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  #1  
Old 30th December 2021, 11:36 AM
John King John King is offline
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Default Lost Topic

I am not sure if it was on this forum or another I use connected with photography but wherever it is I can't find it now. It was posted sometime just before or after Xmas.

It was about an alternative paper processor on the same principal as NOVA but with multiple coloured plastic slots set at a steep angle instead of the more usual vertical ones used for RA4 and resin coated B&W.

If it was on this forum can anyone point me towards it please
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Old 30th December 2021, 01:11 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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I've gone through my 'history' tab, searching just for FADU posts John, and nothing rings a bell, although I do vaguely remember the post you mention... sort of....

There is a thread, which you posted on yesterday, but I doubt if that's the one you're looking for?!?

http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.or...=optima&page=2

Was the post about the 'Optima' unit, a Kickstarter campaign about a product to take over 'Nova Slot Processors' at all?

And just checking this page shows the coloured slots that you mention...

https://www.optimadarkroom.com/functionality

Terry S

Last edited by Terry S; 30th December 2021 at 01:17 PM.
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  #3  
Old 30th December 2021, 05:31 PM
John King John King is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry S View Post
I've gone through my 'history' tab, searching just for FADU posts John, and nothing rings a bell, although I do vaguely remember the post you mention... sort of....

There is a thread, which you posted on yesterday, but I doubt if that's the one you're looking for?!?

http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.or...=optima&page=2

Was the post about the 'Optima' unit, a Kickstarter campaign about a product to take over 'Nova Slot Processors' at all?

And just checking this page shows the coloured slots that you mention...

https://www.optimadarkroom.com/functionality

Terry S
No none of those. I remember the post having pictures with coloured separator slots. There was also a comment about being difficult to use because of the angle of the slots and you would be working in the dark.

No problem
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Old 30th December 2021, 07:12 PM
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Dave Hodson Dave Hodson is offline
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This one on the Photrio forum was 2020 so not the one you're looking for but it references the Optima processor which is angled and has coloured inserts (towards the bottom of the page)

https://www.photrio.com/forum/thread....162243/page-2

Regards
Dave
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Old 30th December 2021, 07:37 PM
JOReynolds JOReynolds is offline
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Default The price of B&W vs colour paper

Is colour paper really cheaper than B&W? It is certainly manufactured in larger quantities and contains far less silver, but has anyone tried getting a decent monochrome image from it?
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Old 30th December 2021, 09:43 PM
John King John King is offline
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Default Mono prints from RA4

Yes I have got many decent mono prints from RA4 using mono negatives. I cheat a little to get the correct filtration by putting a piece of unexposed but developed and fixed colour neg film on top of the negative carrier. I then expose the paper to make a test strip. It is from that I calculate the working filtration.

It all depends upon the colour of the mono film base what filtration you give and the easiest one I have found is Kodak T Max 100 which has a clear un-tinted base.

To be perfectly honest I have never managed to get a pure neutral Black and white but what I settle with is a warm tone not far off the old Kodak Bromesko (You have to be a certain age to know what that was like) I suppose if you fiddled around with the filtration enough you could get a cold tone like Kentmere.

On a different tack the discontinued Kodak version of Ilford XP2 (CN400) was very good because the film base was the correct (or near enough) tint to do without the piece of colour film above the negative carrier.
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Old 31st December 2021, 12:49 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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John, as said, if colour paper is cheaper than silver b/w paper, there could be a saving to be made...

But can you confirm that colour paper developers etc. would have to be used and that the paper can't be developed etc. in b/w chemistry, as the film XP2 supposedly can be?

I think I know the answer, but thought that I'd ask anyway.

Terry S
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Old 31st December 2021, 06:04 PM
JOReynolds JOReynolds is offline
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Default cheap(er) monochrome images

Users might be willing to buy colour paper in rolls to get the full cost benefit. Has anyone tried processing it in B&W developer? Do the uncoupled dyes get in the way without bleaching?
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Old 1st January 2022, 04:57 PM
John King John King is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry S View Post
John, as said, if colour paper is cheaper than silver b/w paper, there could be a saving to be made...

But can you confirm that colour paper developers etc. would have to be used and that the paper can't be developed etc. in b/w chemistry, as the film XP2 supposedly can be?

I think I know the answer, but thought that I'd ask anyway.

Terry S
The snag is - you cannot change contrasts for times when the lighting is a little flat, although in most cases a well exposed neg should be OK and yes, you must used RA4 developer for RA4 paper there is no way around it. and that is far more expensive than B&W Chems. The cheapest all round RA4 is probably Kodak Ektacolour with a 20 liter kit of developer and blix around £120 Tetenal is well above that.

Last edited by John King; 1st January 2022 at 05:20 PM.
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Old 1st January 2022, 05:10 PM
John King John King is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JOReynolds View Post
Users might be willing to buy colour paper in rolls to get the full cost benefit. Has anyone tried processing it in B&W developer? Do the uncoupled dyes get in the way without bleaching?
Colour paper does not develop well in B&W developer. (Don't ask how I found out), but this may be due to the lack of silver in the colour emulsion.

But there again the number of additional steps needed to manufacture colour paper must coast something. Coating the initial silver base then coating each colour layer is hardly going to be straight forward.

Getting colour paper by the roll can be expensive! At present Kodak Supra is unobtanium in any form. AG Photographic have none and the other suppliers who sell rolls of FUJI, such as Morco, Silverprint and Process Supplies will sell you what you want, but only if you buy 2 rolls at once.

That is the way it is sent to them from FUJI and they won't repackage it in case of transit damage to a non pro-user. Or damage to the roll that is left in their storage. No my words, but what they have generally told me when asked. I would estimate my colour roll usage is about 1 roll of 88m x12" is around 18 months and I use more RA4 than B&W

Cut sheets of Fiji is cheaper than conventional B&W. A 12x16 box of 50 is about 1/2 price, but there again you have one grade.

Last edited by John King; 1st January 2022 at 05:16 PM.
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