using Bergger BPFB 18

[marko_trebusak]

I have a box of this film waiting for me to try an enlarged negative stuff, so I would ask for any experience with it. I would like to develop it in Pyrocat HD and use enlarged negatives for Zia. So: what exposure to start with, and is this film responding to development time, and if so can you share any experience? I think that I read somewhere, that I shall use black sheet on enlarger's board. I'll develop it in trays, but I also have a possibility to develop it in Combi plan tanks.

Marko

 

[Peter Schrager]

Enlarged NEGS

Marko- go to the unblinkingeye web site and check out the article about making enlarged negs with pyro by Bob Herbst.He is one of the masters doing this. I have done this only with Freestyle lith film and it works quite well. After reading the article which will put you in the ballpark you will have to finetune for your equipment and materials. Remember if the negs are for plat. the first/interneg has to be low contrast; then you bump up the second neg. to the contrast level you want. I now use the Maco material and I think it is great stuff. The Bergger might be the same because as it turns out Bergger is doing nothing more than rebranding other peoples materials. Good luck and have fun-it's not that hard and the rewards are definately worth it.
Regards,Peter

 

[Mehmet Kismet]

Hi Marko,

I am using Bergger BPFB-18 for enlarged Pt/Pd negatives. I make first the interpositive with contact printing my original negative(4"x5") on Tmax100 developed with Rodinal. This is a flat negative (Density difference of 1,00)
This IP is then enlarged with the enlarger on the Bergger BPFB-18. I put a black cardboard on the easel to prevent back exposure. The developer I use is home made D-19 diluted 1+5 and developed for 3-5 minutes regarding the contrast range you want to have.
Any other paper developer can make the job, you have to test. The film has a very accurate responding charactere to time and dilution. If you wish, I can send you the exposure and developing charts for my system. This could give you a starting point.

"The Bergger might be the same because as it turns out Bergger is doing nothing more than rebranding other peoples materials."
A point that I don't share with the post from Peters is that Bergger is a company founded by the third generation of the first paper and film manufacturer family of France ( Dupont and later the marvellous papers from Guilleminot)
That is true that some Bergger films and papers are manufactured in Forte(Hungary) factories, but only the production facilities of this factory are used. Otherwise the emulsion coating technic and the formulations are the trade marks and secrets of Bergger company.

For B&W fiberbase papers I use Bergger Prestige VC CB or NB papers, and sometimes Forte Multigrade PW-14 papers. As I am using a Durst L-1200 with Multigraph head, I prepare offenly the contrast curves for those papers in order to enter the input values to the Multigraph head's computer. The values are totally different and you can not have the same shadow details on Forte, as you have on Bergger for the same contrast grade for both papers. There is a common opinion that Bergger is a repackaged version of other products. This is absolutely not true.

Best
Mehmet Kismet

 

[Peter Schrager]

Origins

Mehmet-I would tend to believe the truth about the Bergger papers as I have personally used both the Bergger and Forte-they are NO way the same;and both quite good papers too I might add. But there is a thread going on right now about Bergger Cot-320 that turns out to be rebranded Arches. My post was not to discredit Bergger. We need all the suppliers we can get. I don't know what the sectet formula is for the Bergger 200 film as it is the identical film as Forte 200. Yes-the paper may be made by Forte but it is their formulation. One thing that has happened to the mfgs. of photography products is that news travels far and fast and no one can hide behind the so called curtains that they have been doing for about 100 years. The Net has broken all the rules. So if it's a film from China that they say they are making in Cinncinatti we will find out. Bergger makes excellant paper/VC and graded but that in no way makes it about $30/box better than Forte. Some companies like to cash in on their "tiffany" type marque. To me its just the usual hype. Personally I like to support Forte because they are THE manufacturor of said goods. I buy their products and hope they survive.
Regards,Peter

 

[donbga]

But there is a thread going on right now about Bergger Cot-320 that turns out to be rebranded Arches. Regards,Peter

Cot 320 and Arches Platine are not exactly the same paper. They are similar and they may both be manufactured by Arches but they have slightly different surfaces and I think the internal sizing is a little different since the two papers seem to have a different dry down factor.

I like both by the way.

My 2 cents,

Don Bryant

 

[Mehmet Kismet]

Peter,

I totally agree with you that we need all the manufacturers of B&w products. When I was twelwe years old, the first paper I knew and used was the yellow boxed Forte, and I used to use them since forty years. I would prefere to buy those papers more expensive but to see the company alive!
Bad pricing and unefficient cost policies brought the end of this good company.
High pricing politics can put the companies in difficult positions as for exemple Leica, but my opinion is that the inverse is equally valid also.

Best
Mehmet Kismet

 

[marko_trebusak]

Any other paper developer can make the job, you have to test. The film has a very accurate responding charactere to time and dilution. If you wish, I can send you the exposure and developing charts for my system. This could give you a starting point.

Best
Mehmet Kismet

Thank you, Mehmet. I would be interested in your developing charts.

Marko

 

[Mehmet Kismet]

Hi Marko,

I attached the graphs.

Best
Mehmet Kismet