Plus-X pushable?

ericdan · Sep 24, 2015

I've received three rolls of Plus-X from a friend and want to shoot them in the mountains this coming weekend.
Does Plus-X push as nicely as Tri-X does?

darkosaric · Sep 24, 2015

In general iso 400 are pushing nicely, lower ISO not so much.

ericdan · Sep 24, 2015

I see. So better to shoot it at box speed.

Sent from Tapatalk

Roger Cole · Sep 24, 2015

Plus-X is GREAT in Diafine. Shoot at EI 400. I love that combo. In fact I liked Plus-X at 400 in Diafine better than Tri-X in D76. So Plus-X was my dual speed film. Only when I needed faster than 400 did I go to Tri-X.

I still have some 35mm Arista branded Plus-X in my refrigerator. Wish I had it in 120.

darkosaric · Sep 24, 2015

Since you have only 3 rolls - not so much testing can be done. What is for one person acceptable pushing- for another person can be unacceptable contrast and shadow loss.

RobC · Sep 24, 2015

following seems to give some push scenarios

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/f8/f8.pdf

Roger Cole · Sep 24, 2015

darkosaric said:
Since you have only 3 rolls - not so much testing can be done. What is for one person acceptable pushing- for another person can be unacceptable contrast and shadow loss.

I agree. If I only had three rolls of anything I'd not experiment, I'd use it as intended.

Xmas · Sep 24, 2015

Hi Ericdan

If you are going to scan maybe,
If you might need to wet print nooooooooooh.

Noel

RobC · Sep 24, 2015

I have two 25 sheet boxes of 4x5 Plus-X Pan that never got used. Maybe one day. But wasn't Plus-x withdrawn years ago? How old are these rolls of film?

Plus-X was a preferred choice for many doing portraiture and was reputed to have n upswept curve. i.e. giving better highlight separation than shadow separation. I would have thought that pushing it would make that worse. Is it really a good film for pushing and in the mountains where light may be very bright possibly with snow, I wouldn't have thought it was the right film anyway.

RobC · Sep 24, 2015

if you are hand holding camera in the mountains with snow then I suggest Delta 400 first and then HP5 or Tri-X.

Xmas · Sep 24, 2015

HiRob

It's dynamic range was very good on a par with Tx IMHO, but it had softer toes and shoulders so difficult to say exactly.
It was stopped Spring of 2012 or 13 the years just melt.
Lots of the portrait people were well upset.
I used Double-x as well so was not as perturbed.

Noel

zanxion72 · Sep 24, 2015

You can use FX-1 and get sharp low grain negatives shooting it at EI 200 with minimal impact on the tonal range the Plus-X offers.

Rudeofus · Sep 24, 2015

Plus-X is no longer in production, and had some dedicated followers who still mourn its demise and would probably pay extra to get their hands on these three rolls. Pushing it to EI400 sounds like a profoundly broken plan to me, unless you are absolutely unable to afford or get one of the available ISO400 alternatives (Tri-X, HP-5+, TMY, Delta 400, ...).

ritternathan · Sep 24, 2015

if you are shooting in full sun, I really like it at 64 to 80 in Xtol 1+1. Plus-x was the one that got me to switch from D-76 to Xtol. For some reason the highlights went crazy in D-76. A really beautiful film. Great for people shots too.

MattKrull · Sep 24, 2015

I am working my way through a 400' roll from the 90s. It's my experimentation / goof-around film. Using D-76 stock I routinely push it to ISO500. At 500 it is pretty high contrast and the grain is no worse than HP5+. It's a little thin, so enlarging takes a bit more effort, but scans are just fine.

Gerald C Koch · Sep 24, 2015

Since Kodak discontinued Plus-X several years ago pushing what you have is probably not the best idea. Pushing will emphasize any fog present in the film. Do you know how the film was stored?

The conventional wisdom is that it is better to use a faster film rather than push a slower one. As with most things photographic there are always some tradeoffs. Pushing results in a loss of shadow detail and greater negative contrast.

Mainecoonmaniac · Sep 24, 2015

You can push any film but generally, you have to accept loss of shadow detail, increase in contrast and grain. Some photographers push film intentionally for a certain look. I wouldn't push your film unless you exactly know the results you're going to get.

BradS · Sep 24, 2015

Plus-X was a fantastic film for portraits in well controlled light. I loved it and very briefly mourned when it was discontinued. I would not recommend pushing it unless you're trying to boost contrast in very flat light...even then, I think Tri-X or TMY would be better.

RobC · Sep 24, 2015

I suppose the question ought to be why do you want to push it anyway?

removed account4 · Sep 24, 2015

ericdan said:
I've received three rolls of Plus-X from a friend and want to shoot them in the mountains this coming weekend.
Does Plus-X push as nicely as Tri-X does?

hi ericdan

sounds like a fun !
i've pushed plus x in lowish light situations
it worked out OK
not as good as having a higher iso film, but it worked out ..
from what i read there are speed enhancing developers with
space age names from the days after ww2 and while
i never have used any of them some say they might help
you eeek the most out of your film. as others have suggested
for the extra speed you gain there are other things that are lost
in the trade off ... you might search posts here to see how others pushed their plus x
i know its been asked and talked about before ..

have a nice trip !
john

Sirius Glass · Sep 24, 2015

Plus-X is no longer available so shoot it at box speed as it was meant to be. Use Tri-X instead of pushing the Plus-X, even push the Tri-X if you want.

mrred · Sep 24, 2015

I am fortunate and horded as much as I could (arista branded) when it was announced. I had bought 7 100' cans before it ran out.

I always loved PlusX and am lucky to be able to still enjoy it. Shoot it at box speed because it will give you the best silky smooth image that made Kodak famous. Pushing it will make lit look like nothing special.

Sirius Glass · Sep 24, 2015

mrred said:
I am fortunate and horded as much as I could (arista branded) when it was announced. I had bought 7 100' cans before it ran out.

I always loved PlusX and am lucky to be able to still enjoy it. Shoot it at box speed because it will give you the best silky smooth image that made Kodak famous. Pushing it will make lit look like nothing special.

I agree with your conclusions. I disagree that you hoarded, rather you collected the Plus-X that you could for your future needs.

mrred · Sep 24, 2015

Consider that the opinion of my wife.

markbarendt · Sep 24, 2015

Rudeofus said:
Pushing it to EI400 sounds like a profoundly broken plan to me, unless you are absolutely unable to afford or get one of the available ISO400 alternatives (Tri-X, HP-5+, TMY, Delta 400, ...).

I agree.

Plus-X pushable?

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency