In my experiments with Kodak Technical Pan this developer produced the best results. I did not try reducing the concentration of Bath B which should further reduce contrast.The Thornton Two Bath developer handles contrasty films beautifully, supporting excellent shadow retention while also restraining the highlights, and providing great tonal separation throughout the middle values as well.
can you use a rotary development system like a BTZS tube, or a Jobo with the split developer? If so, what allowances need to be made?
As the Aviphot’s film base is super thin, making it super flimsy, can you use a rotary development system like a BTZS tube, or a Jobo with the split developer? If so, what allowances need to be made?
Thanks again for taking the time to help me!
The Aviphot has it in two varieties - the PE1, which is sold on eBay by Indian sellers (and probably the Maco branded films). It is a 0.10 mm thick polyester film. In comparison, the Ilford HP5 Plus 120 has a base thickness of 0.110 mm.
The second version of Aviphot is PE0, with a thickness of 0.06 mm - that's really thin. Maybe you have some of that?
The Aviphot has it in two varieties - the PE1, which is sold on eBay by Indian sellers (and probably the Maco branded films). It is a 0.10 mm thick polyester film. In comparison, the Ilford HP5 Plus 120 has a base thickness of 0.110 mm.
The second version of Aviphot is PE0, with a thickness of 0.06 mm - that's really thin. Maybe you have some of that?
I don’t know if this example is helpful, but this is a Cirkut panorama shot straight into the sunrise at Boynton Beach, Florida on Aviphot Pan 200 (PE1) from 2014. I rated it around 100. BTZS-style rotary development for about 10 minutes in HC-110 dilution B. The range of tones measured around 1.6 on my densitometer from the sun and brightest clouds to the shadows among the rocks.
View attachment 371687View attachment 371688
I don’t know if this example is helpful, but this is a Cirkut panorama shot straight into the sunrise at Boynton Beach, Florida on Aviphot Pan 200 (PE1, expired 2014). I rated it around 100. BTZS-style rotary development for about 10 minutes in HC-110 dilution B. The range of tones measured around 1.6 on my densitometer from the sun and brightest clouds to the shadows among the rocks.
View attachment 371687View attachment 371688
I don’t know if this example is helpful, but this is a Cirkut panorama shot straight into the sunrise at Boynton Beach, Florida on Aviphot Pan 200 (PE1, expired 2014). I rated it around 100. BTZS-style rotary development for about 10 minutes in HC-110 dilution B. The range of tones measured around 1.6 on my densitometer from the sun and brightest clouds to the shadows among the rocks.
View attachment 371687View attachment 371688
BTZS is new to me, I have a Cirkut camera and would find it useful. What size tubes did you use. Can you give me some advice, I am in the UK. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jeff. There are other threads here that plumb the depths of Beyond the Zone System. It has its adherents and detractors, Phil Davis’ book on the subject is definitely worth a read.
Since the Aviphot is expired and being used for terrestrial photography, rather than aerial, I found it helpful to run the series of film tests referenced in BTZS to get a handle on the film characteristics. Photography with the Cirkut uses a lot of film and developer, so I wanted to minimize waste from trial-and-error. Lately, I’ve tended to rate it at 64 in the Cirkut.
I use a 72” length of 4” black ABS plumbing pipe. I use threaded caps on the ends. One end has a 45-degree elbow to aid in pouring chemistry in and out. I made a roller base out of lumber and casters. Photo attached of the contraption sitting in the sink. The negative is carefully rolled lengthwise and inserted so the emulsion side is facing inward.
I’ll post some detailed instructions over on The panoramic/Cirkut threads.
You're welcome, Jeff. Yes, it is very easy to kink or put a dent in the negative when working with pieces of film at this size. Careful handling is critical. To help with this, I took a 2" piece of PVC pipe and covered it with a length of velvet from the fabric store. I used 3M Super 77 spray adhesive to attach the velvet to the pipe. I gently wrap the film around this to give it some support as I'm loading it into the larger 4" tube. Four feet of film would be an order of magnitude easier to handle than the 6-foot lengths I tend to shoot with the No. 10 Cirkut. Don't hesitate to message @jimgalli for advice as well. He's processed the Aviphot this way, too. Rolling film back and forth in a deep tray has been the preferred method of a lot of Cirkut photographers and certainly takes up less of a footprint. I've just been too clumsy to make it work without scratching up the negative and getting uneven development. Again, I'll post a video soon of my process over on the panoramic threads.Hi Drew, thanks for the information and the photo. I do not have access to a darkroom long enough to allow me to feed a 6+ foot long roll into a 6+ foot long tube. But it has me thinking. Is the roll of neg (I also bought some Aviphot from India) not likely to kink/fold/or get stuck trying to insert it???? I am going to make an attempt at this with a shorter length of negative, say 4 feet. It will be ""FUN"" I think. I have been hand rolling my film continuously backward and forward in a deep dish. Not ideal but manageable --- so far.
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