Chris,
I have an answer for both questions, just as I always answer every question on
the quiz show Jeopardy. Mind you, though, that I'm not saying all the answers
are correct, either there or here.
As for the contrast thing, it's just my way of following the old procedure that
if a scene is excessively contrasty, like with direct midday sun and so forth,
then over-exposure and under-development will lower the contrast. Conversely,
if the lighting is really flat and one wants to kick the contrast up a notch,
then the procedure is to underexpose and overdevelop. When scenes of both
sorts are on a single roll, of course, you just have to middle it and go with
normal development. However, when shooting 120 film, particularly 6x9cm when
there's only eight shots per roll, they may often all be taken under the same
lighting conditions, so a little fiddling with development times can be quite
advantageous.
Now about the prewet, which is a really silly term because you can't really
pre-do anything, so I'll just call it the first water bath. (I mean, I see
directions that call for preheating the oven. Excuse me, but isn't that really
just heating the ****ing oven?) Anyway, I'm obviously pussyfooting around and
avoiding the question of why to do it. I know I once knew, but now I've
forgotten. All I can say is that's what the J&C directions say to do.
I wish I could authoritatively tell you that it dissolves and removes the
antidefractional postextemporal and defuzzificational coatings so the developer
can reach the previously hermetically sealed and renegade-proton shielded
emulsion and go to work immediately, but that would not be really truthful. Or
maybe it would be and I just can't remember. I do know, however, that it does
something, because the water comes out looking like Kool-Aid. I'm still not
sure what flavor it is, though the grandkids don't seem to like it much. :-)
Walt
--
"Anything more than 500 yards from
the car just isn't photogenic." --
Edward Weston
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Chris Barker <ftog@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Walt
>
> I have a couple of questions for you:
>
> On 11 Apr 2005, at 14:18, Walt Wayman wrote:
>
> > I rate Efke 25 at -- surprise, surprise -- 25 and develop it at the
> > usual 20C/68F for 7 minutes in R09 1:40 or for 8 1/2 minutes in D-76
> > 1:1. I will alter these times by 30 seconds or up to 1 minute
> > depending on the subject matter and whether or not I'm trying to
> > increase or decrease contrast.
> >
> What makes you increase or decrease contrast? Is it perhaps where the
> lighting has been flat or too emphasized?
>
> > Also, this film should be given a 1-minute water bath prior to
> > immersion in the developer. Other than that, just handle it like any
> > other B&W film.
> >
> What's the water bath for? I have been doing this for a few months
> now, just to equalise temperatures, but the water comes out purplish
> from FP4 or HP5. I probably know the answer, but I have forgotten so I
> am sorry if you have already mentioned it.
>
> Chris
>
==============================================
List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================
|