Local Climate and Film Choice

[charjohncarter]

Keith and Thomasw have treated us to two interesting threads on 400 and 125 film, lately. Some of the responses made me think of the problems I've had with films in different climates and different climatic situations. I use Tmax100 in California because we have 300 sunny days a year. But if it is overcast or with low contrast subjects indoors I use Plus-X. They just work better that way(for me). I tried developing Tmax differently using two cameras but this works better. Then when in doubt I shoot TriX and hope. Has anyone else chosen this method?

 

[Keith]

I have some TRI-X on the way from Freestyle ... it's the most talked about film on this forum and brained the opposition in the 400 choice I noticed. Being a sucker for peer pressure I had to try it.

T-max 100 seems to be quite an expensive film in in comparison to others and the only camera I have used it in so far is my Bronica RF645 and I made a bit of a hash of the processing ... so I'm unable to pass judgement fairly. Like you though I supect I can get away with 100 speed film 90% of the time ... mind you I do like shooting at night! 😛

 

[lns]

Well, I have learned to stay away from Delta 100 with bright or contrasty light. Here in Chicagoland that can mean snow as easily as sun. I find I can use APX-100, FP4+ or Plus-X in just about any light and get good results.

Otherwise, Tri-X and hope, as you put it, is my primary method of shooting.

 

[jan normandale]

Summer shooting outdoors.. 100 - 200 ISO works fine. Especially with my GSN's they top out at f16 and 1/500th so 400 is out. However most of my shooting is late day shooting and that's when I really need that speed. Hand held some shots are still 1/30th at f4.0! Dusk means a tripod for anything like F8 or 11 and 1/125th. Either I shoot 400 ISO or 100 ISO. Solution.. two cameras with some of each film.

That brings on a whole set of other problems though! ;- )

 

[charjohncarter]

Here is an unusual high contrast image from Tmax100, for me it works great high contrast:

I shot this with an autoexposure pocket camera and a miniture trip.

 

[sepiareverb]

Neopan 1600 and HP5+ are a necessity in Northern New England from November till January, and off and on till April. Thenonce the leaves come out I'm back to them if in the woods. FP4+, PanF and efke 25 are fine when the sun is in full swing.

 

[charjohncarter]

But for low contrast shots I use Plus-X, here is one (except for the sunlight coming though the holes and cracks in the barn walls):

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=71394&ppuser=8685

I wish I had an outdoor low contrast image taken here in California, but it is hardly ever overcast. I wish I had a few rolls on my trip to Turkey.

TriX for me works pretty well in California under all conditions, but the grain gets to me with 35mm prints. Sometimes no problem but other times I don't like it. Maybe the new Tmax400 will be like Tmax100 for me and I can use TriX for high contrast shots and Tmax400 for low contrast.

 

[moonwire]

I'm in Toronto and even though we get lots of sunshine in summer, I prefer to shoot at least at 400 (I mostly do street stuff and I shoot a lot while walking). In fall and winter, I usually shoot at 1600. I love pushed Tri-X and Neopan 400/1600.

 

[charjohncarter]

When I moved from Oregon to Panama,' I changed from Plus-X to Tri-X because at 8-9 degrees North of the Equator shadows are blocked from 9 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. That was a big adjustment that I never really solved when I was there. Here is a Panama' image with TriX, not too good (but better than the Plus-X would have been), I just never got the shadow in my outdoor shots when there:

 

[Bryce]

Western Washington, so grey skies most of the time.
Lately been a VERY busy student and carrying a 35mm camera with HP5 just so I'm not totally unarmed.
More usually I use 100 speed film and medium format and just live with needing a tripod.
Best choices depend on lots of factors!
Now if I could just find time to catch up on developing and printing. Winter break is about to start, hooray!

 

[Vics]

Boy! I'm sure glad to see that there are other folke wrestling with this thorny problem! I'm in Northern California, and in summer it's all blue skies and harsh sunlight. In winter it alternates between medium overcast to bright sunlight. I ALWAYS have the wrong film loaded! FP4+ and Tri-x.
Vic

 

[Keith]

Camera choice is pretty relevant too ... the reason I looked so hard to find a Hexar RF is the 1/4000 shutter speed. Being out and about in OZ with 400 film, a lens that tops out at f16 and a camera that has a fastest shutter speed of 1/1000 is pretty limiting. My Electro GT will be my prefered camera for 100 and the Konica is a no brainer for 400 ... as carry rounds I mean! I'm sure threre's a lot of places in the world that are similar but some days here is like living under one of those huge arc lights. 😛

 

[charjohncarter]

Vics, I'm in Danville, CA. It gets pretty boring around here in the Summer, not a cloud anywhere. Everyone talks about the golden hour; in the morning and in the evening. It is more like the golden minute here. Still, I try to choose my type of film not ISO for a given lighting situation. And surprisingly, it works; sometimes.

 

[Keith]

It's probably been done but I think someone needs to start an in depth discussion about filters. Sometimes when I look at a pic I've taken on one of these bright glarey days and I'm desparing at the washed out looking sky ... I think about filters and what may have helped! 😕

It's funny though ... as I was driving around today in the heat and intense light I was thinking about my M8 and how simple it is to switch from ISO 160 to ISO 1200 or more. Also how easy it is to introduce changes in white balance etc in post processing the raw files not to mention adding filtering effects. I guess when you're going out with a film camera your commitment to your choice of film is absolute and you are more or less confined to the limitations of your selection! 🙂

 

[mike goldberg]

Hi all...

John, your photo of the archway on Tmax 100 is gorgeous, great tonal range and very Mediterranean ;-).

Keith, yes, 1/4000 is certainly useful in bright Australian light. I've got that in a Nikon FM2 SLR... and 1/2000 in my Bessa R. I find that in the bright Israeli sunshine, I can even shoot at 1/500 with a favorite Fed-2c, if I have a Jupiter with F22. Of course a high shutter speed will allow for a wider aperture, bokeh, etc.

 

[Bryce]

Filters, an interesting point. I started using a yellow-green filter as my "standard" rather than a medium yellow because evergreen trees kept rendering too dark in my images.
So avoiding faster film (I really like FP4, so pretty contrasty) the y-g filter seemed like a better alternative.
It works, but costs a little extra in terms of speed and doesn't flatter redheads or people with freckles... Blue skies and clouds look the same as with a yellow filter.
No guarantees in areas where green isn't the overwhelming color of the landscape!

 

[charjohncarter]

Bryce, I used to live in Seattle and Portland so flat scenes are well known to me (I used TriX). I like your point about evergreens. I have noticed that with pictures even in the Redwoods here in CA. I don't know why I never thought of it, I even have a Y-G filter.

Mike, thanks, send me a PM with your email and I'll send you that photo of the restored (what they could restore) Synagogue I saw in Turkey. It was funded by a whole bunch of Americans. Some of the names were very familiar: David Susskind, Walter and Else Haas (Levis), many many more.

 

[shadowfox]

Not to be a contrarian, but I've never have a problem either with shadow or highlight using (expired) C-41 B&W film. Is it because they have larger latitudes? The only thing I miss is the large but beautiful grain of Fortepan film 🙁

Btw, John, the photo of the archway is magnificent.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I use ISO 100 C41 more or less all the time in day time, although have just bought a lot of ISO 200 because it was very inexpensive.

After dark I'll usually go to ISO 1600 because dark is dark in Portugal, even in cities with very little lighting in the street.

In bars and the like ISO 800 seems about right, but I'm out of stock right now so using ISO 400 instead.

All Fuji.

 

[Dogman]

Southern USA here. Wide and wild variations in weather, light and temperature. The high yesterday was mid-50s F with bright, contrasty sunlight. Today, the low started higher than yesterday's high and it's been cloudy, foggy, warm and muggy all morning with no sunshine expected.

Yesterday was FP4, today is HP5.

I almost always carry two cameras loaded with a roll of each.