or it might be a mistake that we make. Under development is not a characteristic of Rodinal.

Second, yes TMY is a great film; DD-X, Xtol, and D-76 are very good developers. None of these though, are magic bullets capable of doubling the quality of our photography overnight. Each of these developers brings to the table certain qualities, just like RolloPyro, HC-110, and Rodinal do. If we know their qualities, by experience, then we can pick and choose which of those qualities is most important for any given project; much like we might choose broccoli over asparagus for dinner. Personally I've been working with RolloPyro lately and it's quickly displacing the DD-X that I've been using. So far It is producing prints that I like better. Sure the FP4 and Delta 400 I have used so far seem to do better with a bit more exposure now than they needed with DD-X, but that speed loss isn't enough to make or break a shot.

VPooler · May 4, 2014

I used to buy the cheapest option available - Fomapan and such but then Kodak was having hard times and since I really enjoy their color emulsions, I tried to support them as much as possible and tried out Tmax 100. Turns out I really love the tones when souped in Rodinal 1+100 (my usual recipe) and decided to stick with it. Now I have a propack of it in 120 sitting in my fridge at all times. And I use it, not just buy it. That propack doesn't usually last long

Thomas Bertilsson · May 4, 2014

markbarendt said:
NB23 I don't think Thomas is trying to be an evangelist for Rodinal. What I believe Thomas is saying is that you can do very good work with Rodinal and showing examples to back up that claim.

Two thoughts.

First, how much we develop our film is a choice we make, or it might be a mistake that we make. Under development is not a characteristic of Rodinal.

Second, yes TMY is a great film; DD-X, Xtol, and D-76 are very good developers. None of these though, are magic bullets capable of doubling the quality of our photography overnight. Each of these developers brings to the table certain qualities, just like RolloPyro, HC-110, and Rodinal do. If we know their qualities, by experience, then we can pick and choose which of those qualities is most important for any given project; much like we might choose broccoli over asparagus for dinner. Personally I've been working with RolloPyro lately and it's quickly displacing the DD-X that I've been using. So far It is producing prints that I like better. Sure the FP4 and Delta 400 I have used so far seem to do better with a bit more exposure now than they needed with DD-X, but that speed loss isn't enough to make or break a shot.

You explained exactly what I thought.

To categorically lump Rodinal and TMY-2 into a pile of 'not good' is kind of silly.

The whole reason someone would use Rodinal is for TEXTURE. And Rodinal excels at it! Relatively sharp negatives, with very flexible developing characteristics, and good honest grain. I know portrait photographers who paid their mortgage with Rodinal and TMY/TMY2 as a portion of their ingredients.

I have stopped using Rodinal mostly because I have to buy it from Freestyle to get it, when I can buy Xtol and D76 around the corner, and they offer results that are slightly different but very good also.

markbarendt · May 4, 2014

Thomas Bertilsson said:
I have stopped using Rodinal mostly because I have to buy it from Freestyle to get it, when I can buy Xtol and D76 around the corner, and they offer results that are slightly different but very good also.

I can't get any developer local, so my calculus is different.

Scandium · May 5, 2014

I use %@@

Scandium · May 5, 2014

I use 5222 Double-X for most work. It has a long grey scalecompared to most still films. It perform well even at higher ISOs with careful processing.

dorff · May 5, 2014

markbarendt said:
I can't get any developer local, so my calculus is different.

Hi Mark, are you mixing your own chemistry? Rodinal and D76 are so incredibly easy and cost effective to make yourself. Home-made is the only way to get many other developers, including some of the most useful ones. The only relative difficulty and hassle lies in acquiring the chemicals (and in one or two cases, the exact recipe). But since you are in the USA, you have cost effective access to PF, B&H and plenty of fine chemicals suppliers that us lesser folks in other parts of the world don't have. I will probably never buy Rodinal again, as I have 2 kg of paracetamol, and everything else I need to make Parodinal. 2 kg of paracetamol => 2500 films developed. That said, I do appreciate every supplier that still services the analogue community, so buy the proprietary products if they are locally available. It's just that nothing seems to reach South Africa nowadays, and apart from Ilford, I haven't seen much of anything being available here.

markbarendt · May 5, 2014

Hey dorff,

Yes that is actually starting. My baby step into this world was RolloPyro, bought the "kit" from Formulary. Everything remeasured ready to go.

I don't know that I see myself going much farther than this because I have to get the stuff somewhere and it's handy to get it as a kit.

NB23 · May 5, 2014

I use rodinal for slow films. Use it for fast films. Also used it for tmax3200 with results that I really liked. Good redults could also be obtained in orange juice with enough time, I guess.
But there are often better alternatives. Xtol is amazing. DD-X is the intergalactical champ (IMO). D-76, HC110... Even next to DD-X, i will sometimes use rodinal but knowingly that I'm in for inferior results, IMO.

To answer the op, I have slowly settled on bulk tmax 100 and bulk hp5, after having gone through 200 rolls of hp5 and various other frozen films I had. Finishing 40 rolls of plus-x these days that I kept for a special occasion. It ended up that the special occasion was simply "not letting it get any older before it starts fogging". I'll probably develop them in HC-110 to prevent any possible base fog from appearing, but I'd prefer rodinal and D-76 if it was fresher.

RalphLambrecht · May 5, 2014

UK customers are use to and are willing to pay more;it's whatever the market bears.

How did you decide which film you'd use?

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