Pyrocat HD & Filters

[Bruce Osgood]

Does anyone know if there, is/should be, a different approach to using contrast filters when shooting and using Pyrocat HD or other staining developers?

Seems to me the results of using a contrast filter are different with P-cat than the more traditional developers.

 

[Donald Miller]

Bruce,

My experience indicates no difference. A staining developer such as Pyrocat would not have any bearing on the spectral response of the film emulsion. A staining developer builds proportional stain to negative density.

 

[Kirk Keyes]

Does anyone know if there, is/should be, a different approach to using contrast filters when shooting and using Pyrocat HD or other staining developers?

Seems to me the results of using a contrast filter are different with P-cat than the more traditional developers.

Good question, Bruce. You are right that there should be some thought as to the shooting filtration when using a staining developer. Since the staining developer will lower the contrast of the highlights in the image, if you want to build more highlight contrast and the color tonality of your subject is such that filtration will increase that contrast, then perhaps you will want to use a contrast increasing filter. Or, you may want to not use a staining developer for that shot and avoid the low contrast effect that the staining developer will create. I use PMK when I want the staining effect and Xtol when I do not.

I doubt that many people think about this effect.

Kirk