Best black and white tones?

[Brock]

Hi Folks,

I'm looking to standardise on one film and dev for most of my 6x6 photography. Having spent a lot of time "researching" the internet, by far the best tones I've seen appear to come from Fomapan 100 developed in Rodinal 1:50.

However, I've read a few things about dodgy quality control with Fomapan. The impression I have is that this is largely historical and doesn't happen often anyway. Is this right or has anyone experienced problems with this film?

I've been looking mainly at Fomapan 100 for tripod-based photography but was thinking about Fomapan 400 for handheld work with my Rollei. Any opinions on the faster film?

[Dave miller]

I've used Fomapan 400 for medium format work. Developed in a staining developer such as Prescysol it is for all intents grain free, unlike my results with Rodinal. The blue cast that the film has helped with contrast control. However I stopped using it because I didn't like the printed results whatever I developed it in and standerdised on Kodak Tmax 400. I don't recollect any quality control issues.
However our tastes are all thankfully different.

[Brock]

That's interesting what you say, Dave, about not liking the printed results. Can you expand on that, please? Having said I like the look of Fomapan/Rodinal, I'm not sure how much I can take from online images, most of which will just be scans. I'm not too hung up on grain as I think that nice tonality is the most important thing in a print.

[Keith Tapscott.]

Best black and white tones?

Kodak Tri-X developed in D-76 1+1 has long been a classic film and developer combination and is still highly revered by many photographers for it's tonality.

[Alan Clark]

Hello Brock. I have used a lot of foma 400 in 35mm and quite a lot of Foma 100 in 120, both developed in Pyrocat HD. Both of these films have a very distinctive "look". The 400 has a kind of halation in the highlights which can give it an almost infra-red look. This, and the extra grain, give it a quite different look to HP5 or TriX.

The 100 looks distinctly different from, say, FP4+ in that the lighter tones take on even higher values. I find this very attractive for some subjects as it imparts a rather old-fashioned look to the print.

Whether you would find these qualities as attractive as I do is a question I couldn't answer, but I would recommend you give them a go. As for making them my only films, all I can say is that I would prefer FP4 and HP5 for regular, universal, use, and reserve Foma films for when I wanted the special unique look they impart.

Alan

[Brock]

Hi Alan,

It's the old-fashioned look I like. I'm fed up looking at characterless digital black and white conversions and want to move as far away from that as possible. I don't want to go down the road of big grain or anything like that though. I'm just after robust Plus X tones and F100 seems to get quite close.

Keith,

I was very tempted to go with Tri X and D76 and might still end up with that combination.

[Richard Gould]

I have used a lot of Fomapan 400 in both 120 and 35mm over a few years and like it a lot, it is a very different film from hp5 or tri x with a tonality all of it's own, I have developed it in both Rodinal, which seems to suit the film at 1/50, and D76/ID11, which gives a lovely negative, which prints well giving an almost 50's look to the print, and as far as QC is concerned, I have never had any problems.
Richard

[Phil]

Foma roll film is very nice. I only ever had QC issues with the sheet film.
Foma Creative 200 is a particularly nice film which I have enjoyed using with Barry Thornton's 2-bath.
Currently experimenting with different films in HC110 Dilution G, which is the compensating dilution. It seems to work well with everything I have tried it with so far and gives a very nice long smooth tonal scale. Grain is softer but it really is very good.
Phil

[big paul]

hi brock if its the old 70s look to your prints you are after I use kentmere bromide grade 2 I have only used it with a condenser enlarger but if you want contrast and black blacks this is the stuff to use ,it takes me back to the 70s. groovey baby .Q. what do you do if you see a space man ,A. park in it man.?

[Keith Tapscott.]

Originally Posted by Brock

Hi Alan,

It's the old-fashioned look I like.

I'm fed up looking at characterless digital black and white conversions and want to move as far away from that as possible.

I don't want to go down the road of big grain or anything like that though. I'm just after robust Plus X tones and F100 seems to get quite close.

Keith,

I was very tempted to go with Tri X and D76 and might still end up with that combination.

I'm sure that Fomapan 100 is a very nice product and Rodinal has a very long history, however, it's hard to think of a more classical look that Tri-X in D-76 provides.

I hate the 'noiseless' digital monochrome look too.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/co...02-09-15.shtml

Having said that, I am a HP5 Plus fan.