• Welcome to Photrio!
    Registration is fast and free. Join today to unlock search, see fewer ads, and access all forum features.
    Click here to sign up
Resource icon

Shaping the tone curve of a Rodinal Negative

...[film exposed by] projecting a Stouffer step wedge into a 35mm camera...

Step wedge needs to be contact-printed.

...reading the [projected image of] developed strips with a graphic arts baseboard densitometer...

Negative needs to be read by a densitometer.
 
Its 2017 and I'm about to go back to stand processing with Rodinal 1+100...on far-out-of-date Fujichrome...I have a bunch 120. Will be interesting to see how the results scan, assuming I get any image-formation at all

This method focuses on portraits and in principle this should also work for general photography.

One incident reading and you are there. The shadows are pushed a bit and highlights can be tamed using appropriate paper grades. Worked for me. Have used APX 100 (50) and with Rodinal 1+50 for 15 mins of development and agitation at every 5th minute.
 
 
Opinion... Rodinal is chosen mostly by people who want its "edge effect," which isn't available from virtually any other packaged developers. Preserving that edge effect is the ONLY reason to stand process with Rodinal. Edge effect is a black outline between certain tonalities that are up against each other...like a negative version of the digital "excessive sharpening" flaw. With B&W film the edge effect can add a black outline that adds to sense of sharpness or depth of planes in the image..