ADOX Silvermax first shots / samples

[gho]

Here are a few more from the same roll shot in the low evening light and developed with Rodinal.

[sepiareverb]

looks pretty darn good in Rodinal!!

These are all Rodinal 1+50, 12 min, 20 C, 5 initial inversions, 2 inversions each minute?? At ISO100?

As above are they dense enough for enlargement or thin like for scanning?? I'll likely get in the darkroom tomorrow lunch.

[gho]

Originally Posted by sepiareverb

looks pretty darn good in Rodinal!!

These are all Rodinal 1+50, 12 min, 20 C, 5 initial inversions, 2 inversions each minute?? At ISO100?

Yes. It is a starting point. Partly the negatives came out a bit thin, especially the one against the sun, but the shadows held up surprisingly well. I am curious how this would transfer to paper. Everything has a bit of a low key look. Checking out the higher registers would be interesting also. There was plenty of leeway in the highlights. Next time I would either give the film a tad more light, agitate a bit more or extend the time a bit.

Originally Posted by sepiareverb

looks pretty darn good in Rodinal!!
As above are they dense enough for enlargement or thin like for scanning??

A bit thin, but I believe they are quite printable. As the negatives are quite flat the contrast has to be increased during development or printing. I am not so experienced with printing, but I guess I will check out the one shot against the light, just to see how the shadows are looking on paper.

Originally Posted by sepiareverb

I'll likely get in the darkroom tomorrow lunch.

Have fun! I thought I would just get a few rolls, make some tests and be done, but this combination is looking quite interesting. I am not sure if it is possible to get a high key look out of it, we will see.

[sepiareverb]

Originally Posted by gho

Yes. It is a starting point. Partly the negatives came out a bit thin, especially the one against the sun, but the shadows held up surprisingly well. I am curious how this would transfer to paper. Everything has a bit of a low key look. Checking out the higher registers would be interesting also. There was plenty of leeway in the highlights. Next time I would either give the film a tad more light, agitate a bit more or extend the time a bit.

Thanks for the info. I'll likely give it a go in 1:25 then and see what I get. I like a pretty stout negative for the darkroom, providing highlights don't clog up. Sounds like that isn't a worry with this stuff!

[gho]

Originally Posted by sepiareverb

Thanks for the info. I'll likely give it a go in 1:25 then and see what I get. I like a pretty stout negative for the darkroom, providing highlights don't clog up. Sounds like that isn't a worry with this stuff!

You are welcome. 1:25 for a stout negative sounds good to me. Let us know what you are getting.

[sepiareverb]

Just out of the darkroom.

I ran two rolls today.

First, a roll shot at 100, which I ran in Rodinal 1:25 in a tank with two rolls of CHS 100. I used my standard for CHS: Pre-wash in LFN Wetting agent, 9 minutes in the developer with 20 seconds of agitation followed by 2 inversions per minute. Negs look wonderful. Better shadow detail than the CHS, highlights seem just as smooth.

Second a roll I shot at 100 and then the second half of it at 80, in the dedicated Silvermax developer for 12 minutes with recommended agitation of 30 seconds initial then 1 inversion every half minute. Also looks very good. A bit better shadow detail than my first roll, and a smidge more contrast.

I'm hoping to be in the darkroom tomorrow morning to pull some prints, so hopefully some scans at long last on Thursday or Friday.

[gho]

Phew, I have spent part of the last evenings in the darkroom and made my first tries with fixed gradation fibre paper. The hardest part seems to be to convince the paper to dry flatly. I do not have a dry mounting press, so I glued them on a plywood board with paper strips. I hope the glue will hold up. As for the tones, yes, it is really cool. I am asking myself why I did not try this much earlier. The prints that are drying right now are mirror inverted. Of course for artistic purposes. If they survive, I will post a scan from the fibre print. What I can say is that I find the tonality gorgeous and holding the print is quite a different experience from viewing the scan on a screen. Will go back to the darkroom to contact print a 6x6 negative.

[sepiareverb]

We've been having wonderful weather for late October, far too wonderful for me to be in the darkroom these last few days. I'll have the big storm here next week, so plenty of time in the dark.

[gho]

The gluing method works quite nicely, the fibre prints are super flat, but one has to be careful not to remove the prints too early, before they are totally dry. This is just a pretty straight scan from the test shot. The print is actually looking quite different in terms of tonality from that scan on the screen below, but well, I have the original to look at now. :-)