Ever wonder where the articles and ideas for the articles on the Figital Revolution come from? Tired of your current process or working method and are looking for something new or a new approach. This audio blog provides high energy ideas on suggestions on how to jump start your creative process and redefine yourself as a photographer.
Resource link mentioned in Audio:
I just couldn’t help myself…I needed to test yet another film in Diafine! What I have discovered has made me very, very happy. If you have been following the progression of articles here on The Figital Revolution I have been posting on Diafine Developer and an array of different black and white films for scanning purposes it should by now be clear by now that I feel that this is a great combo when ease of process, sharpness and huge tonality are required. Yes, there are finer grain developers but this finer grain comes at a cost, namely film speed which is something Diafine has no problem with!
So here is what I have just found….Kodak 125PX in Diafine is a perfect match!!! I’ve never given 125PX much thought until I decided to try this test and the results have made me a convert. I love the look of the grain, it is REALLY sharp and has a beautiful tonal range with a working EI of 320-400. Marry 125PX with my other favorite “X” film TX (EI 1250-1600) and all bases for my needs are covered. Here are two sample pictures made recently on 125PX…the full size image is 16.5″ x 25″. (35mm negative, 6300 optical dpi wet mount scan.)
Please note that the second image was shot under very flat light and scanned at 3150 dpi.
Here is my processing Technique:
The temperature for the Developer Part A and B is very important. I found that at 68-70 F my negs were a bit thin in the shadows and by increasing the temp just a few degrees (well within the usable range for Diafine of 70-85 F) everything fell right into place. I also now use this time and temp for TX as well – I often soup both films at the same time…very convenient! I no longer use a prewet for Diafine developer as over time it will dilute Part A to a point that could potentially cause problems.
So in conclusion… TX and 125PX are fantastic films and are now my personal films of choice for all of my black and white shooting. Every roll is run in Diafine as described above and the scans are easy and amazing! Give it a try you too may fall for the combo of “X” films and Diafine.
Final Note: I use in my workflow a bit of noise reduction on my images (Noise Ninja). These images are not at the default setting suggested by Noise Ninja but represent NN at about 1/4 strength.
Viva la Revolution!!
Master Printer and Hybrid Artist Stephen Schaub explores many of the myths surrounding scanning film, both negatives and transparencies. How much resolution is really necessary? Oil vs dry mounts scans? 8bit vs 16bit and more. This informative audioblog provides a great general understanding regarding the process of scanning and it also provides tips and starting points for making YOUR best scan.
I have been working now for the last month to tweak my PMK Pyro development of black and white negatives for scanning on our Imacon scanner…I have hit gold! My new process handles several films (7) and the scans are capable of a dynamic range approaching 20+ stops. The grain structure is amazing…even at an ei of 1600 very little grain is visible if you wish. What does this mean…Film is back in a big way! My scans are capable of a dynamic range not possible in single shot digital systems but that is not really why I went through this testing….rather the film scans I am making have a rounded quality that when printed digitally on our d’Vinci Fine Art Print Platform at Indian Hill Imageworks have an analog feel but with a crazy long tonality not possible in traditional processes. This is using technology in a smart way, the best of analog and the best of digital. Additionally, why lock yourself into one look (ie the digital sensor in your camera is your digital film, can’t remove it so your stuck)- while I have dozens and dozens of different film stocks to choose from, each with a different grain structure and dynamic range.
The first image to the left shows the full frame negative, the other image below shows the same negative enlarged to 100″ x 100″ print and a sample detail area to look at….
Figital Revolution 