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Don't overlook Kentmere rolls which come in 20", 30" and 40" as well. (I prefer Kentmere to Ilford for toning). Only 30' long which is useful for occassional users.

I suppose you could try to meter the light from the enlarger and factor in the base+fog of the step wedge. You would also need to worry about bulb warm up to calculate the exposure correctly.

Or...

It seems like a 5x7 camera format. As an old pinhole camera, the units of measure are the somewhat archaic English Imperial "rods" rather than the "inches" of more modern cameras...:)

I am uncertain, but I believe the Ultra-Spot II has a brighter display as well (it is a bit dim with the Ultra-Spot I).

I say let the one who develops the film decide. I happen to develop my own film, have made my own tests, and drawn my own conclusions. If a lab is developing your film, ask them what they have the...

I use an inert gas preservative in my not-full bottles. Since CO2 is a large ingredient, I'm not so sure it works as a preservative with developers which interact with acidic compounds -- certainly...

Given that your developing cost exceeds your film costs, the most obvious way to reduce your costs is to not develop your bracketing exposures. If you feel you need to continue bracketing, just...

I have a clean 1960's exemplar. Handy lens, but I won't happily use mine at f11. If I wanted relatively sharp at f11, I think I would go with a big modern lens. As it is, my lens is almost...

There are various other sites discussing this film. I have one page of test results (with 35mm, though I mostly use the film in 4x5) and some links from there:...

I've been fairly pleased with the Maco 820c IR film in 4x5 (which is the main format I use the film in). Try it and see. Not only less of a halo than the Kodak offering, but less severe IR effects...

Also consider pulling the Provia. Fuji recommends pulling by a full stop (EI50) and I have seen no color shift in doing this. You might try pulling by more than a stop and see if you can gain even...

Use black ABS plastic pipes or some other material you know to be completely opaque!

Thanks for all the replies (the server seems down a lot these days). At a minimum, I'll run some tests on HP5+. N+2 at 800 sounds appealing.

Pete: I agree that medium format would work better...

Like many, I would love a faster b/w sheet film for windy/human/animal subjects.

I currently use TMY with an (N) EI 320 using BTZS tubes and Xtol dev. If I push this by a stop, I am at the...

I have one of these and use it with a light 4x5 field camera (Tachihara). I agree the quick release seems flimsy -- though there is a groove, not just pressure holding it in place. Still, I've had...

I would make an even stronger statement: consider reading glasses even if you do *not* need them. Some optometrists are recommending close-focus glasses for those who would not normally be "ready...

Just a naive comment to add to this thread:

All of the above responses seem to be assuming that a pol filter is just for darkening the sky. With direct sunlight on ruins and plants, you might...

Your posting clearly had a "the more I buy, the more I save!" quality to it. You can save money on your purchases or you can reduce your total costs.

For me, the main cost of photography is the...

I too made homemade black ABS tubes with male and female screw on couplers. After a year (maybe 30-50 unscrewings), the threads alone - - more technically, the end of the threads where they hit the...

"I've learned to limit myself to lightbulbs. -- John Hicks" John, that's a brilliant suggestion! After I figure out where this ball bearing came from, I'm going to try rebuilding the filament in ...

There's a class this weekend on do-it-yourself E-6 processing (using the Kodak s ingle-use chemistry kit. I'm tempted and wondering if there is any point in tryi ng to use BTZS tubes (4x5) for this...

Thanks for the replies. It sounds as though a different lens would indeed be sharper at least to an indicated f22 (effective f45). I'll keep an eye out for something I can afford. In the meantime,...

I'm shooting a lot of close-ups with very 3 dimensional objects on 4x5 film with a Schneider Symmar-S 150mm lens extended out to nearing 1:1 reproduction. At le ast printing on 16x20" paper (4-5x...

I have homemade tubes which only hold about 60ml and I find I get more reliable results using full strength Xtol rather than 1:1 in these tubes. My times with *full* strength (at 20C with constant ...

In my limited experience (only about 20-30 sheets of Maco 820c) you can do "zone educated guessing". IR light in typical scenes is more contrasty than visible light (e.g. foliage is highly...

I use an OM-4Ti as my only meter for 4x5 work. I've been fairly pleased with it as a system. The justification was 1) I wouldn't get a stand alone meter significantly more accurate than the...

I currently use only b/w film in 4x5 format as I want to be in control of the en tire process from exposure to final print and do not have a color darkroom or ex perience. That said, I can well...

I'll weigh in on the Tachihara, though I have not yet backpacked with it as I would also need to carry a child. The bellows draw of mine is 330mm (some are apparently only 300mm) which allows me to...

I use TMX and Xtol with 4x5 and individual sheet tubes for developing. However, I found that 1:1 was often thin despite lengthy dev times apparently because the total fluid in the tube was only ...

Also, use a little scrap of "release paper" when you tack in future and you won't need to clean it again!

Actually, the cover idea is a wonderful one. I've never seen 4x5 Polaroid sized ones though. Anyone?

It seems like a proper poll may be in order if you don't get enough interest in someone hosting off of photo.net. My personal concern (shared by one other so far) is that I would like to continue...

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. Nothing very encouraging about color. While I would love to use sepia for test shots since I sepia tone many of my prints, I'm not sure how they would be received...

I'm thinking of taking a 4x5 camera on my recurrent trips to South India. I am i nterested particularly in environmental portraits and would like to expose regul ar b/w negs for myself and provide...

I'll chime in as a LF photographer of a bit more than a year now (and SF for 25 year). I found BTZS quite useful, but I simplified everything by assuming an "average paper". This is where the...

If your negative's clearest areas (areas of maximum black) have no silver left on them, then they should equal the base+fog of your test strip negative of the same film and development. However it...

A few points which might help you narrow your problem.

1. Ignore the Ilford dichroic filter settings. Paper companies provide these numbers as an approximation because people ask for them. They...

I flew on 4 US domestic flights the week following the attacks in NYC and the Pentagon. Only had time for one day of photography on the trip so I had only 6 film holders with my Wooden field...

To convince yourself that your negatives are the problem, buy a step tablet and practice printing from that. If you are still having problems printing the easily calculable contrast ranges from...

I've enjoyed this film as well. I have needed more development time than N Dhananjay for my lab technique (using 60ml of straight Xtol in individual tubes), so do make tests for your technique. I...