Arista D-Max 400 & D-76

[doubs43]

I'm not sure I like this combination but maybe I also need to work with it more. The following shots were taken with a Leica IIIa on Arista D-Max 400 developed in D-76 straight for 7 1/2 minutes @ 68 degrees. Shots that include the sky show a pretty fair amount of grain that only goes away if I increase the high end of the tone curve.

Shot 1 was taken with a 9cm f/4 uncoated Elmar.

Shots 2 & 5 were taken with a 50mm f/1.9 Canon Serenar, coated.

Shots 3 & 4 were taken with a 13.5cm f/4.5 uncoated Hektor.

Walker

 

[Doug]

They look pretty good to me, Walker. Slight graininess visible in the uploads, maybe a emphasized in the scanning. Tonality appears nice, given the general overcast except in #1. I particularly like #3. The wintry bare trees are consistent with the look of the barn... What seems amiss to you?

 

[Chaser]

Just FYI in case you were looking for any info on this film it is Delta 400...

 

[doubs43]

They look pretty good to me, Walker. Slight graininess visible in the uploads, maybe a emphasized in the scanning. Tonality appears nice, given the general overcast except in #1. I particularly like #3. The wintry bare trees are consistent with the look of the barn... What seems amiss to you?

Doug, maybe I'm expecting too much from a 400 speed film and my elderly gear. Mostly it's the sky areas that bother me most and unless I wash the sky out the grain is horrible IMO. Perhaps I'll give it a try with a yellow or orange filter when there are nice clouds in the sky to see what happens then.

You are correct about it being a cloudy day for four of the shots while the sun was playing on the cherry blossoms for a brief time.

I scanned the negatives at 3200 dpi using the lowest unsharpen setting. I also used grain reduction and dust correction. I then resampled to 300 dpi and sharpened just a little.

The pictures I posted are, of course, the better ones from a roll of 36 exposures. I'm going to post one more in another thread that I've yet to begin. It'll be about the FIKUS hood on a 35mm lens.

Thanks for the critique. Good or bad, it's how we learn.

Walker

 

[doubs43]

Just FYI in case you were looking for any info on this film it is Delta 400...

Thanks, Chaser. I did know that but others reading this may not have.

Walker

 

[R Alan]

I like shot number 3 also-kind of a moody photo. I like the pic of the farm combine, too. Maybe a tighter crop to eliminate the pole. I have shot some of the arista 100 max, but none of the 400. I may order a 100' roll to give it a shot. Where is Byron, GA? I used to live in Snellville, Ga until I said enough of the Atlanta traffic.

Roy

 

[doubs43]

I like shot number 3 also-kind of a moody photo. I like the pic of the farm combine, too. Maybe a tighter crop to eliminate the pole. I have shot some of the arista 100 max, but none of the 400. I may order a 100' roll to give it a shot. Where is Byron, GA? I used to live in Snellville, Ga until I said enough of the Atlanta traffic. Roy

Thanks, Roy. Byron is roughly 15 miles South of Macon on I-75. I avoid Hotlanta traffic as much as possible and rarely go there.

I try not to crop too much although I do if I think it helps the image. The picture of the gentleman with the wheelbarrow (my next-door neighbor) is cropped and so is the one of the combine, although not much. I wanted as much of the I-75 traffic in it as possible to give the combine a forelorn and abandoned look as life passed it by.

Walker

 

[kaiyen]

I'm not sure what could be causing the grain you're seeing. Delta 400 isn't very grainy, and D76 straight should help dissolve the grain even more. Are you sharpening more after the fact to compensate for the softer overall image?

The dust reduction you're using is software-based, right? Not ICE?

allan

 

[doubs43]

I'm not sure what could be causing the grain you're seeing. Delta 400 isn't very grainy, and D76 straight should help dissolve the grain even more. Are you sharpening more after the fact to compensate for the softer overall image?

The dust reduction you're using is software-based, right? Not ICE?

allan

Hi Allen,

The dust reduction and grain reduction is all software. I have the Epson 4180 scanner and I use the provided software to scan. I use Corel Phot-Paint 12 to manipulate my images. The grain appears in the original scan before I do anything to it in Photo-Paint 12.

Walker

 

[wtl]

Walker,

Though I was told Delta 400 is a fine grain film, I have never experienced myself. Always a bit on the grainy side and it is contrasty.

I do find it to be great in HC-110 without agitation in between when develop, just at the beginning and at the end. Pre-soak with tap water for a minute before developping helps.

 

[doubs43]

Walker, Though I was told Delta 400 is a fine grain film, I have never experienced myself. Always a bit on the grainy side and it is contrasty.

I do find it to be great in HC-110 without agitation in between when develop, just at the beginning and at the end. Pre-soak with tap water for a minute before developping helps.

I've only used Acufine and D-76 with the D-Max 400. Published developing times seem too long, judging from my results. I'll likely use up the remainder of my bulk roll and not get any more. I think I'd prefer either HP-5+ or Tri-X. I have some APX-400 but now that Agfa is defunct I doubt that we'll see any more of it. Too bad. I like Agfa films.

Walker