Greetings from a new user of this forum.
I just took the plunge and received a 100 sheet box of 8x10 Fuji HR-U green two sided film from an ebay dealer, and have had good early results cutting down to 4x5 and processing in D23 1:3 8-10 min., although somewhat dense. One thing I've learned from researching the green films, is that the blue base is partly for reducing eye strain, but also to reduce feedback from the phosphors on one side of the film with the emulsion on the other side, which makes sense. I assume, therefore, that in photography use, sharper results would occur when using a yellow, green, or orange filter which would reduce the amount of bluish light passing through the film. The fuzziness of these films is concerning to me. My initial impression of my negatives is how disturbing the blue base is to me, and how unimpressed I am with sharpness using a 10x loupe.
My testing with a K2 yellow filter gives me a 1 stop exposure loss, and a mild impression of better detail. Can others comment on this please? I have read backwards through this thread about 7 or 8 years and found nothing on this. I do mostly woodland landscape photography.
I processed using sandwich sized zip lock bags, which worked very well and gave zero scratches. In the past, I've used Arista Ortho Litho 3.0 costing 40 cents per sheet and Injet Media Regency Royal which is very similar, but costing 20 cents per sheet (4x5). Based on testing, I use them both at ei2, process in D23 1:7 for 2-4 minutes using constant agitation. I also use them for darkroom work. These types of film worked well for me in southern Arizona, but not so well in the midwest woodlands where there is so much less light. I much prefer the 10 cents per sheet cost of Fuji HR-U, the much higher speed (100), and the processing ease of being much lower in contrast, so don't mind the 2-sided fragility.
My plan is to routinely process using my old Doran Sheet Film daylight tank to process 12 sheets at a time using D23 1:7 in 10-12 minute range. I can develop, fix, wash, and dry without removing the fims using a small fan circulating air into the tank lying on its side. My observation is that the xray film is sensitive to over agitation. The ortho litho films are the opposite, being sensitive to under agitation when processed for low contrast. Those old plastic 4x5 processing tanks like the Doran or Yankee are wonderful provided you don't agitate hardly at all. This sure is fun
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Originally Posted by Alan Townsend
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