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If I bought an M7, which film should I start with?

jonoslack

Active member
HI there
Well, I might . . . considering.
I'd rather start with one type of film and learn it a bit rather than trying lots of different films.


What research I've done makes me lean toward Ilford Delta 100 or 400. It seems safe to start processing it in Rodinal (although how we ever get anything to 20C in this house is a bit of a mystery!).

Anybody got any better suggestions?
 

helenhill

Senior Member
hey Jono Dearest...
I have been primarily working with
Arista Premium 400 / otherwise 'known' as a SPOT ON copy of Tri X

I purchase it here in the States from 'FREESTYLE'
they ship Worldwide
Arista Premium 400 runs: $1.99 cant beat that Price for Superb Quality & Tri X runs $3.49/36exp
otherwise I adore Neopan 1600

At present I use Rodinal which I like very much
but hear wonderful things about Ilford DDx

I won't do the powders D76 or Xtol just because of dealing with mixing powders in a bucket and then changing into a bottle & powder dust /etc
(even though they are more forgiving and easier to work with )

Another FAB film to Consider is the Ilford Pan F Plus/50
Unfortunately I don't know about Ilford delta 100 / 400

Well theres my Two Cents.......How lovely an M7
 
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johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
Oh, Helen you must try D76 and Tri-X. You don't mix it in bucket. You get a nice brown 1 gallon Plastic jug. Pour the powder into the jug via a funnel. Add distilled water to jug via funnel. Shake until dissolved. Then use a graduated cylinder to measure what you need for the developing tank and chill it down in an ice water bath. If you don't want to shake, pick up cheap used Magnetic stirrer.
 

jlm

Workshop Member
i like tri-x, developed in HC110, dilution B (used as a oneshot developer about 11cc/500cc water, as i recall)
i have a temp problem as well, so i used metal tanks and reels this way.
mix hot and cold tap water to get your 68f/20C temp and fill a large container (4 liter)
with the film on the reel and in the tank, fill the tank with just water at 20C. hit the tank with your palm a couple of times to dislodge bubbles and pour out the water. mix 500ccc of the water with the 11cc of Hc110, stir and add to the tank. place the tank in a tray filled with the 20C water. you need to agitate about 10sec per 60sec. this will hold the temp just fine for the 5 minutes or so of development. the temp is only critical for development, though you don't want your fixer to be too cold or it can damage the film.
been a while since i have done this, so check on the dilutions and times.
 

helenhill

Senior Member
another WONDERFUL site: digitaltruth.com

Under the first heading there is: 'The Massive Dev Chart'
where :
Pick your Film....
Pick Your developer....
and there is the recipe

THANK YOU Johnstovall
will consider the D76 when i run out of Rodinal :)
 

Amin

Active member
I'm glad you started this thread Jono. I've been shooting C41 process only and want to try some silver. Don't know where to start.
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
If you want more information than you need about B/W chemistry, you can always try the LF forum:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/

Lars
And check out APUG (Analog Photography User Group).

I try to avoid both as they start up dreams of an 8x10 and Platinum paper contact prints.

If you feel the desire to go the next step and print your film, look at Unblinking Eye not your standard printing. Back before I started graduate school, I was moving to doing serigraphs with Kodaliths made from my negatives and 4 to 6 colors on my hand made gelatin and Potassium Dichromate screens.
 

Scott G

New member
I had heard and read that rodinal and Delta 400 were a recipe for golf ball sized grain and therefore to avoid it. So, naturally I tried it :salute:.

View attachment 14166




I kind of like it, and also use DDx for a different, grain free look. Neopan 400 is good in both of them as well, and seems to be more forgiving in terms of exposure than Delta.

The good thing about rodinal is that is has practically an infinite shelf life, so if you are only going to shoot film occasionally it may be just the ticket for you.

Then again, I've only been shooting film for 6 months or so, so what do I know:D.
 

docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
Jono,

I guess the question is whether you are going to scan the silver negatives or print analog. I like the CN films for scanning on either a Nikon 4000/5000 or a Hasselblad/Imacon 343 scanner.

Acros 100/ Pan F 50 are wonderful for low grain good contast captures.

I use Beregger 200 and Plus X 125 medium grain...

Tri X 400 or Neopan 1600 for classic grain and edge effects with Rodinal.

Fuji Pro 800Z color scans wonderfully if you want to then desaturate for BW or sepia.

Take a look at http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/ ... Matt uses BW film daily with great results and has a few pointers on developing and scanning.

With your eye for light this will be a wonderful addition to your photography as long as you are willing to invest the time.

Keep us posted ...


Bob
 

Don Hutton

Member
The latest rendition of Tmax400 (TMY-2) developed in Tmax developer shot at box speed gives amazing results, especially for scanning. If I had to choose just one film, that would be it. However, one of the best things about shooting silver films, is that you can shoot a bunch of different films and soup them up in different ways and they all have completely different looks... If there were only one answer, we'd all be shooting digital all the time!! (how's that for ascerbic dig)
 

jonoslack

Active member
HI Everyone
Thanks for the detailed replies - it's nice to see that there is such a concurrence of opinion around here :ROTFL::ROTFL:

Bob - I was dithering about the idea of shooting colour negative and then converting, although it seems an odd thing to do. Ektar seems to be another option here. I'm certainly not planning any analog printing (oh no!).

Ilford has sentimental attachments as it's what I used to shoot, although Delta didn't exist then (is it an old Agfa emulsion?).

What I don't want to do is to confuse myself by trying lots of different films to start with (that way lies madness I think).

Keep 'em coming!
 

emmawest72

New member
Tri-X.

You can expose it between 200 iso up to 1600 but of course you need to adjust the development times. Very flexible film.
 
N

nei1

Guest
tri xtri xtri xtri x,is anything you want it to be.it has lots of those ellusive bits youre going to loose with your V750(big smile)
 

PeterA

Well-known member
TRX (of course) - you will end up trying any number of developers over time so just buy whatever is handy in your neck of the woods. You can ask your local plumbing supply store about water mixers - designed to deliver water aat a temp you dial in - also dont over agitate - less is more and a drop of dishwashing liquid is a nice streak killer in your final wash.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hi there
a two hour dog walk has resolved everything in my mind.

Tri-x is the favorite, so I thought, obvious, just do it. Then I thought, 'what am I going to photograph with tri-x'? . . . . . . :rolleyes: . . . . . .
People? where? there are no people here. Street? Fen Street? :ROTFL:
Low light? why?

Then I thought - I'm buying a .58 M7 - this was properly rationalised - I want to try and get the full range out of my mid-wide and wide angle lenses. So, high speed black and white film is a must:wtf:

If I have any skill or signature (questionable) then it's in reflexive landscape and colour conversion.

So it's bleedin' obvious, I should shoot low speed small grain colour film, and if that's simply a waste, and I should stick to digital, then I'll get rid of it and get back to only shooting digital.
So it would seem that Portra 160 VC is the obvious answer.
 

cam

Active member
Jono -- if Ilford is sentimental, i've been using HP5 in DDX for a very classic look. (sorry all you TriX fans, i tend to prefer the curve of Ilford). i'm now trying one roll of FP4 -- though i think it's too slow for what i shoot.... and there's a roll of Delta 3200 staring at me from the shelf, begging for a night outing with the Noctilux.

i know you want to start with one film, but i think this is totally silly and lazy on your part. mix it up in the beginning and try different films. even if development is not perfect, you'll soon get an idea which suits you best.

to try only one film and say if it isn't for you if it doesn't work out and you'll go back to digital is beneath you! bring out the goat and i'll put on my stilettos, grab my braided Luigi strap, and.... she says in her best dominatrix voice :p
 
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