Bergger BPF200 Film

[Alan Rabe]

I was looking at the bergger site checking on their paper and noticed they have a film BPF200. 200 asa with a nice linear reciprocity curve. And it comes in all flat sheet sizes.
I was wondering if anyone has any experience with it.

[steve simmons]

This is Gordon Hutching's favorite film. It works very well in PMK and possibly the other staining develpers as well.

steve simmons

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I have used some and developed it in Rodinal 1+25, it is nice film. As Steve mentions, I understand that it is a favorite with many of the staining developer fans.

[Alan Rabe]

Thanks Eric, Steve. I have been thinking of changing from Tri-X. Kodak keeps changing it and who knows when they will stop making it altogether.

[Jay DeFehr]

It's a stop slower than TX, and doesn't enjoy anything like TX's expansion/contraction potential, or manufacturing quality and consistency. Still, it's a nice film in its own right, and capable of excellent results. I use it, along with Fote/J&C Classic 400 in 3x4, develop in 510-Pyro and contact print on Azo.

Jay

[sanking]

It's a stop slower than TX, and doesn't enjoy anything like TX's expansion/contraction potential, or manufacturing quality and consistency. Still, it's a nice film in its own right, and capable of excellent results. I use it, along with Fote/J&C Classic 400 in 3x4, develop in 510-Pyro and contact print on Azo.

Jay

Bergger BPF200 is the same film as JandC 200. What Jay says is about right on. It has wide latitude with both exposure and development, and stains heavily, and its real EFS is about 100, not 200, though age of the emulsion can have a big impact ion film speed. For silver printers it should satisify all needs.

However, the limited expansion capability of this film, along with the heavy B+F stain you get with all of the staining developers, makes it less than optimum for alternative processes where you need a lot of contrast. In low contrast situations, for example, it is virtually impossible to get sufficient contrast from this film with alternative processes without resorting to special developing procedures, such as the semi-stand procedures used by Steve Sherman. I limit my use of Bergger BPF 200/JandC 200 to high and medium contrast scenes, and never use it in scenes where a lot of zonal expansion is needed.

Sandy King

[steve simmons]

Gordon uses it for silver printng and has for years. He is also a big fan of it in PMK. He feels that it works well for normal, plus and minus. If you are interested, or potentially interested in using the Bergger film in PMK get a copy of Gordon's book The Book of Pyro. It is the reigning authority on Pyro. There is also an article in the Free Articles section of

www.viewcamera.com

on staining developers.

The book is available from Bostick and Sullivan and Photographer's Formulary.


steve simmons

[Jay DeFehr]

Steve,

I consider The Book of Pyro a good primer on the subject, but fairly specific to PMK. Much has happened in the world of staining developers since its writing, and it is mostly outdated except as it applies to PMK. Maybe you should have called it "the reigning authority on PMK", instead of "the reigning authority on pyro", which is a stretch, to say the least.

Jay

[steve simmons]

I disagree, stain works as stain as it has for 100 years. But if people want a more generic source of info the article in the Sept/Oct 06 issue of View Camera is a good one. This is in the Free Articles section of

www.viewcamera.com

steve

[Don Hutton]

"stain works as stain as it has for 100 years
www.viewcamera.com

steve

Wow - that's about as sensible as suggesting that automobiles work as automobiles have done for the past 100 years. Staining developers have actually come quite a long way in the past 20 years, but you wouldn't know, because you'd far rather keep your head where it is (and I have my suspicions...) rather than look around.