Use of X-ray film: technical discussion with example images

[Jim Noel]

Hello
I've been lurking around here for a couple months and was wondering if anyone uses Sprint Developer? I'm in college and Sprint is provided. (I can use other developers if approved by faculty) I am mainly worried about how much grain. I'm not a fan of noticeable grain. I am leaning towards CXS Green but would rather Ektascan because antihalation. I plan on doing different types of alternative process contact prints.

I taught photography at a college my last 20 years of teaching. I can't believe a college provides Sprint developer which is so lacking in qualities of a more adaptable developer. I would inquire, no almost insist, on using a more common developer such as HC110. This is a very adaptable developer in liquid form so it is simple to mix when ready to develop. I would try it diluted 1+100 from the syrup. A time of around 6-8 minutes should provide you with a printable negative. If there is a read safelight in the film development room, use it. Develop until the negative is very dark, then look at the reverse to see if the shadows have detail.
Good luck!

[Fr. Mark]

Just developed four sheets of 4x5 cut from 8x10 Ektascan BR/A rated at 100 film speed using D-23 1:6 for 8 minutes in trays, 74 degrees F in the darkroom, agitated 30 sec to start then 1x/minute. The negatives are still washing or drying but look pretty good to me. Hopefully they will be printed with Dr. Mike Ware's New Cyanotype chemistry tomorrow. One of them was my 14 yr old's first film exposure. He's not really into this but I wanted him to try it once from "oooh, that looks like a picture" to a print in his hands.

[+rex]

I had a bunch of Series 7 filter adapters and had a +3 close-up filter in that size, so I just made a lens out of the +3 filter and a stack of about 5-6 of the adapters (screwed together makes a black tube of about 30mm in length) , mounting the lens at the rear of the tube and making an aperture out of black construction paper, and mounting that at the front of the tube...kind of like an unscientific attempt at copying a Wollaston Meniscus lens (concave side of the close-up filter facing the subject)
Anyway, wide open it is about f/7 but is very soft, so the aperture I made comes out to about f/16 - still soft'ish but doesn't create a lot of "glow" in the image. The aperture is about 20mm in front of the glass - guess I should experiment by moving it closer to see how that affects the image quality - just haven't gotten around to it.

Note - since the filter adapters are 55mm, I purchased a 77mm-55mm step down ring and used that to make my mounting flange - just drilled three holes in it for the screws to mount it to my wooden lens-board.

Hi Randy,

That sounds like an interesting setup. Could you please share pictures of your setup (perhaps on a different thread as it is off-topic here) of the home-made lens? Very impressed with the outcome.

Rex

[SergeiR]

You leave forum for couple months and thread turns dull and techy...

Everyone needs friends by Sergei Rodionov, on Flickr

rotary, R09 100:1 , 10m

Kodak CSG, Dallmeyer 3B replica test

[andrewch59]

This is phone snap of a bigger file, too big to reduce down. I stopped the owner nd asked to take a snap, luckily my camera was just up the road and was able to retrieve quickly. Taken in a car park with a wolly velo, 8x10 in a 10x12 camera so it is off centre slightly

[reedvalve]

Figured I show an example of what is working for me to add a data point for those looking for useful info (this thread has been very helpful!).

This was taken using a Caltar 10" lens on Ektascan B/RA and developed in Xtol 1+1 for 9 minutes in a Jobo 3005 / scanned on a V700:

[LabRat]

Doing my research for planning to start shooting green X-ray (ortho), but I was wondering what kind of tonal rendition I would get with a broad range of subjects???

I think I just got an idea while watching a re-run of Ken Burns' documentary of "The Prohibition" on TV last night... Shot after still shot of a wide range of subjects from the ortho era, and I saw the contrast, skin tones, shade vs sky, etc... (I know they sharpen/enhance most all photos shown on broadcast these days, but I could at least get an idea of overall contrast...)

Quite a tutorial for me!!!

Steve K

[Nathan Smith]

I've seen some mention of using medical film holders, but the xray film holders I've seen don't use dark slides - since they're for x-ray use, they just use a low density face & just shoot through that.

Is there a way to modify these, or is there another type of film holder for medical use that folks are referencing?

I've looked into building my own film holders, but if I can use or modify these then it would sure save a lot of time. I'm planning to build my own camera, so as long as I know what the specs of the film holder are then I'll just build to that, so it doesn't matter if the distance-to-film is different from a standard film holder.

Thanks, Nathan

[jp]

There are some medical holders that are the same as our film holders. I'm not a doctor and don't play one on TV. However I've had people in the medical business recognize my normal photographic film holders as Xray film holders somehow.

[andrewch59]

Taken in a haunted house built in the 1870's, Shen Hao 4x5, super Angulon 90mm f5.6 about thirty seconds. Rotary dev R09 12 mins