H
P
5
!
P
5
!
Are you developing your own film? Are you shooting with a strobe? What camera are you using? How deep are you diving?.
You might continue to shoot color so you have the best of both worlds if you intend to scan and print. Here are three BW that were converted from Ektachrome color slide film. The first two were with strobes. I'm not sure about the third. It might have been Ektachrome ISO 200 and only 100 ISO is available today. But my point is converting to BW allows you to consider different print options.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/albums/72157627032961729
Indeed!Huh? The question asked was... are there others I should consider. Folks offered their suggestions of other film to consider.
I am pretty burned out on focus stacking,
What's focus stacking when it's at home?)
Google a confocal microscope. Now imagine doing the same thing with a landscape or model shot to get f/32 DOF and f/5.6 shutter speed. Or think of bracketing, only you grab the wrong ring and bracket the focus, then mask the blurry parts of each frame and multi-print the sharp bits. It's actually possible to do in the darkroom, it's just (usually) more work than its worth compared to setting up a view camera and using movements to get the focus where you want it in the first place.
I think I'll stick with my view camera.
Sounds like intense fun. If I was still diving and looking for BW, I'd select Tmax 400 for the speed and sharpness and tones. You might consider a contrast filter to "see" better. But I wouldn't know which to recommend. Check with a dive shop camera place. Insert the lens upside down. That way you can easily flip over the Nikonos to see and adjust the settings rather than having to swing the whole camera around laterally.I'll be sending it in for development, likely to Richards. No strobe, natural light, wide angle environmental stuff. Light beams, naked girl, etc. I just picked up a freshly serviced Nikonos V and 15mm. All freediving, so while I can go 100' pretty readily, I don't expect a model with no fins or mask to go much further than 40'. Much deeper than that isn't too useful with natural light anyway. We've got a shipwreck with the mast at 35', that's about the deepest I think I can hope for in this series. Depending on the location and time of day, I should be able to get away with ISO 200 sometimes as well.
I shoot digital for a living as a landscape/underwater/wildlife/ocean guy, so a big draw for me here is to keep things simple and streamlined and fun. I am pretty burned out on focus stacking, exposure bracketing and hours upon hours of editing. I want to get back to shooting in the way that made me fall in love with it to begin with. That means (for me), shooting black and white in camera. Less worry about a perfect image (I get that I'm being a bit hypocritical wanting fine grain and sharpness here) and the technical things and more focus on the moment. Unfortunately a darkroom isn't in the cards, so it will be the forbidden hybrid process from there but I don't intend to mess with them much.
Thanks for the thoughtful questions and reply!
Lyle
The OP wrote he was looking for fine grain and sharpness. I believe he was asking WHETHER he should consider any other films, not ruling out these three films. He already had the three best candidates. Why recommend other films that are worse on the criteria he specified?Indeed!
The OP asked for 400 iso films OTHER THAN T-Maxes, Deltas and XP2s, which rules out Kodak and Ilford (except for Hp5+).
What remains?
Foma.
Worse on the criteria is your personal opinion.The OP wrote he was looking for fine grain and sharpness. I believe he was asking WHETHER he should consider any other films, not ruling out these three films. He already had the three best candidates. Why recommend other films that are worse on the criteria he specified?
Personally I would go for HP5+ in ID-11 but OP might prefer Delta 400 or T-MAX 400.
If fine grain is required I would not use Fomapan 400 - it's a characterful film but not what I would call fine grained in 135.
Yes, but the OP was asking for our suggestions.Worse on the criteria is your personal opinion.
Let be the OP the judge.
No other film to consider...Aloha!
I've recently rediscovered my old love for film and have started playing with a personal project, doing underwater black and white portraits.
I think aesthetically I'd like fine grain and high sharpness. I'm going to grab some T-Max, Delta and XP2 Super, any other film suggestions to run a test roll and compare?
Thanks so much for your time!
Lyle
Beyond: if you want to scan, a digital camera makes more sense.
Because the huge efforts and time used for reaching an outstanding wet print, make sense only when you will get that beautiful wet print...Why?
Because the huge efforts and time used for reaching an outstanding wet print, make sense only when you will get that beautiful wet print.
Not elitist at all... Not narrow minded in any way... Pure and simple truth.I'm afraid that sounds very elitist and a tad narrow minded.
Plenty of people out there love film, enjoy using and owning film cameras, and love the beauty of a well exposed and developed negative, but for various reasons do not or cannot set up a darkroom to do wet printing. You see, many film users out there nowadays are not retired boomers with a huge basement. Think students, or professionals who move a lot and live in small rental flats. Think expensive flats in London, Paris, San Francisco. For these people, a scan makes perfect sense, in the interim. You'd be surprised at how many film users nowadays are in the 15-30 age range, buy plenty of film, and tend to scan - though they would love to print. They also buy *plenty* of film, thereby helping the whole industry stay afloat, by the way.
Not elitist at all... Not narrow minded in any way... Pure and simple truth.
And I have no problem with people doing it...
And I'm not surprised at how many people do it: i've been into this for 34 years, and I've done photography, digital photography, and film scanning, that's why I know what does what.
People often recommend fast film in Rodinal. To my eyes high ISO film clumps horribly in Rodinal derivatives. Acutance dev's give great sharpness and tonality but even at 100 ISO grain is noticeable. Each to their own, of course.
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here. |
PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY: ![]() |