Kentmere vs. Bergger and Others?

[rtuttle]

If you liked Zone VI VC then you should like Kentmere as they claim they were the manufacturer for one of the 3 different varieties. I know I was a big fan of the Zone VI VC and Zone VI Bromide. It's the closest thing I have found. Ilford makes some good papers but I have to say I like the tone of these a little better.

 

[pentaxuser]

Finally, one of the best things about them is that in the UK they're nearly half the price of Ilford et al.

Mike

Wow nearly half the price as little as two years ago. My how things have changed in two short years. Relatively speaking did Ilford come down or Kentmere increase in price? In terms of special offers or certain stockists, it would seem that llford MGIV, especially on 10x8 100 sheet packs is about the cheapest paper nowadays, excluding maybe certain E. European brands.

Maybe based on this thread Kentmere recognised it has a product to compete with Ilford on a like for like basis in terms of quality and logically therefore, price also.

pentaxuser

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Kentmere Bromide in all grades has a very nice, a bit colder tone, with rich deep blacks and crisp whites. It works very very well for contact printing as well as enlarging. It responds extremely well to all kinds of developers.
Kentmere Kentona is a warmtone paper with a very creamy luscious paper base. Available only in Grade 2, which actually seems more like a Grade 3 to me. Is stunning in Ansco 130 and lith developers. A swim in Bromophen 1+3 gives it a super warm tone.
Their variable contrast paper took a bit of getting used to. I consistently got problems at high contrast filtration using Ilford MG filters. But as soon as I had worked through a box of it, and then printed on my standard papers again, just to compare I was pleasantly surprised at the tonal range, the (once again) rich blacks and crisp highs. The warmtone version is just phenomenal. It tones beautifully, works great in lith, but I actually like it best in standard chemistry. I've used it with Ilford Bromophen 1+3, Kodak Dektol 1+3, and Ansco 130 1+1 with very nice results.
Bar my first initial reaction to the variable contrast papers, I have nothing but great things to say about Kentmere. Go for it!
- Thomas

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Another vote for Kentmere papers. Especially the VC fibers (Fineprint VC). I love their Finegrain Warmtone. Ilfords papers are good too, but given the choice I stick with Kentmere.

Tim, some of my prints at the Joshua Tree workshop last year were on Azo and Kentmere Bromide. I've used Amidol and the PPPD developers on both. In Amidol they are both stunning. In my eye i would give the slight edge to the Azo. Nothing scientific i just love the look. But when i look at the Kentmere there is a special quality that it brings out. In the PPPD developer both papers are a little warmer with the edge going to the Kentmere Bromide. For a warm tone contact print on a neutral paper this combo looks very nice to me. If I had to live with just the Kentmere Bromide I could certainly do so. The sharpness and detail was all there and with the different developers I could get the look I like. Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[doughowk]

Kentmere Kentona

Initially had problems with the Kentmere Kentona, but now actually prefer it to Fortezo for warm tones with better detail rendering. It does seem overly susceptible to developer fogging. The manufacturerer says do not develop in warmer temperatures. The addition of benzotriazole & KBr to the developer is beneficial. Benzo by itself cools down the paper while KBr brings back the warmth; and both inhibit fogging. I'm currently developing Kentona in PF/Edwal 106 with addition of 15ml of 1% benzo & 5ml 10% KBr per liter.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Bergger has some nice products as well. But the "company" scares me. It's like some wheeler-dealer business-type is buying mystery product from all over and packaging it in boxes labelled with the name of some old dead French guy, with whom he has no real connection.

Not exactly. Guy Gerard was the quality control manager at Guilleminot, so he does know rather more than most of us about emulsion technology, and 'Bergger' is a made-up name from his and his wife's names. Yes, he sources his products from different places, and yes, Forte's disappearance was a problem. But he is most assuredly not a wheeler-dealer who sells a sequence of products under the same label, unlike Another Name whose ISO 400 film came (I am told) at one time from at least three sources in as many years without any change of name. I won't name them because they would make a lot of noise; I'd have to go back to my original sources, who might be unwilling to go on the record; and I believe the company in question is significantly more honest now anyway.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

I've switched to the Bromide paper because it offers more grades than what I was using. I'm very happy with the results and will continue to print using it.
-Rob

 

[tbm]

Yay, Kentmere!

I made prints in my darkroom last weekend for the first time with Kentmere's VC glossy RC paper from negatives exposed with my Leica R8 (Tri-X with an EI of 650 due to low light conditions outdoors and processed in Microdol-X 1:3 at 75 degrees for 22 minutes) and, my gosh--what incredible images I was able to easily create with my Saunders LPL dichroic enlarger! I'm hooked for life and will truly try Kentmere's glossy fiber paper next for other special uses. I'm so pleased! BTW, I purchased the VC glossy RC paper at Freestyle Camera in Hollywood, California.

Terry