B&W Film for Studio Quartz Halogen lighting

[Gerry Harrison]

Hello,

I have taken my first B&W test portrait shots with quartz halogen light and a diffuser using Agfa APX 400 and the pictures seem flat compared to my outdoor shots used with the same film. I understand Kodak Tri-x 320 is balanced for tungsten lighting would this or any other film be a better choice...it could just be me and my inexperience to date. I am looking for crisp highly detailed type portraits ( the pores on your face type )..I love the work of Karsh. Gerry

[John Kasaian]

I don't have any experience with Agfa APX 400 and I'm not likely to get any, either since Agfa is out of the sheet film biz, isn't it? Give HP-5+, TMAX 400 and Tri-x 320 a try.

[Frank Petronio]

All things being equal, maybe your lighting is flat. Get some Polaroid.

[Greg Lockrey]

If you want pores, try using a greenish-yellow filter. Remove the diffuser as well. Feather the light.

[Kirk Gittings]

I understand Kodak Tri-x 320 is balanced for tungsten lighting

I have never heard this before. The Kodak site states:


TRI-X 320 Films (320TXP) feature excellent tone gradation and brilliant highlights. They are especially well suited to low-flare interior lighting or flash illumination. They are also useful for portraiture with low-contrast backlighting outdoors.

Which implies more about highlight separation than being "balanced for tungsten". As a matter of fact I believe most modern panchromatic films, including all Tri-X in my experience, are under sensitive to yellow light requiring a slight increase in exposure to compensate (ie at sunset there was an effective loss of film spreed because of the color of light). For 25 years the rule of thumb, as I knew it, was to add 1/2 stop at sunset. This should roughly apply to tungsten lighting too.

Anyone else know anything about this?