Paper for color negatives

[Renato Tonelli]

Is anyone aware of a B&W paper for printing from color negatives (Kodak used to make one). Thanks in advance.

 

[richard ide]

You can make an almost decent print on some B&W papers. Tone fidelity will be off but quality is dependent on colours in original. I used a couple of Agfa papers in the past which were not too bad. I suggest you try and see if the result is acceptable to you. A graded paper would be better than a VC paper I think.

 

[jim appleyard]

Kodak used to make a paper called Panalure. It was designed for just the thing you want to do, make b/w prints from color negs. It hasn't been made in several years, but still pops up on ebay from time to time. I would be cautious in buying it tho'; it may be starting to get too old.

I've made b/w prints from color negs on VC/RC paper (never used graded so I can't give an opinion) and they come out ok. Not great, but ok. They lack contrast and are grainy, but it does work.

 

[PHOTOTONE]

Alas, it is a sad fact that all the purpose-made papers for printing b/w prints from color negatives have been discontinued. Even the RA-4 compatible paper from Kodak for making b/w prints from color negatives.

I remember back in the late 1960's when I worked in the lab of a local wedding and portrait photographer. I used to print a 5x7 of every exposure he made of a bridal or engagement sitting. He would cut his Hasselblad negatives down into singles and put each single in a glassine. It was time-consuming printing those. Used an old Omega D-2 with condenser head. Went thru tons of Panalure. These were so the bride-to-be could submit photos to the newspapers, who only took b/w photos at the time, yet she could order full color prints for her wall from the same poses. We used to contact print the studio name in the rebate of each image from a litho neg.

 

[keithwms]

Is anyone aware of a B&W paper for printing from color negatives (Kodak used to make one). Thanks in advance.

There is a chromogenic RA4 paper from Oriental (Hyper seagull), and I think there is another one called RC digital from Ilford.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

A graded paper would be better than a VC paper I think.

It's the opposite: VC is better than graded. Graded papers are sensitive to blue only, while VC papers are sensitive into the green.

 

[Ole]

... but VC has different contrast depending on the colour too, so you might end up with high-contrast faces and low-contrast clothes. That can be somewhat unattractive, I think.

 

[drpsilver]

14 Jan 2008

A note about Kodak Panalure (if you can find some). You must print using a #13 Kodak safelight (very dark red), or total darkness. If you use an OC safelight the paper will be completely fogged!

I have hag good results printing color negatives on Ilford MGIV RC. I have noted that the exposure times are 2 to 3 times longer than with a B&W negative of equal density. Moreover, the contrast had to be increased approximately a grade.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[AgX]

Ilford Ilfospeed RC Digital.

Not the most ideal form of three seperate bands (though it is questionable whether this would really be necessary for b&w printing), but rather continuous with a strong sink at 580nm.

This should work fine for printing from colour negatives with some filtering for the mask.

Ask Simon Galley to make it available in sheets.


I posted this before but nobody reacted.


for the historical minded...

I found the following panchromatic b&w papers in my files:

Kodak:

Panalure (fiberbased)
Panalure II RC
Panalure II Repro RC
Panalure Select RC (3 grades)
Ektamax RA (chromogenic, RA4, 2 grades)


GAF:

PP-675 Panchromatic Paper


Labaphot:

Labalure (2 grades)


Oriental:

Panchto RP


Forte:

Equitone RC

 

[keithwms]

Hyper seagull is available in sheets, accoridng to the Oriental website.

http://www.orientalphotousa.com/hyperseagull.htm

 

[Renato Tonelli]

A good soul from APUG has offered Panalure for the cost of postage. I've used it before. If the paper is fogged (hasn't been made in a very long time) I will pursue the other recommendations.