I tried Dektol and Neutol WA before amidol, and after amidol, there was no turning back, but if you want to try Neutol WA, use the 1+7 dilution.
I tried Dektol and Neutol WA before amidol, and after amidol, there was no turning back, but if you want to try Neutol WA, use the 1+7 dilution.
Just out of curiousity, would it be possible/feasible to make a variable contrast silver chloride paper (Poly-Azo?) with similar aesthetics?
"I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."
I'll try to respond to the comments and questions.
First, thanks for the expressions of support. Paula and I are working very hard at this. We'll have enough Azo for ourselves to last us forever--we are making sure of that--but we are having this new paper made so that others can also make prints on silver chloride paper. (Just silver chloride, Jay. That's definitive and has always been definitive.)
Paula and I are attempting to have the new paper made even better than Azo. Those of you who know us personally know that we are somewhat fanatical about quality--in our prints and in our books. We don't really care how someone makes a print--platinum, Azo, enlargement, etc., as long as it is of quality. So we will not compromise on the paper to the extent that we have any say in it--and since the paper is being made to our specifications, we do have at least some say in it. How much say, we don't know, but we'll certainly do our best.
No double weight. It is almost twice as expensive for one thing, and once you get used to single-weight papers you prefer them. At least we do. But the cost alone is a more than significant issue.
No poly Azo either.
We do hope to eventually have it made in three grades (2, 3, and 4) and we plan to be able to have it made in other sizes in addition to those that are currently available. With the advent of the new enlarging light for Azo (see the comments by users of this new piece of equipment on the Azo Forum under "Enlarging on Azo" at michaelandpaula.com), we anticipate demand suffucuent to have 11x14 paper made, and perhaps other sizes as well.
I used Amidol for a while but didn't care for the warmish look and switched to Ilford Universal. My unscientific obsersations indicate no difference in terms of tonal separation, tonal range, detail, etc. The only difference readily observable is the more neutral look that Ilford Universal (and I suspect Dektol) produces. I think it's just a matter of taste as to print tone, if you like a warm look Amidol is fine, if you don't other developers seem work equally well.
Brian Ellis
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
a mile away and you'll have their shoes.
I'm following this situation with extreme interest. It's been 30 years since I used Azo, and was about to get some, but since Michael and Paula are going to offer a replacement, perhaps I might as well wait for that instead of having to switch to it from Azo later on. No one seems to mention the contact printing paper from Bergger, which I believe was more expensive than Azo and perhaps not even sold in the U.S. Should I conclude that it was either not competitive or is no longer made?
The Bergger "Contact" paper really isn't a contact printing paper. It is not a silver chloride paper. While some have made fine prints on it, it does not have the long tonal scale of Azo. It seems it was a marketing decision to call it a contact paper. They should have called it something else.
Any idea when this new paper will be available? 2006? 2007? I'd love to get a hold of some silver chloride paper in 11x14 in as many grades as are available. (And I would have done so already if I could get it in 11x14.)
The ultimate irony, which I for one would dearly love to see, would be for the new paper to prove superior in quality to the Azo being packaged now. Then Michael and Paula would sell off part of their lifetime supply of the inferior Azo.
I'm sure that most Azo users who have used Azo (particularly grade 2) from earlier production runs will agree that this is not such an outlandish scenario.
I can also tell those of you who don't know M&P personally that any suggestion or request viz a vis "improvements" such as double weight or VC emulsions is mere whistling in the wind. There's no doubt in my mind that nothing will divert their focus on obtaining the finest prints possible from a silver halide printing paper. That means contact prints.
Don't you just love how the net is helping to save and improve traditional photography!
I have to say, great news for all contact printers !
Keep up the amazing work you're doing, it's through passionnate people like you that traditional photography will thrive for years to come !
PJ
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