Re: larger than normal grain and other film problems

[George L Smyth <GLSmyth@xxxxxxx>]

Michel Wurtz wrote:
> 
> George L Smyth wrote:
> >
> > If you are using Rodinal to process HIE, you will have the grainiest possible
> > film.  If that is what you are looking for, then fine.  If not, you may want to
> > switch to Xtol.
> >
> I allways believed that, but looking at my latest film (I have nothing
> else than Rodinal and so made a test at 1+25), I found that it depends
> on your exposure : testing filter between film rails, I needed to found
> how to set sensitivity so I bracketed extensively.
> 
> My conclusions are that you will have monster grain when you overexpose,
> but very acceptable if you are at the limit of underexposure.
> 
> Is that purely accidental, or other peoples are doing same observations ?

Actually, when you "overexpose", you need to increase the contrast when
printing.  This accentuates the grain.

Most developers, like Xtol and D76, eat away at the grain clusters, reducing
their accutance.  Rodinal, however, leaves the grain alone.  This is why the use
of this developer will result in high grain - you will be able to discern it
better, as well as obtain higher accutance.

None of the above is good or bad, it's just a matter of what works best for what
you're trying to do.  For my work, I like to generally minimize the grain,
though I do use the grain that HIE offers.  This is why I stay away from Rodinal
with HIE, but love it with Konica.

BTW, Rodinal is my standard developer with HSI.  If I were blowing it up to 40 X
60, then I would possibly change my mind on developer choice.  However, as 11 X
14 is my standard size, enlarging to less than three times makes grain a
non-issue.

george

-- 

Handmade Photographic Images
http://www2.ari.net/glsmyth/
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