KODAK: Black-and-White Tips and Techniques for Darkroom Enthusiasts: BLACK-AND-WHITE FILMS

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Black-and-White Tips and Techniques for Darkroom Enthusiasts

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BLACK-AND-WHITE FILMS
- HOW TO PRODUCE A GREAT BLACK-AND-WHITE NEGATIVE

BLACK-AND-WHITE FILMS

KODAK BLACK-AND-WHITE FILMS

KODAK Film	Description	Film Speed		Color Sensitivity	Sizes
KODAK Film	Description	Daylight	Tungsten	Color Sensitivity	Sizes
Continuous-Tone Film
PROFESSIONAL Technical Pan / TP	For applications that require high-definition records. Suitable for making high-quality enlargements at magnifications of 25X or even 50X; making continuous-tone originals or copy negatives; making black-and-white reverse-text and title slides; copying faded originals; and personal microfilming. Micro-fine or extremely fine grain (depending on developer), extremely high resolving power. Variable contrast, extended red sensitivity.	25	25 to 125	Pan, Extended Red	135, 120, long rolls, sheet
EKTAPAN / EKP ^a	A convenient film to use for producing black-and-white and color negatives of the same subject. Fine grain, medium resolving power. Moderate degree of enlargement. Retouching surface on both sides.	100	100	Pan	sheet, 3 ½-in., long rolls
New PROFESSIONAL T-MAX 100 / 100TMX T-MAX 100 Professional / TMZ	For detailed subjects when maximum image quality is needed. Extremely high sharpness, extremely fine grain, very high resolving power. Allows a very high degree of enlargement. Expanded exposure latitude.	100	100	Pan	135, 120, sheet, READYLOAD Packet, long rolls
New PROFESSIONAL PLUS-X 125 / 125PX PLUS-X Pan / PX PLUS-X Pan Professional / PXP; sheet PXT	Good choice for all-around picture-taking cameras. Extremely fine grain, excellent sharpness, high resolving power. For use under most lighting conditions except dim existing light.	125	125	Pan	125 PX: 135, 120, 220, long rolls PX: 135, long rolls PXP: 120, 220, long rolls PXT: sheet
VERICHROME Pan / VP	Extremely fine grain, very high sharpness, excellent exposure latitude.	125	125	Pan	120
New PROFESSIONAL TRI-X 320 / 320TXP TRI-X Pan Professional / TXP	Especially suited to low-flare interior tungsten or flash lighting. Retouching surface on both sides. Excellent gradation and brilliant highlights. Medium contrast, moderate degree of enlargement, wide exposure latitude.	320	320	Pan	120, 220, sheet
New PROFESSIONAL TRI-X 400 / 400TX TRI-X Pan TX	All-purpose panchromatic film for subjects requiring good depth of field and high shutter speeds, and for extending the flash distance range. Fine grain, high sharpness, medium contrast, moderate degree of enlargement, wide exposure latitude.	400	400	Pan	135, 120, long rolls
New PROFESSIONAL T-MAX 400 / 400TMY	High-speed panchromatic film especially useful for dimly lighted subjects, fast shutter speeds, extended flash range, and good depth of field. Can also be exposed at speeds of EI 800 and EI 1600. Very high sharpness, extremely fine grain, high resolving power. High degree of enlargement.	400	400	Pan	135, 120, sheet, long rolls
PROFESSIONAL T-MAX T400 CN	Multi-purpose film for processing in Process C-41 with color negative films. For printing on either black-and-white papers or color negative papers. Also for making short-term, intermediate-use prints on KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA Black-and-White Paper. Wide exposure latitude. Pushable in Process C-41. Extremely fine grain and high sharpness.	400	400	Pan	135, 120
PROFESSIONAL PORTRA 400BW (Process C-41)	Features a wide exposure latitude, with extremely fine grain and high sharpness.Excellent latent-image keeping properties. Intermixes with color negative film in Process C-41. Print tone is adjustable on color negative paper.	400	400	Pan	135, 120, 220
New PROFESSIONAL T-MAX P3200 / P3200TMZ T-MAX P3200 Professional TMZ	Multispeed panchromatic negative film that combines very high to ultra-high film speeds with finer grain than that of other fast black-and-white films. Wide exposure latitude. Excellent sharpness and shadow detail, fine grain.	EI 800 to 25,000 ^b	EI 800 to 25,000 ^b	Pan	135
High-Contrast Film
EKTAGRAPHIC HC Slide (HCS) ^a	Orthochromatic film designed for copying line drawings and text for making reverse-text black-and-white title slides. Extremely high contrast; speed depends on developer used.	12	8 to 25	Ortho	135
Special-Purpose Film
PROFESSIONAL B/W Duplicating SO-132 ^a	Orthochromatic, direct-positive film for one-step duplication of continuous-tone black-and-white negatives. Long tonal range for high-quality duplicates.	Very slow (see instructions)		Ortho	sheet
Professional Copy ^a	Copy film with increased highlight contrast for copying black-and-white continuous-tone originals. Fine grain, medium resolving power.	25 ^c	12	Ortho	sheet
PROFESSIONAL High-Speed Infrared (HIE)	Fine grain, moderately high contrast. Infrared-sensitive to approximately 900 nm; maximum sensitivity from 750 nm to 840 nm. Filter necessary for most applications.	50 ^d No. 25 Filter	125 ^d No. 25 Filter	Infrared	135, long rolls
EASTMAN Fine Grain Release Positive 5302	Blue-sensitive film that provides excellent definition, even with a high degree of magnification. For making black-and-white slides from 35 mm color transparencies (two-step process with KODAK PROFESSIONALT-MAX 100 Film). Extremely fine grain, high sharpness, high resolving power.	Printing speed 250		Blue	long roll
Fine Grain Positive 7302	Blue-sensitive film that provides excellent definition, even with a high degree of magnification.For making larger black-and-white transparencies from continuous-tone or line negatives. Extremely fine grain, high sharpness, high resolving power.	Printing speed 250		Blue	sheet

^a To be discontinued when stocks run out.
^b El 12,500 and 25,000 with processing in KODAK PROFESSIONAL -MAX Developer or T-MAX RS Developer and Replenisher. Run tests to determine suitability.
^c Speed with pulsed-xenon arc.
^d With a KODAK WRATTEN Gelatin Filter, No. 25; see the film instructions.

Pan--Panchromatic
Ortho--Orthochromatic

Note: For more information, see KODAK Publication No. E103BF (PDF-58K), KODAK PROFESSIONAL Black-and-White Films, available from this web site or dealers who sell Kodak products, Kodak in your country.

HOW TO PRODUCE A GREAT BLACK-AND-WHITE NEGATIVE

KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX Films and KODAK POLYMAX II RC Paper provide a great combination for making the best possible black-and-white prints. To make the most of the potential of these products, you want to be sure you start with a great negative.

After all, a great negative is the first step toward a great print! You can increase your chances of producing those great negatives if you establish a benchmark for the way you work. Follow the procedure below, and set your standards for success.

FIRST, A FEW TRIAL RUNS

Select a scene in which the subject and lighting will stay the same over a half hour, or set up a studio still life where you can control the lighting. The subject should be easy to meter--with little doubt about the appropriate aperture and shutter speed for a given film-speed rating.

Load your camera with the film you use most often in your photography--the logical one to use to set your benchmark. Then set your meter at a film speed four stops lower than the actual speed of the film. For example, with PROFESSIONAL T-MAX 400 Film, use 25.
Meter the scene, and set your exposure as indicated by the meter. Expose one or more frames of film. Advance the film, cover the lens, and trip the shutter to produce a blank frame. Then close down the aperture by one stop (or increase the shutter speed) to record the same subject at a film speed of 50.
Repeat this procedure at progressively higher speeds until you have exposed the film at a speed about four stops higher than you'd ever expect to use with that film.
Expose several more rolls of film in exactly the same way.

SEE FOR YOURSELF--IT'S PART OF THE PROCESS

Now process one of the rolls by following your usual procedures (developer choice, dilution, agitation, etc.) at the temperature you normally use. The specific development time is not particularly important as long as you record it.

Place the processed film on a light table and visually judge which image is "correct." Confirm your selection by printing the negative that looks correct on POLYMAX II RC Paper with a grade 2 filter, and by printing the negatives with one stop more and one stop less exposure (the adjacent negatives on your test roll).

This printing step is critical. The "best" negatives for different films can look very different. The only way to be sure which will make the best print is to print the negatives. With this first roll, you might determine that the fourth exposure yields the best print. (With T-MAX 400 Film, this would be the exposure made at EI 200.) The development time you used for this roll would then be your best time for film you expose at EI 200.

Repeat the procedure by processing two more of the exposed rolls with different development times, adding or subtracting two minutes. Examine the negatives on a light table, and determine which ones will print best on POLYMAX II RC Paper. This will determine your best development times for two more exposure indexes. Then fill in the gaps or expand the range of development by processing the remaining exposed rolls at other development times.

THE RESULTS ARE WORTH IT

This test may take a half day of your time, but it will be time well spent. You'll know the optimum development times for the film at a variety of speeds--development times that are optimum for your equipment and techniques.

As long as your equipment and techniques stay the same, you can be confident of your results.

THE BASICS OF A GOOD NEGATIVE

The published processing recommendations for Kodak black-and-white films are intended as starting points for establishing your optimum times. Experiment by modifying the starting-point time and temperature to determine what produces the best results with your processing and printing equipment and techniques.

And remember, consistent quality requires consistent control of time, temperature, agitation, and other variables.

If you don't have a lot of experience with a particular film or film/paper combination, simply judge your technique by the print it produces.