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Thread: Switching films...maybe

  1. #1
    Randy's Avatar
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    Switching films...maybe

    I have been using Arista EDU 100 in 5X7 and 8X10 for a while (as well as 120). Not because I like it (I really don't like it), but for the price. It looks like Ilford FP4 Plus (at B&H) is not to terribly much more.

    Any thoughts on FP4 Plus? I tray process in HC-110. Is there a more desirable developer (that wont eat the tip of my fingers off)?, or is HC-110 ok for FP4 Plus?

    I am moving away from scanning/ink-jet printing and toward contact printing. I have an old contact printing frame that I used many years ago. Will I need to splurge on some ANR glass for it?

    Any other tips on contact printing would be appreciated. Some favorite paper/developer combinations?

  2. #2
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Switching films...maybe

    I like FP4 Plus, it offers rich tones and is a great all-purpose film.
    I haven't used it in a long time, but I got great results with it when processing in D-76.
    These days I'd be more likely to use HC-110 (which is fine for FP4+); my guess would be EI of 80, dilution H for 9 minutes at 21˚C in a rotary processor, less time if using inversion.
    I can't help you with contact printing, I've always used plain glass and it always seemed to work fine.
    Ilford RC Satin and Kodak Polycontrast (I think) Paper Developer was what I used for a number of years.
    Good luck, I saw your post on printers, and I can definitely sympathize!

  3. #3

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    Re: Switching films...maybe

    I use FP-4+ in 8x10 and I like it a lot. In fact the old Arista Pro from Freestyle was repackaged FP-4+. Its a very beautiful film, easy to figure out and very forgiving as well. I shoot HP-5+ when I've got the need for speed since Kodak's products have been out of my price range for a few years now, and I don't feel the least bit disadvantaged.
    Ilford Rocks!
    I've never used Anti Newton glass for contacts unless that is what Printfile uses on their proofer. I found the Printfile a lot easier to use than the frame I used to have
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  4. #4

    Re: Switching films...maybe

    FP4 is my 100 speed film and looks great in HC-110 -very controlled highlights, good shadow detail, hard to over-develop.

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    Randy's Avatar
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    Re: Switching films...maybe

    Thanks for the in-put. I'll order a box and do some experimenting.

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    MIke Sherck's Avatar
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    Re: Switching films...maybe

    I like FP4+ in 8x10 developed in D-76; I haven't tried it in HC110 as that isn't a developer I use. But, as nice as it is in D-76, it really shines in pyro! I use PMC pyro and it's just... lovely!

    Mike
    Politically, aerodynamically, and fashionably incorrect.

  7. #7
    Randy's Avatar
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    Re: Switching films...maybe

    Years ago, when I was a photographer in the USAF, I loved the results in D-76 (straight and 1:1) for 35mm Tri-X and Plus-X. I gave HC-110 a try, since reading Fred Picker's ravings about it. I never liked how 35mm in HC-110 "B" looked. I have only been using it because I acquired some for free, and it keeps so darn long.
    I would like to try something else, but I need it to be economical and safe-ish for my fingers as I try process large format.

  8. #8
    おせわに なります! Andrew O'Neill's Avatar
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    Re: Switching films...maybe

    FP4 is lovely in Xtol 1:1. But I love it more in pyrocat-hd... wear gloves as it may eat the tips of your fingers off...

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    Re: Switching films...maybe

    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew O'Neill View Post
    FP4 is lovely in Xtol 1:1. But I love it more in pyrocat-hd... wear gloves as it may eat the tips of your fingers off...

    +1!!!!
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    ROL's Avatar
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    Re: Switching films...maybe

    Nothing wrong with Pyro, which also works well with alternative contact printing techniques. Just wear nitrile gloves (any drug store).

    Here is an earlier post with XTOL and Pyro comparisons for FP4+:
    http://www.largeformatphotography.in...877#post823877

    FP4+ is my go to film for 5X7.

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