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  #1  
Old 6th October 2010, 08:56 PM
TonyMiller TonyMiller is offline
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Default Film speed test and pushing film

I've been doing my film speed test as prescribed in John Blakemore's B&W Workshop book.
I use Delta 400 in ID-11 (1+1).
My testing has led me to believe that I need to rate the film at 200 and extend the recommended development times by 15-20%.
So - as I use a medium format camera hand held most of the time I need a film speed of at least 400 for these grey Manchester days if not 800 sometimes.

How do I translate my new personal film speed of 200 and development time to 400 which, as my simple mind understands it, will be pushing the film. Is this correct?

Apologies if this is confusing but at the moment I am - confused!



Thanks.
- Tony
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Old 6th October 2010, 10:09 PM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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Tony,
My advice would be to move to North Yorkshire. The sun always shines here, allowing me to use HP5+ , rated at 200, and get a film speed of a two hundred and fiftyeth at f8.

Alan
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Old 7th October 2010, 12:02 AM
TonyMiller TonyMiller is offline
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Originally Posted by Alan Clark View Post
Tony,
My advice would be to move to North Yorkshire. The sun always shines here, allowing me to use HP5+ , rated at 200, and get a film speed of a two hundred and fiftyeth at f8.

Alan
Alan, as I'm originally from North Yorkshire, and hoping to move back home next year, I'm obviously looking forward to it in more ways than one now!

- Tony
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Old 6th October 2010, 11:24 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Tony I suppose it depends on what you shoot but unless it is action shots or indoors, 200 should be OK but only just if you use filters especially an orange or red.

It is said that D 400 doesn't push particularly well compared to the older technology films such as HP5+. I am repeating "conventional wisdom" here as I have never tried to push D400

If you know that you require an EI of about 800 and we are now approaching the dull days of Autumn and Winter, I'd consider an alternative film or developer for other than static shots with handholding.

Means fresh testing if you change either film or developer but that may be the way you have to go.

If you are committed to both ID11 and D400 and these are "givens" then I suppose you need to decide what you lose by sticking to box speed in terms of shadow detail.Presumably in your testing you have a box speed neg from which you have produced a print

I'd rather get a sharp picture with some loss of shadow detail than a fuzzy shot with full shadow detail because the shutter speed was too slow.

Mike
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Old 7th October 2010, 12:13 AM
TonyMiller TonyMiller is offline
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Thanks Mike, useful advice.

- Tony
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Old 7th October 2010, 07:11 AM
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Steve Smith Steve Smith is offline
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Originally Posted by TonyMiller View Post
My testing has led me to believe that I need to rate the film at 200 and extend the recommended development times by 15-20%.
Almost every personal film speed test I have ever read came to the conclusion of halving the speed and decreasing the development by 20% - 25%

This is pulling the film rather than pushing. In your case you are increasing exposure and devfelopment which should lead to very dense negatives. If your negatives are fine then perhaps your shutter speeds or meter are not correct.


Steve.
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Old 7th October 2010, 10:04 AM
Tony Marlow Tony Marlow is online now
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Peter Hogan's Prescysol claims that it maintains the box film speed with no need to down rate it. I use Prescysol most of the time and find it excellent. It may be worth while doing your film test with Prescysol on Delta400/HP5 and see if you can maintain the 400ASA rating.

Tony
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Old 7th October 2010, 11:48 AM
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Steve Smith Steve Smith is offline
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Peter Hogan's Prescysol claims that it maintains the box film speed with no need to down rate it.
It doesn't just claim it, it does it.*

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Originally Posted by Tony Marlow View Post
I use Prescysol most of the time and find it excellent.
I use it all the time now.

* the only time I was not sure about it was with some Delta 3200 which I had used at around EI 1000 (its actual ISO rating). The negatives looked a bit thin but printed o.k.


Steve.
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Old 7th October 2010, 12:27 PM
TonyMiller TonyMiller is offline
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Thanks for your suggestions. It's an interesting exercise doing the film speed test - it's certainly thrown up more questions for me than answers at the moment.

- Tony
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