What B&W neg film solarizes best?

[Darin Boville]

What currently available film (and dev) solarizes most easily? By "solarize" I'm talking about a reduction in density in the negative as a result of massive over-exposure, such as shooting the sun, etc.

My understanding is that older (Super-XX) films did this more easily. Would I would love is a film or film developer combo that solarizes, or partially solarizes, at the lowest possible overexposure level.

Looking to avoid developers with nasty poisons or fingernail-staining ingredients.

Thoughts?

--Darin

[Darin Boville]

Let's also expand the question in two ways:

1) Lacking data on current films, what older films solarized best (and what might I try that is close to those films)?

2) Color films?

--Darin

[Jack Dahlgren]

Maybe it is just faulty memory, but I seem to remember that most solarization was done in the darkroom during the printing process rather than at exposure.

If you are scanning negatives you can easily solarize by inverting the upper end of the curve.

[Darin Boville]

Hey Jack,

I believe you are right that most solarization is done in the darkroom--I did a few way back when. But it can also be done in the negative--that is what I am after.

I don't think the inverting curve technique will be quite right--inverting will change all areas of total white while solarization will not change white areas--it will only change the areas that go way beyond white (a concept that is non-sensical in digital, of course).

--Darin

[Brian C. Miller]

I take it you mean like AA's "Black Sun" which was done in the camera.

Perhaps one of the films from eastern Europe will do it. I've tried Kodak and Ilford, and I didn't have any luck at all. And believe me, the film was puckered from the exposure.

[jb7]

Not black and white, not a negative, but I've never seen a film solarize as easily as FP100c (45, in this case)

A plastic 50mm lens is my excuse for this one,
but the overexposure through the far window is not particularly massive-

Sorry, not exactly on-topic...

[Darin Boville]

Not black and white, not a negative, but I've never seen a film solarize as easily as FP100c (45, in this case)

A plastic 50mm lens is my excuse for this one,
but the overexposure through the far window is not particularly massive-

Sorry, not exactly on-topic...

Indeed, it was FP100c that started me thinking about this. A friend's kid was shooting with my Polaroid 600 se at sunset--black suns like crazy. Would love to get these bigger somehow!

--Darin

[Jack Dahlgren]

Hey Jack,

I believe you are right that most solarization is done in the darkroom--I did a few way back when. But it can also be done in the negative--that is what I am after.

I don't think the inverting curve technique will be quite right--inverting will change all areas of total white while solarization will not change white areas--it will only change the areas that go way beyond white (a concept that is non-sensical in digital, of course).

--Darin

Depends where "white" and beyond white land on your film curve. If you expose a bit less, then you will be able to find that zone where above it is "beyond white". Pull the curve up to the top at that point and pull it down after it. Very sharply if you want black again. This sharp inflection point is what I mean by inverting the curve. Maybe that wasn't clear earlier. Inverting the whole curve would result in a negative image.

[Jim Noel]

The reversal done in the darkroom is not solarization, but the Sabbatier Effect.

All true solarization is, or was, done in the camera. It is the result of film receiving so much light it responds by reversing itself. Think of the characteristic curve. It is not a simple one sided curve, but only half of a bell curve. If a film solarizes the curve will go over the top and start down again.
Super XX does work well for this. I am thinking of trying some of the older style films to see if I can achieve the effect for it is something I use to enjoy a lot.