Use of X-ray film: technical discussion with example images

[Fr. Mark]

How much speed drop under W lighting (that's chemist for Tungsten, sorry).? I tried 3 stops correction and thought it was verging on too much. Ektascan BRA in Pyrocat HD 2:2:100 for UV processes. Printable, but dense for that. Longish exposure times (upto 20 minutes) for the cyanotype prints with a printer that with thin negatives gives me 45 sec. to 6 minutes.

[Peter Volkmar]

12x15" = 30x40cm (approximately) - http://www.bema-kg.de/Typon-DV-G-30x40-cm-100-Bl any use? Probably others in there too.

Don't know what the film is like though I am waiting for some to play with.

Neil

Thanks Neil, but 30x40cm isn't 12x15". This is 30,5x38cm.
I own a very old and heavy 30x40 which isn't very sturdy, but could get a fine British field camera in 12x15". In Germany I could only get X-Ray film in cm. My hope was to get inch films in the UK, but I couldn't find any. In the USA the films are in inch, but there are a lot of problems to get them for me. Most supplier won't send to Germany, or if the postage is very expansive and the duty may cause trouble because it is a medical product....

Best Peter

[mdarnton]

How much speed drop under W lighting (that's chemist for Tungsten, sorry).? I tried 3 stops correction and thought it was verging on too much. Ektascan BRA in Pyrocat HD 2:2:100 for UV processes. Printable, but dense for that. Longish exposure times (upto 20 minutes) for the cyanotype prints with a printer that with thin negatives gives me 45 sec. to 6 minutes.

I haven't spent a lot of time on it because I don't use a meter anyway, but my sense of it is about 1.5 stops.

[SergeiR]

X-ray film is orthochromatic and can be handled under red light. Why then does it not render skin tones darker like the ortho film of old? Skin with x-ray film looks closer to pan film than ortho. Mind you, I'm fine with that. I'd just like to understand what's going on. Is it that the ortho of old was less sensitive to a wider range of wavelengths?

I was puzzled with Kodak CSG about that too, to be honest. Not that i complain - i like to have wider range in skin.

[SergeiR]

Btw, speaking of blue base & etc.

Here is contact print with Vandyke, sorry for crappy iPhone shot.

Vandyke print by Sergei Rodionov, on Flickr

Took about 1.5 minutes under sun. Overprinted a bit, but hey.. its first Vandyke i actually like.

I have more of contact prints done with lith and regular process on FB and RC papers around, But it always was bugging me than I never managed to get any UV based print before. So there we go And yes, its my typical dense negative.

If weather allows this weekend - i will try few more, including kalitypes

[barnacle]

Thanks Neil, but 30x40cm isn't 12x15". This is 30,5x38cm.
Best Peter

Sorry Peter. I wasn't sure whether 12x15 was an exact inch measure or a metric approximation.

Neil

[koraks]

That's a fine print, Sergei! I find that with high-contrast negatives (and no need to add dichromate to the sensitizer as a result), the tone of the print is more neutral. With selenium toning, I sometimes get a nearly neutral grey tone.

[SergeiR]

That's a fine print, Sergei! I find that with high-contrast negatives (and no need to add dichromate to the sensitizer as a result), the tone of the print is more neutral. With selenium toning, I sometimes get a nearly neutral grey tone.

Thank you. Its pity i threw last of my golden toner out about year ago Now if only i can find place in Dallas that sells toners

And here is my first kalitype with another X-ray.

Basically - looks like x-ray prints in contact to vandyke, kalitype fantastically well. Now i just need to fine tune process.

Kalitype - portrait by Sergei Rodionov, on Flickr

[Peter De Smidt]

Those look great, Sergei!

[Fr. Mark]

Sergei, Love your work. You might enjoy Dr. Mike Ware's new cyanotype.