Almost all plants has some of the substance that makes indigo. That’s why ortho/blue filters also brightens plants to a degree.For sky, your idea is probably very effective. But the point of the K filters was also general contrast, which photographers always have used at least a Med Y filter both for orthochromatic and panchromatic film. When I am shooting fast film, I will use Med Y until the light stops dropping a lot, at which point I just take it off, but that is me. I have gotten great shots without it, and others just don't use it. The effect in the end is subtle and does come at a price in speed, but I feel I prefer to have the medY filter if prevailing light and film speed support using it.
Good modern panchromatic films (such as Ilford and Kodak, as well as some others) have a pretty flat spectral response across colors. The eye does not, and you can end up with little distinguishing between colors. Of course it is also good to consider what the colors are, and in some cases pick a different filter color to exploit. Just a simple example- this picture had small yellow flowers in the grass. I used MedY, and it helped to distinguish them a bit. It was FP4+, so I suspect it would have been fine without the MedY, but with MedY it gave just that extra zing. The grass may have had some blue in it, because it looks dark. If I were using Hp5+ for instance (generally less contrasty than FP4+), and no filter, the flowers may have looked light, the grass lighter also, but the flowers may have blended in more to the grass, not sure.
Generally, I like the way various vegetation turns out with FP4+, which I always shoot with MedY. I must admit I have not done testing without MedY, but I strongly suspect the MedY does help.
Bucklin scene 2 by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr
Nice. Red bricks? Did you use a filter?
What color was the Vespa panel? Red stop light on back of bicycle (came out black, in deep shade also). I see the strong halation effects. This could be seen as a "feature" of the film.
Hi Mark. Reddish/ochre bricks, Light blue Vespa. Red stop light. No filter used - lens was a Planar in the first two images and a Xenar (Tessar) in the last three. You can see the difference I think. Last one was close to wide open. I quite like the ortho+Tessar out of focus/wide open effect. Someone with a Triotar might get really nice stuff out of this.
I hate to sound like I am grilling you, but there were bricks in the retaining wall (those came out dark, but resolved nicely), and also in the block wall behind the chair (those came out lighter). Were they both of the same/similar color? What color is the chair? This is a good first look at this film. (Thank you!)
No problem. I will have to check, however the bricks in the retaining wall were definitely darker than the ones in the block wall behind the chair. The ones behind the chair seem to have had some (worn) light beige/cream coating applied.
What's interesting I thought is the clay plant pot (last image, centre). It's very red, and it was rendered close to black.
Another example. Old light grey Mercedes. Evident highlight glow. Noticeably finer grain than Foma 400 in the same workflow.
I need to say as well that had you not mentioned highlight glow I don't think I'd have picked this out as different from what I'd expect to see in any normal film shot such as HP5+ Perhaps a comparison shot alongside of say HP5+might show the glow better in my case
Thanks
pentaxuser
Hi Pentax, I'll see if I can take a few more sample shots to highlight this specific feature of the film.
Thanks. Any idea of why this 400 Ortho has a smaller grain than the Pan 400 film?. Is it something that Foma had deliberately aimed for or is it just an intrinsic feature of Ortho film when the speeds are the same?
What speed did you in fact use for this film when taking the grey Mercedes
Thanks Don. What I was thinking of is that with a panchro film any folds in a black(the red equivalent) sweater normally show up if the development is correct so I had thought the same would apply here. OK I accept there is a tendency for a black garment not to show detail in the likes of folds and development might be more critical
pentaxuser
Thanks for the examples. The halation glow in the highlights is beautiful, and the tonal range looks very good. I must buy a couple of rolls and try it myself.
I need to say as well that had you not mentioned highlight glow I don't think I'd have picked this out as different from what I'd expect to see in any normal film
Thanks for the flower buds shot. As I said it may be that my eyes are less suited to seeing a glow than others. Yes I see a kind of glow in the highlights of the central buds but is this not the sort of highlights that tend to show up like this in some intensely sunlit highlights even if the film is a panchro one?
pentaxuser
Using a lens hood and filtration could easily tame the glow a bit
Just to clarify, the samples I posted above were all taken with a lens hood. A hood will make no difference to the glow I'm observing, which is a by-product of the lack of anti-halation layer. The people out there who use Kentmere 400 in 35mm, or Agfaphoto APX 400 in 35mm, or Fomapan 400 in 35mm (but NOT in 120) will be familiar with this effect. It's due most likely to the light of the bright object scattering around its neighbourhood on the emulsion.
Apart from a short journey into Delta 400 and the odd original Agfa 400 film, I have shot HP5+ nearly all of my photographic life . The anti-halation of HP5+ is quite pronounced so I wonder if my sensitivity to "glow" has been dulled by this and never using films that exhibit the effects of no anti-halation? Equally HP5+ has a reputation for a flat greyness in comparison with other films. Might this be helped by its anti-halation?
Just some thoughts
pentaxuser
I have just re-read this thread now and what a pity that albireo's examples are no longer available to be seen as it makes a nonsense of some of the threads that comment on albireo's pictures
Anyone any idea why these have disappeared so soon after they first appeared? Is it a Photrio problem or due to something beyond Photrio's control?
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