Film to Prints

[Ken Evans <kenevans@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am a new member to this group, being interested in the panorama "lifestyle".  The current thread concerning the contrast ranges of the various kinds of films when making prints is not particularly on topic, but interesting nonetheless.

 

I have been doing my own custom printing for close to 20 years now.  I print positive film, negative film and black and white film, in just about all standard formats.....35mm, 120 and 4x5 (with some occasional 8x10).  The best thing I ever did for my behind the camera work, was to begin doing all of my own printing.  You soon learn a number of things very well. 

 

The first thing that you learn, is that you shoot differently depending on the end use of the film.  You also become very intimate with the zone concept, especially when you know that the end result will be a print.  The brand of film, the speed of the film, your exposure of the film will all have a decided effect on how the exposed piece of film will print.....or not print.  Also, the printing method, chemistry and paper with have a large effect on the final print.

 

All of that said, there is indeed a universal and general guide to how certain kinds of films will print....based upon the films actual contrast range.  Positive film is indeed more difficult to print.  Without getting into brands or emulsion differences, generally a positive film exposed normally and processed normally in E-6 chemistry will have the smallest contrast range.  Usually about 3 stops, and then you will see a loss on one end or the other.  With color negative film, exposed normally and processed normally in C-41 chemistry....you can enjoy a typical contrast range of about 5 stops, before loss begins to occur.  With many b&w films, it depends on the developer used, but you can see 7 stop ranges, sometime better, without too much difficulty.

 

Some of the newer papers for printing slides have helped, and the newer chemistry is much better than the old cibachrome  (where most of the time I would have a 4x5 interneg made in order to print).  Since I have gone over to the "R" process, I have almost never had to have an interneg; however, that is more about what the cibachrome  process used to be....about a 1 ½ stop range before loss would begin.  Now this is not to say that the film didn't have a nice range, it just would not print through.  You would get blocking, reds would bleed, etc.

 

This is still pretty much the case today.  If you are going to make color prints.  You will get a better print, with a wider contrast range and less blocking and color bleed, with color negative film and the available printing processes for color negative film.

 

I will often print much of my b&w film on color paper and process as a "C" print.  When I am shooting my b&w film, and I anticipate that I will be printing on color paper and chemistry....I will over expose my film by one stop.  If I anticipate printing the b&w film on b&w paper and chemistry.......I will not over expose by one stop.  This is to adjust for the printing side and the two different papers and chemistry methods.

 

I fear that some of the group is talking what their eye thinks they can see on the film, versus what can subsequently be transferred from that particular piece of film onto the corresponding photographic print paper.

 

Ken Evans
"Mr. Codger's Neighborhood"
www.kmstudios.com