Lower Contrast Film

[chris_4622]

Hi,

My normal film is Fp4+ and I'm very happy with it. On occasion I need a film that has less contrast for certain subjects under a high SBR. Right now I process the film for 9 minutes 2:2:100 Pyrocat Hd and it fits my paper beautifully. Contact prints on Lodima.

In order to compress the range more would I be better off changing the dilution of the developer or reducing the time of development? Or does Hp5 have less inherent contrast?

thanks,
chris

[IanG]

While HP5 has a touch less contrast, I'd just use Pyrocat HD at 1+1+100 at half the FP4 EI you're using and around 9 minutes development. My N -normal develop ment is 15 with FP4 at this dilution, dropping it to N-1 is a 40% cut in development with a stp extra to hod the shadows.

That's just a starting point.

Ian

[BetterSense]

I don't understand the idea of a 'film with lower contrast'. It seems like any film's midtone contrast can be changed to be any value you want. Do you mean you want a film with more latitude? It seems like if you are dealing with large SBR, then what you need is a film that has more midtone latitude, not necessarily less contrast. In that case I would recommend something like TMAX. Although I have never shot FP4+, I do shoot Foma sometimes and the trouble you have with that film is in large SBR scenes, the highlights block up on the negative when the film is developed for good midtone contrast.That won't happen with a more linear film like tri-x or Tmax; with those films the highlights will not block up on the negative, but neither will they fit on the paper, but they can be burnt down at least, or masked, or the paper preflashed.

[Robert Perrin]

It's been years since I've used it so I can't speak for current films but I've had excellent results dealing with excessive brightness range using post-exposure. Just enough to bring the film to the edge of fog level does wonders for shadow detail with no discernible effect on mid- and high-light range. Ansel Adams discusses the technique in some detail in "The Negative" (chapter 5, Filters and Pre-exposure, in The New Ansel Adams Photography Series). I've only post-exposed--I've never known ahead of time that it would be needed, but my understanding is that the results are identical.

[ki6mf]

Keep using HP5 shoot it at ISO 200 Use D 76 diluted 33% developer 66% water develop at 68 degrees with 14 minutes normal development time. Adjust in the following manner if to dark or to light adjust ISO. Normally you will go up to ISO 300. If its a really contrasty scene use compensating developer which is 20% developer 80% water agitate every 2 minutes and develop for 15 minutes. Keep all chemicals at 68 degrees F. meter the shadows and stop down 2 stops. If you are 5 stops or more cut development time to 8 10 or 12 minutes test to see which negatives work for each time. PS you just leaned the zone system. If you want to substitute another developer test to get to the 14 minute development time, yes longer times are a pain, then do as stated above test at 8 10 12 minutes for your normal 1 development times.

[Ron Marshall]

Scroll down to the BTZS data on gradient; HP5 is low, Fortepan 400 is very low contrast:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/PC-HD/pc-hd.html

[Drew Wiley]

TMax 100 in dilute HC-110 is capable of very low contrast while maintaining a fair amount of linearity to the curve. Probably TMY400 also, though I have done fewer
test with this new film.

[mdm]

Hi,

My normal film is Fp4+ and I'm very happy with it. On occasion I need a film that has less contrast for certain subjects under a high SBR. Right now I process the film for 9 minutes 2:2:100 Pyrocat Hd and it fits my paper beautifully. Contact prints on Lodima.

In order to compress the range more would I be better off changing the dilution of the developer or reducing the time of development? Or does Hp5 have less inherent contrast?

thanks,
chris

Try divided pyrocat. http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=52913

[Bruce Watson]

In order to compress the range more would I be better off changing the dilution of the developer or reducing the time of development?

Reduce time if it doesn't take you below about 5 minutes. Else, increase dilution, as long as you include enough developing agent for the film area (so you don't exhaust the developer).

[chris_4622]

Thanks for the responses guys, it helped me understand how to deal with this the next time.

chris