Shooting Film – Kodak Plus-X and Reader Curiosity

This entry is part 25 of 38 in the series Shooting Real Film

Way way way back I wrote a blurb that had a digital photograph of a medium format negative on a light table. You may remember it, I think it was called Photographers and Their tools or something like that. Anyway, after posting that I decided to ask a question over at APUG.com about not that specific negative but why Kodak Plus-X pan had a blue base.

I still do not have an answer to that question but I did get some interesting info – depending on your process the blue washes out, or not. As far as i can tell from all the input I got over on the APUG forum acid processes seem to remove the blue dyes and alkaline process seem to leave it there.

Getting to the point – a reader emailed me and ask what the actual printed image looked like. I could describe ti but I decided to scan it instead. I could do a better job at the scanning and post but this is a raw scan of the negative with no hanky panky. It doesn’t match the print exactly but it’s close enough for government work. In general the extreme highlights are rendered a little differently in the analog print. I could probably fix that here with a bit of gain dialed in to my scanner and some adjustments to compensate for the loss of shadow but who cares. At the end of the day I always thought that Kodak Plus-X and Pyro developers were a very good combination for caucasian skin tones. At least the way I like to render them.

In case you forgot – here is what the negative looked like on a light table.

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Published:: 12.07.09 / 1pm

Category:: Articles, General Photography

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Michael 12.07.09 / 2pm

RB
I processed a fair amount of 120 plus x when I was assisting,
and never saw the blue base. I suspect who ever suggested the acid/alkaline thing was correct because our studio used a manual 3 1/2 gallon line (baskets of 12 Nikkor reels) in Accufine , acid stop, Rapid fix,perma wash, water wash.
( no comments please, I was just following orders)
never saw any blue.
M

RB 12.07.09 / 2pm

Michael,

I actually deduced it from everyone that shared their process with me.

My process has been a water stop with alkaline fix negating the need for hypo clearing agent for as long as I can remember.

There are a couple of inconsistencies with people’s reports of blue/no blue having to do with the use of a hypo clearing agent but I believe based on that limited data it is the acid process post developer that get’s rid of the blue. The really funny thing is that a few other films have a blue anti-halation (or whatever, I have no idea why Plus-X’s dye is there) dye in them that are completely clear with my process.

Michael -

Ps. Isn’t my blue negative pretty?

One other thing – that GD A.A. of yours screwed Kodak Plus-X forever when he voiced his distaste for the stuff in one of his books/interviews. What a numb-nut.

Michael 12.09.09 / 1pm

It was me who didn’t like it, I told Ansel to man up and bash the stuff in print, or I wouldn’t hang with him any more.
He was such a groupie.
M

RB 12.09.09 / 1pm

I knew it was you. Probably just to see what would happen and piss me of 30 years after the fact.

Ps. Check out my latest post – your daughter may find it useful for her bridal endeavors – I do the same thing with small flashes bounced onto light disks as a variation and it works great.

Oh,

I wish AA was still hanging around with you – you could tell him that HC-110 sucks.

Michael 12.09.09 / 7pm

I still have several bottles, they say it lasts forever. Not likr that finiky artistic pyro crap, I can use hc-110 at half dilution A and have snappy negs in a minute thirty.

RB 12.09.09 / 7pm

That’s what I have always liked a developer that either provides development times so short that it gives random results with tray processing or completely changes character with increased dilution. Fantastic stuff. Of course as you say I am sure that ancient stuff that you have will work exactly the same as it did when it was new.

Ps. I especially like that if Kodak stops making it you are up shit’s creek considering nobody has any idea what is in the stuff.

Michael 12.09.09 / 8pm

It’s the original secret sauce.

By the way, The light in that Photograph is beautiful.

Also on a slightly more serious note in 35 mm I shot only 3 B&W Films, mostly Tri-X with an occasional bit of 2475 and occasional binges of Panatomic -x developed in FR X-22 compensating one shot, or Rodinal or Neofin Blue.
I did like Plus -X pro packs & Tri X 320 for the Hasselblad.
And BTW You did successfully shame me into shooting a roll of TMY with the M-3 and the 50 Sumicron.
It’s just laying there, because I’m paralyzed with fear that you will hold me up to public ridicule if I dunk it in the Mysterious brown syrup.

RB 12.09.09 / 8pm

You know I am kidding – I have used the stuff but actually preferred D-76 due to the curve shape for the films that I shot. I am sure you will do fine, I don’t consider the film or dev to be the most important thing by far, it’s just the icing on the cake when you choose the perfect materials for the perfect scene/light.

Jason D 12.09.09 / 10pm

See there, now we can all hug and go back to the darkroom together.

No reason to argue over arcanic alchemy.

RB, does this count as one of your “hate” or “love” posts?

RB 12.09.09 / 10pm

Me and Michael were just foolin’ it’s a love post.

RB Design

Shooting Film – Kodak Plus-X and Reader Curiosity

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