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Thread: 8x10 Arista.edu ultra and tray development

  1. #1

    8x10 Arista.edu ultra and tray development

    I just started with 8x10 after a couple years of 4x5--with the smaller format I always used kodak 400 tmax, I really enjoy the way it looks. With 8x10 however, I had to skimp and buy the 200 arista edu ultra.

    I develop in trays and have never had a scratch in my life, and when I turned on the lights after developing my first batch of 8x10 they were scratched to hell.
    the prints are beautiful though...

    any suggestions for tray development?
    also
    I use d-76 straight at 68, can I develop one at a time without changing chemicals, or do I need to use fresh developer for each negative if I develop one at a time?

  2. #2
    hacker extraordinaire
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    Re: 8x10 Arista.edu ultra and tray development

    You can develop 1 at a time, just watch your temperatures if you are using chilled developer.

  3. #3
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: 8x10 Arista.edu ultra and tray development

    This is indeed a beautiful film, and I will shoot some 8x10 this weekend no doubt.
    But after a lot of experimenting and examining the nature of scratches I came to the conclusion that virtually all the scratches were due how the film is packaged. I rarely scratch film in the dev tray, and when I do it doesn't resemble the predictable lines parallel to the borders of the EDU sheets. I think the corners of sheets somehow collide with the margins of previous sheets already in the packaging process. And one thing which saves on expense is the lack of interleaving sheets
    which would prevent this. In general, eastern European films aren't packaged as well
    as the big name brands. In fact, the film boxes often leak light, so can't be used again. It's only the foil pouch inside which really protects the film from light. So whenever I use this film I'm conscious that I might have to crop into the enlargement a little to avoid the inevitable blemishes; and I compose the shot accordingly.

  4. #4
    MIke Sherck's Avatar
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    Re: 8x10 Arista.edu ultra and tray development

    The Arista.edu films are made by Foma in Europe and their emulsions have been reported to be rather soft in comparison to films from Kodak or Ilford. I used the 200 asa film until it was discontinued, now I use the 100 asa film and I agree: they are considerably softer and more prone to scratches, especially when wet, than are Kodak or Ilford films. They are beautiful, rich emulsions, however, and in my opinion really shine in a pyro developer. I can process four at a time if I'm really, really careful, or one sheet at a time if I'm worried about scratches. Ilford's FP4+ and HP5+, on the other hand, I rarely scratch processing 4 at a time in trays.

    I have seen reports, here and elsewhere, claiming emulsion defects, scratches from packaging, etc. I have not seen such but enough others have that one may question their quality control. I'll continue to use it as I'm not wealthy enough to ignore the significant savings, and my livelihood doesn't depend on getting the shot the first time.

    Mike
    Politically, aerodynamically, and fashionably incorrect.

  5. #5
    Scott --'s Avatar
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    Re: 8x10 Arista.edu ultra and tray development

    Funny, I never gets scratches in Arista.EDU Ultra. Big, fat, greasy thumb prints, but no scratches.

    And since we're all sharing, I always develop in HC-110 dil H. I use a Uniroller setup; my default N developing time is 7:12 at 20C. FWIW.

  6. #6
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: 8x10 Arista.edu ultra and tray development

    Maybe the problem is with only certain batches or boxes. Since I've only purchased one box of 8x10 I hardly have a statistical sample. Looking at the scratches under a
    loupe it's pretty obvious the damage transpired when the film was dry. When wet emulsion is scratched by the corner of another sheet during dev, there will be a slight
    tearing effect visible under magnification. These scratches are completely clean and
    fine. Although I've gotten a few wonderful prints with this film, I've also lost some really good shots. Not saving money that way. The shadow separation is wonderful,
    but when my supply of this runs out, I think I'll standardize on 400TMax, despite the
    nasty price. In the meantime, I've got one unopened box of Bergger 200 left. Now that
    was a great 8x10 film, and I can recall only one development scratch over years of
    working with it. Don't think I've ever had a scratch with any of the TMax films or
    current Ilford sheet films.

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