PMK - less stain on FP4+ than HP5+greenspun.com : LUSENET : B&W Photo - Film & Processing : One Thread |
I just started using PMK pyro on FP4+ and HP5+ 120 size. I did a test with one roll of each with different exposures, etc. as I would with a new film/devo combo.I developed as per Book of Pyro: 10 min for FP4+ and 13 min for HP5+. Water wash, then Photo Formulary alkaline fixer, two minute dunk in used devo, then 20-30 min wash.
The HP5+ is nearly olive with a slight fog. The FP4+ looks almost normal relative to HP5+, with no fog, a slight yellow-green stain, but much less than HP5+. Compared to Tri-x or Tmax in XTOL (neutral to slightly blue), the FP4+ looks very yellow.
On test prints, to my surprise, FP4+ and HP5+ had very similar grain, perhaps due to greater stain. I used the smae water, dilution, etc. for each roll. I mixed fresh devo for each with one roll in a one liter two roll tank, full of devo. There was possibly a tiny amount (5 ml) more air in the HP5+. In neither was the tank totally full. The only other difference is that I developed the HP5+ roll first, and used that devo for both post-fixing bath.
Anyway, my two questions are:
1)I have heard that faster films stain more. Is this common experience? Doest HP5+ stain more than FP4+ in others' experience?
2) Is it peoples' experience that pyro developed 120 HP5+ and FP4+ have similar grain?
Thanks.
-- Michael Waldron (michael@cadogan.net), August 13, 2001
Michael, your experience with FP4+ and HP5+ in PMK is perfectly normal. Fine grained films do stain less than courser grained films. And from the description of your procedure, you did everything correctly.As for the grain of HP5+ and FP4+ being equal, I am suspect. PMK does show fine grain with HP5+, due to the staining. But PMK also yields very fine grain with FP4+. In my experience, FP4+ grain is significantly finer than HP5+ when developed in PMK.
I wonder if you are comparing equal density negatives. If the FP4+ negs are somewhat overexposed, that could account for the grain increase. Also, I think I use 9 min for FP4+, and, like you, 13 min. for HP5+. I don't have my notes handy, but it might be that the FP4+ negatives are a little overdeveloped.
It might also be something as simple as comparing an FP4+ image which has an expanse of out of focus midtones to an overall sharp HP5+ image. All things being equal, FP4+ should show significantly finer grain.
-- Ted Kaufman (writercrmp@aol.com), August 13, 2001.
Thanks for the thoughts above. When I look at the grain with a magnifier, I do see a bit more grain in the sky with HP5+. However, as you noted, it is more in the lower mid-tones that grain is more evident, in part due to the lower density of stain. I guess that I saw less grain than I expected with HP5+.Thanks again
-- Michael Waldron (Michael@cadogan.net), August 13, 2001.