Oh! Sloppy test shots caused me to rate my tech Pan 120 film at ISO32. Now I realise this is going to give me too high contrast for my subject (high contrast anyhow to start with). I've run another Tech Pan film off and done some dev testing with a two stepper (emofin) but still too high contrast. I'd like to know how effective a water bath would be with this developer and weather I'd get any blotching occurring. Or would you expect Technidol to be the only way forward. Then again anybody tried a water bath with Technidol? If anybody could help me with a visualisation here: if you had one neg developed 'normally' and one in Technidol what would the contrast difference be if likened to that of b/w paper contrast grades? 5 -to 00 or just 2 to 3? Get the idea? Oh why didn't I shoot more films off...remember people film is cheap. Damn! :o( Bri

-- Brian Thomas (brit@bwphoto.freeserve.co.uk), August 26, 2000

Answers

Though I have only limited experience with the stuff, this sounds like a job for POTA. Start w/ 750 ml of water at 185F, add 30 grams of sodium sulfite, then 1.5 grams of phenidone. Make up to 1 liter. That's it- worlds simplest developer. Anchell says about 11 1/2 to 15 minutes at 68F. Doesn't keep- make as needed.

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), August 26, 2000.

I doubt a water bath would work well as a compensation for wrong film speed with TP. The emulsion is not really thick enough. Try 4.5 mins with vigorous agitation for the first 10 secs and then only slight agit every 2 mins. Sorry I don't have Kodaks film book with me here but if all you did was use the film for a test, throw it away "after" you try the shortened time with little agitation. Good testing habits are a must. Why waste good film and chemistry? I use TP all the time but I don't waste it on anything over 6 stop range. I run into enough brick walls. Another thi9ng you could try would be flashing the film slightly to help establish your shadows a little more. That's where you will lose detail by shooting it at ISO 32. It's not a bad speed to shoot it at but your shadow detail will be thin. Just don't over agitate it and over develope it. Also a quick trip through the bleach will help even out the slight mottling. Just process it and learn for next time. James

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), August 26, 2000.

Greetings,

As Conrad suggested Pota will lower the contrast on Tech Pan. I haven't used it in a long time, but when I did I recall getting very low contrast negatives from Tech Pan. Also Photographer's Formulary sells a low contrast developer (I think it's called TD-3) which also yielded low contrast Tech Pan negs. Godd Luck!

Regards,

-- Pete Caluori (pcaluori@hotmail.com), August 28, 2000.