A question about color cast in B&W photos

Pfreddee

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Do prints made from Ilford 100 B&W film have a color cast to them? I haven't used the film before, but my prints from a local printer have got a gray-green color cast. The negatives look normal and I took the lens off my camera, a Contax IIIA with a 50mm Sonnar f/1.5, nothing abnormal about the lens on either side. I've tried to get a different result from the printer, but even after telling them about my concerns, the prints are still ugly to my eyes, as if nothing is changed in the lab. I'm going to try a mail-order processor and see if that makes a difference. I can't post examples since the negatives haven't been scanned, so I can't show you what I'm talking about. I'm just confused about what my prints should look like.

Thanks to all who reply.

With best regards.

Pfreddee(Stephen)
 
I've had this very same problem a few times in the past.

Your lab's printers are probably auto-set for color prints.

As an experiment, ask your lab to print your next lot as black-and-whites and not on color or chromogenic settings.

if they tell you they can't, it's time to find a new lab...
 
Pfredee, ozmoose has the answer. The broader answer is that the negatives don't have a colour cast. The print tone (in trad. darkroom printing) is the result of the choice of paper and developer (& toner if you use it).
 
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