Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site pyuxt.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!pyuxww!pyuxt!marcus From: marcus@pyuxt.UUCP (M. G. Hand) Newsgroups: net.rec.photo Subject: Re: Questions on films Message-ID: <169@pyuxt.UUCP> Date: Sun, 19-Aug-84 15:58:27 EDT Article-I.D.: pyuxt.169 Posted: Sun Aug 19 15:58:27 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 20-Aug-84 02:10:16 EDT References: <1607@ucbvax.UUCP> Organization: Bell Communications Research, Piscataway N.J. Lines: 25 I, admittedly, don't use a huge amount of B&W stock, but I ocasionally use it when I want to take fast action shots (soccer, hockey etc). I now ALWAYS use Ilford XP1, and wouldn't now be without a roll in my gadget bag. It is a chromogenic B&W film, which basically means that it uses colour technology to get a B&W image - i.e. the image is formed from black dye, not from silver oxide (or so I understand). Ilford have their own special chemistry, but you can save a little by processing it in a normal C41 process (ie as colour print film) with very little loss of quality. It is very tollerant to exposure at other than its nominal rating of 400 ASA, and it also doesn't seem to be worthwhile to push process (shoot it at 1000 and develop it as if it were 400 - you just get thinnish negs - no other problems as far as I can see). I have always found the image quality to be superb (better than Tri-X in my book, certainly the grain is all but invisible, and the contrast is excellant). My local photographic shop man once told me that the results at 200 ASA are breathtaking. So, what are the dissadvantages? Price is a little higher, processing in special chemistry is more expensive (but can still be done in a home dev tank), and developing is more temperature critical. They sell a starter kit that consistes of a roll of film plus enough chemicals to process half a dozen or so rolls - its a good way to find out whether you like it wihout spending a fortune on new chemicals (or shoot a roll and tell your local lab to process it as if it were colour neg stock.) Marcus Hand (pyuxt!marcus)