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

[StoneNYC]

Wow! Not bad. How's the quality of this film?

I don't know I haven't used it yet but the people posting here seem to like it, it's more expensive than other x-ray films (which generally a 100 pack or 8x10 can be had for $30 but having the emulsion on only one side is a big plus for my workflow.

[Ian Gordon Bilson]

I noticed your comment about Parodinal. It is just paracetamol capsules and sodium hydroxide, so I'm sure you would have no trouble sourcing these. My experimental batch behave identically to Rodinal. If you wish,I can PM you a link to the mixing procedure.

[tenderobject]

Please Ian! Thanks!

I noticed your comment about Parodinal. It is just paracetamol capsules and sodium hydroxide, so I'm sure you would have no trouble sourcing these. My experimental batch behave identically to Rodinal. If you wish,I can PM you a link to the mixing procedure.

[premortho]

Hey, Andrew, thanks for showing us the results of your test. For me, I much prefer the yellow filter. But I'm sure there are times when the scene would be better with the green one. But I think it's for sure that one needs two yellows, a medium, and one 1 or 2 stops darker. I've been shooting ortho film for just less than 70 years, because I like the control you can have with it by filtration. I don't cry myself to sleep because the best ortho film I've ever used is no longer available (Ansco Super Plenachrome). I just make do with what I can get, and think I'm blessed that there are still so many varieties still available. There are many steps in orthochromaticism, from barely to almost as good as Plenachrome. Have you guys noticed how fine the grain is on ortho film? A lot of people like grain in their pictures. As for me, if I wanted grain, I'd shoot 35 mm and blow it up to 11X14. I believe that green X-ray film is more orthochromatic than blue X-ray film. And blue X-ray film is more orthochromatic than Arista edu-ortho II. So pick a film for the amount of tone control the situation calls for, and shoot it. And don't forget that multi-grade paper is orthochromatic also. Too slow? So what, you are using a tripod, aren't you. Why do you think they are still making Packard Shutters (and selling them!). So, you have a variety of choices from ASA 3 all the way up to over 100. What more could you want?

... and a filter test (written filers). Letters represent colour of objects. O=orange; B=black; LR=light red, etc... sorry but cannot find unfiltered image. I also have reciprocity data.

[gbogatko]

This with 8x10 Ektascan, Nikkor 250. Didn't get the exposure right, but still -- jiggered it in P.S.
There is no way this could be printed on silver-gel.
I'll try again some time soon.

Buttermilk Falls in Delaware Water Gap N.P.



George

[StoneNYC]

This with 8x10 Ektascan, Nikkor 250. Didn't get the exposure right, but still -- jiggered it in P.S.
There is no way this could be printed on silver-gel.
I'll try again some time soon.

Buttermilk Falls in Delaware Water Gap N.P.



George

Well looks good as a scan!

[Jim Fitzgerald]

George it would make a nice carbon print!

[gbogatko]

George it would make a nice carbon print!

If I knew how to do that, I'd try.
But seriously, the density is just off the map. I took a LOT of jiggering to get the water to look half-way decent.

[Keith Fleming]

George,

Your image of Buttermilk Falls is a good one, and it deserves a chance to be printed. As an experiment, you might take the positive image you made in PS, invert it into a negative, print that on your ink jet printer as a color negative (which would use translucent inks) onto clear overhead projector material, and then make a contact print.

However, I am having a senior moment and cannot remember the name of the brand of overhead projector material that would work for this method.

Keith

[Andrew O'Neill]

Pictorico... but there are other brands that are similar, if not the same, such as Silkjet.