Re: Maximizing Grain

[eml@xxxxxxxxx]

Bobbi, 

I think that you are going to have very great difficulties in 
increasing th4e grain in the Konica IR film.  It is so fine-grained
that it is comparable to, at worst, very well-processed T-Max 100,
if not quite comparable to Technical Pan.  I would try almost any other
film first, for grain.  In fact, you might want to try the new Ilford
SFX-200 near-IR film.  It is sensitized much like the Konica, but is
more comparable in grain to HP-5.  This is still a fairly fine-grained 
film, for its speed, but at least the grain is big enough to see in
enlargements!  Therefore, with a very active developer you have a good
chance at producing some grain.  Kodak's DK-50 is an excellent and reliable 
developer that will produce grain, either used straight or 1:1 (as 
I prefer it).  The grain is, to my eye, more even than when using 
Rodinal or D-19 or Dektol to produce grain effects.  That makes the
image, again, to my eye, look sharper and less blotchy.

Another developer, which must be mixed, is Hans Windisch's Pyrocatechin
copmpensating developer.  It produces insoluble developer "dye clouds"
around each grain, making it look larger.  With this developer, it
is necessary to be careful not to overexpose, as the dye clouds merge
into total grainlessness with overexposure, much like in very fast
color film that is overexposed.

Hope this helps.

Ed Lukacs

-- 
    _/_/_/_/ _/_/    _/ _/   | Edward M. Lukacs 
   _/       _/ _/ _/_/ _/    | eml@xxxxxxxxx 
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 _/       _/      _/ _/      | Washington, DC 20007
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Topic No. 14