Surprisingly, after the wet wet wet weekend we have some sun. Enough to break out the ISO 100 Fomapan. I decided to use the Rodinal (Adox APH09) to see what kind of grain would result. I reduced the agitation to the first 10 seconds, followed by 3 gentle inversions per minute and I think I’m seeing some success for images that are to be scanned. I have obviously been over agitating previously, resulting in over-development and more pronounced grain. It was worth doing the stand-development last week to be confident of leaving it alone more. God, how I hate being a newbie…
This is a good thing. Fomapan is really cheap at the moment compared to Ilford Delta Pro (about half the price at retro photographic) so I’ll happily stump up for some more rather than get the Delta with these results. The APH09 is cheap too, unlike Ilford DD-X. Doh, seeing a pattern here… hello Ilford?
It is not so apparent in these images, but the Fomapan gives skies a ‘yellow filter’ look, ie some empahsis on clouds. Must be the emulsion.
Using the Leica If with the SBLOO, so zone focussing. Tis a joy to use. I piqued the interest of some Goldsmith art students, but few other people noticed. Try that with a big DSLR down Deptford Hight St on a non market day. You don’t really want to be noticed…
Using sunny f/11 rule, exposure was f/8 @ 200
These two are f/5.6 @100 to cope with the contast and shadow. I’ve included them both because of the shallow depth of field, the focus is on the paint roller and the candle respectively.
I’m liking the Summacron too, it seems very sharp in the centre. I got the lens off ebay, near mint. which can be a lottery. However, it was from a reputable seller with a no quibble return. And I have no quibbles. It is a relatively early copy judging by the serial number, probably early 1950s. It has a very smooth focus action although the rotating lens mount needs a bit of getting used to for zone-focusing. Now I need to find the FOOKH hood (dontcha just love those Leica naming conventions) to avoid flare.
See the full gallery in the sidebar…
by skinnyvoice
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Thanks to having a darkroom to use for free, and as much Rodinal as I can lay my hands on (also for free), I’ve been using said developer an awful lot over the last couple of years. I am beginning to get a feel for its benefits and drawbacks and which films it seems better suited to (Delta 3200 seems particularly bad!) but I’ve stuck with it as it has enabled me to really get back into photography. Recently I have found that stand development seems to bring out the best aspects of it. Generally speaking it seems to work best with lower film speeds when used 1:25, or 1:50, developing as normal, but I’ve recently had especially good results with FP4 rated as per box, at 1:100 for about an hour, 1 min agitation at the start of development, and then just leaving it alone. It seems there is no one developer for all films and situations- but a bit of experience helps with undertanding how versatile something like Rodinal can be.
Hi Nicholas, I envy your acccess! I’ve moved on a bit from this post, mainly using medium format now and having a lot of success with Rodinal and FP4+ (120 roll film). I’ve also discovered Fuji Neopan 400 works really well with Rodinal, which is good now that winter is approaching.