ULF: What Increase in Image Quality Over 8x10?

[Pere Casals]

This is... it's the process itsef and the way it is enjoyed. ULF do not need to be justified.

I has not much importance if the image quality is much more than in 8x10, because in 8x10 it is an overkill yet, we can ask about it, but no shot wil be done in 8x10 or ULF because image quality.

I guess it's the process itself that makes one feel happy.

[Fr. Mark]

Late April I made an excursion into ULF, sort of, by way of a metal can/cylinder pinhole camera with 3 sheets of 8x10 held in place by magnets to give me a 10x24 overall picture, Ultra Wide Angle, too.

I'm not a huge fan of pinhole photos usually, but I propped the camera on a flat topped brick pier, nailed the exposure and development and this time had zero stability issues. I thought it was pretty amazing to have a photo that big and the detail surprised me. Compared to my usual 8x10 pinhole, this was way better.

This was a 10" diameter can iirc and the films went nearly all the way around it and there wasn't any unexposed film which surprised me.

This approach, obviously, requires that you be ok with a "tiled" look to the results, but gets around the issues with handling enormous pieces of film.

I get tempted to build huge cameras from cardboard that would use lots of 8x10's per exposure (12?), cardboard boxes or cylinders (concrete forms) are inexpensive and home-made pinholes are, too.

[Pere Casals]

This approach, obviously, requires that you be ok with a "tiled" look to the results,

Direct positive paper is available in ULF sizes, 11x14" and 16x20", boxes of 10.

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/products/...graphic+Papers

Even there are rolls (Non Stock Made to order)

The 16x20" (10 papers) is $97 now

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ive_Fiber.html

[jnantz]

Direct positive paper is available in ULF sizes, 11x14" and 16x20", boxes of 10.

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/products/...graphic+Papers

Even there are rolls (Non Stock Made to order)

The 16x20" (10 papers) is $97 now

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ive_Fiber.html

he can also purchase the galaxy reversal kit and make reversals with his exposures.
i believe it is a expose > develop>bleach>clear>fog>redevelop>fix system like making any chromes
its just all sold together in a kit they refer to as their "direct positive" kit.

or he can tinker with permanganate bleach / sodium sulfite / sodium sulfate or the other modes of reversal.

ive seen some online results from all these methods, they are pretty nice !

[Pere Casals]

he can also purchase the galaxy reversal kit and make reversals with his exposures.
i believe it is a expose > develop>bleach>clear>fog>redevelop>fix system like making any chromes
its just all sold together in a kit they refer to as their "direct positive" kit.

or he can tinker with permanganate bleach / sodium sulfite / sodium sulfate or the other modes of reversal.

ive seen some online results from all these methods, they are pretty nice !

Thanks for the information, I didn't know about the Galaxy kit, it is very good that in these digital days we have options like that !!!!

Now I'm using Dichromate bleach to make BW slides from film because Permaganate do not work with some films (HP5+, TMax), as it rehalogenizes developed silver. Dichromate is very hazardous. After usage Dichromate must be mixed with used developer for diposal, (it changes from orange to green), to reduce the hexavalent chromium to trivalent.

I'm to try it with paper, with film I get a lot of fun with reversal process:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125592...posted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125592...posted-public/


a lot !!! : )


The big thing about BW slides is to use a 3000 cd/m2 "light table" and to admire such a dynamic range. Another world. Now I plan to reverse LF sheets...

[jnantz]

hi pere

wow, nice work !
its my pleasure
i have wanted to do big reversal paper images but haven't had the time or effort to follow through.
please post your results
and if you use the galaxy kit please let us know how it works
i've wanted to try it, but ... have too many other irons in the fire at the moment.
john

[Pere Casals]

hi pere
please post your results
john

Thanks !! I'll do it !!

I acquired an old lovely Symmar 360/620 convertible for it. (the compound 5 plays pure Bellini music... : )

I found the 620 /12 conversion very suitable, it was said that the conversion was not good, but it is not true, I've tested it with a dslr in the back of a lovely Norma and it performs amazing, the only thing: it has to be stopped to 22, and then there is a focus shift, so focus has to be corrected at the shot's aperture.

... or perhaps the lovely Norma improves glass performance by tickling photons !!! : )

For the moment I'll try it with 8x10 paper, using film holders.

[jnantz]

can't wait pere !
i agree about symmars, and love using it converted.
i think there is just a lot of hype and people repeating stuff without
actually trying things for themselves. maybe there were QC issues
with some, and the people who have bad feelings about the lens
are the ones who have only used the bad QC ones? who knows
all i know is i wish it didnt' take so much bellows becuse id love to use it on
a smaller camera than the one i use it on ! can't complain about using it stopped down or wide open ...

[ sorry for the detour ari its that brother/sisterhood thing ! ]

[Pere Casals]

i wish it didnt' take so much bellows

The 620 /12 "rear cell only" needs a bit more than 700mm draw for infinite... I lack an additional bellows for the Norma, but the with the CAMBO I can use it: a 25mm square pipe works perfectly as a rail...

this is the resulting "device" https://www.flickr.com/photos/125592...posted-public/

Even in the case it gives (high contrast) only 25 line pairs per mm once converted this is 50 dots per mm, and 1270 dots per inch directly on a paper, a paper that can be 11x14". I'm to measure MTF performance, only because I'm curious, because "sharpness" is there way in excess.

Also I suspect that the converted option, specially wide open, may be a ground breaking lens for 8x10 portraiture, I have to try it !!!