Thanks Trevor. Your reply is ringing bells. Maybe I have posted this before? Here I wonder? Am I going mad? No don't answer that
:
The next bit is going to sound a bit nitpicky but I had always thought of Ilford Satin, despite its names as less smooth than Pearl. Satin seems more matt to me and have more of a "tooth" in its surface. Your comparison seems to suggest that Oyster is somewhere in between Pearl and Glossy on the Ilford scale or am I misreading your reply?
I was hoping that Oyster might be more matt and have more "tooth" than Ilford's Pearl.
Interesting point about it being more contrasty. This I think might be a plus point in terms of what I like.
Thanks
Mike