Bergger releasing new film soon

**interneg** · 4-Aug-2019, 09:59

Originally Posted by esearing

Questions - If it is continuous tone film, why are the only images so far as black vs white high contrast. A positive of a step wedge would be more informative. And wouldn't the yellow tinting and red backing alter or inhibit a projected image for printing on VC paper?

I think they're imprecise translations of acutance dye (yellow) and anti-halation backing (red), both of which are characteristic of various normal-ish contrast technical films like Kodak Gravure Positive film. These dyes are usually destroyed/ removed in processing - 4135 Gravure Positive tends to make the developer rather pink/ red. And a step wedge is not what you need at this stage, rather more useful would be a specification of the potential contrast ranges it can be developed to in various developers. A step wedge of one contrast/ process situation would be at best only a very partial description. The Bergger film might have a relationship to Agfa Avitone P3p-HR in emulsions & manufacture - some of the specifications and descriptions track rather closely.

**bob carnie** · 4-Aug-2019, 12:06

The Durst Lambda 76 is designed for laser exposure to any material that is light sensitive it seems.. Basically a exposure sweep is preformed by the unit which is then processed in chemicals of choice. For this film I will use HC110 and figure out the dilution.. I have used Rollie Ortho and Ilford Ortho so I will have starting balances for both exposure and film development.

The sweep generates a 21 step wedge which in turn is read on the onboard densitometer and a calculation is done to adjust the laser power to create a linearized 21 step wedge. this usually takes two or three goes and it is then balanced for the film.
From here then I would use Richard Boutwell's systems for generating custom curve shapes for all the different papers.. Lodima, Lupex, Berger and so on , as well Pt Pd curve shapes.

Once a curve has been applied to the image and of course figuring out whether I am sending an Inverted or not file to the Lambda is done and in a day quite a few custom films can be produced. I am super excited to be doing this.
Contact prints using these types of film have exceptional resolution, and can work from any and all source capture and be designed to work on any process... Got to love it.

I must add that I am using super large trays to process 30 x 44 inch sheets at a time so I can gang up smaller images or do one large film... I use 50 litres of Developer in the tray, 50 litres of Stop bath, and two fixing baths of 50 litres each. This allows the film to safely process out and in a given day I can do major work to make it all worth while.