Response to Why not make FULL use of chromogenic B&W film?

Pete, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you are seriously uniformed about how the pyro stain works. There are no 'devloper by- products trapped in the emulsion.' History has shown thay pyro negatives are AT LEAST as permanant as non-pyro negatives. Different emulsion formulae exhibit different amounts of stain, but each will achieve the SAME results EVERY time. Why not correct your lack of knowlege by reading Gordon Hutchings' Book of Pyro? Or if you can't locate a copy (or don't want to buy one) read his article in the Winter 1997 issue of Camera Arts Magazine, 'Pyro for the Small Format.' In addition, there is excellent information on PMK and other Pyro developers in The Film Developing Cookbook by Steve Anchell and Bill Troop. (This book should be in every darkroom worker's library; it's overflowing with valuable information.) Pertaining to permanance: with the exception of Kodachrome, color film is NOT archival. The dyes used dye-incorporated films eventually fade, even when stored in total darkness. This is NOT meant to be confrontational; it seems that your refusal to access readily available information may be preventing you from exploring fully the capablities of your photographic efforts. If I were the bad guy here, I'd shut up and let you continue with C-41, and never get beyond mediocre results.

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