What did I do wrong with this B&W reversal?

flavio81 · 2025-10-15T22:44:38-0400

koraks said:
It is correct that the base on the 135 version is tinted. Some people may find this to be an issue. Some won't. It's not a particularly dark base, or strongly tinted.

P C Headland said:
I've not found too much difference in base between Fomapan 100 and the Ilford films.

Perhaps they have changed the base. Last time i used Fomapan 100 was long ago and I recall the base being not too clear.

flavio81 · 2025-10-15T22:45:15-0400

Raghu Kuvempunagar said:
All films can be reversed and some give better results than other. However, some films couldn't be run through the vastly famous Dr5 process and hence might have wrongly earned the reputation of being unsuitable for reversal.

From https://www.dr5.com/blackandwhiteslide/filmreviewdev1.html

The following below films are not recommended or CANNOT be run through the dr5-process:
FOMAPAN-100 & 400 • ALL SHANGHI • FUJI-ACROS100 • COPEX/ADOX-20
APX-400 & 25 • ALL C41-XP2

Yes, I was following DR5's advice when I wrote that Fomapan 100 is "said" to be not good for reversal.

Ivo Stunga · 2025-10-16T01:46:28-0400

koraks said:
I bet @Ivo Stunga has tried reversal processing F100. He's put a heck of a lot more time into this than I ever have.

Indeed I have and I like the old-school feel of this film. I like it even better than R 100 - reversed both in Foma kit or PQ Universal/Ilford.

I find the density of the base a non-issue.
If you project - sure, the slides are a tad darker (base acts as a weak ND filter), but that's almost imperceivable if you don't have a clear base slide next to it to compare to. If you scan it - no problems whatsoever with well exposed and developed slides. I suggest to ignore the base density and go for film properties instead. More fun, more options. Currently I have HP5+ @1600 in my camera...

Up to this point I only had trouble reversing unknown age mystery soviet tech film with a green coating. Everything goes and at EI you want - no strange "shoot this film at EI X to be compatible with our services" BS.

You can even reverse C-41 and E-6 films if you want to do so.

koraks · 2025-10-16T02:52:04-0400

flavio81 said:
Yes, I was following DR5's advice when I wrote that Fomapan 100 is "said" to be not good for reversal.

I see; it's apparently something to do with their proprietary process. I wonder what that might be. In any case, the film can be reversed per se, but apparently there can be specific issues in certain setups.

Ivo Stunga · 2025-10-16T03:33:16-0400

I'd hazard a guess that DR5 tried to approach BW Reversal as C-41 and E-6 processing - just one soup, one routine, one temperature - thus the awkwardly forced EI to be compatible with this approach. If it doesn't work, film is announced as "unsuitable" and that's all. And people being people - blindly reiterate the statement without challenging it, without doing any testing on their own.

With BW negative approach (tailoring dev strength/hypo number/time to each film) you can reverse any film under the sun today.

koraks · 2025-10-16T03:37:34-0400

Yes, you may very well be right.

Raghu Kuvempunagar · 2025-10-16T05:01:43-0400

Ivo Stunga said:
I'd hazard a guess that DR5 tried to approach BW Reversal as C-41 and E-6 processing - just one soup, one routine, one temperature - thus the awkwardly forced EI to be compatible with this approach.

For a commercial lab dealing with substantial volumes of film, running a customised process for every film and EI combination wouldn't be very pragmatic. On the other hand, running a process with just one soup-routine-temperature for all films and be able to get excellent results seems even less practical. Even the supposedly well-researched Adox Scala kit hasn't been able to achieve that.

Raghu Kuvempunagar · 2025-10-16T05:23:08-0400

koraks said:
I see; it's apparently something to do with their proprietary process. I wonder what that might be. In any case, the film can be reversed per se, but apparently there can be specific issues in certain setups.

It could be that some films (rejected by Dr5), though can be reversed, don't give high quality results no matter what process is used. Hobbyists might not care about DMin and DMax of their slides, but Dr5 does.

Ivo Stunga · 2025-10-16T05:31:06-0400

Raghu Kuvempunagar said:
Hobbyists might not care about DMin and DMax of their slides, but Dr5 does.

Depends on the hobbyist. I can easily outperform DR5's botched effort with Ilford/PQ Universal and to my brain this seems like an attempt at a scam - let's "prove" that other BW reversal methods doesn't work so you're forced to use my services... Just a business move. And I'm nothing but an amateur - they were the supposed pros!

And if that attempt at Ilford Reversal was honest and thorough - then I question the capabilities and professionalism of DR-5. Twist this as you wish - looks ugly from all angles.

What did I do wrong with this B&W reversal?

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What did I do wrong with this B&W reversal?

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