best film for half-frame

[dreilly]

Hi everyone!

I have an Olympus Pen D-2 that I just picked up, and I am fast falling in love with it. It's side by side an XA, and though I like the XA's full frame, the usability of the D2 is heads above--as well as fit and finish. The D2 is so solid and comfortable. Anyway, it's got me thinking about a longer term commitment to half-frame.

Here's my question: what film (black and white, color, slide) would you recommend for half-frame, maximizing resolution and minimizing grain size (in other words, to maximize what you can get out of negative in terms of enlargement).

Any ideas? Discuss!

 

[bmattock]

Hi everyone!

I have an Olympus Pen D-2 that I just picked up, and I am fast falling in love with it. It's side by side an XA, and though I like the XA's full frame, the usability of the D2 is heads above--as well as fit and finish. The D2 is so solid and comfortable. Anyway, it's got me thinking about a longer term commitment to half-frame.

Here's my question: what film (black and white, color, slide) would you recommend for half-frame, maximizing resolution and minimizing grain size (in other words, to maximize what you can get out of negative in terms of enlargement).

Any ideas? Discuss!

For B&W, I'd say Ilford Delta 100. Very fine grain. Not sure what to suggest for color print or slide. I think the Fuji Provia is very fine-grain, but I could be mistaken about that.

If you like the build quality of the Olympus Pen, take a look at the EC/EC2/ECR series. The ECR is a proper rangefinder, and all sport the same E.Zuiko lens as the Olympus 35 RC. They are very tiny - bigger than the XA, smaller than the RC. They are all built like little precision jewels - very nice. Biggest drawback is that they are auto-exposure only. But if you're experimenting...

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[clarence]

For slide film, I'm thinking of Velvia. The grain is small enough, and with half frame you could afford to bracket exposures.

Clarence

 

[raid]

There are two approaches here; the first is using a fine grain film so that standard enlargements still look "normal". The second approach is to maximize grain and get very grainy B&W photos back. In that case, you a fast (grainy) B&W film from the start.

I used Velvia 50 a lot with a Pen FT for nice looking slides.

 

[kbg32]

No matter what film you use, you will get more grain. I suggest using whatever film you like. When I could find it, I loved shooting Polaroid Polapan in my half frame cameras.

 

[nightfly]

I would say if you are grain-phobic a half frame probably isn't the way to go. I think half frames can be put to great use but really, you probably want to be able to incorporate the grain into the look of the photography as you are magnifiying more than 35mm which to medium format folks is already too grainy.

Not helpful perhaps but just a thought before you get too into it. I'm personally dying to get one of these specificially because I want super grainy black and whites and even 35mm Tri-x developed in Dektol isn't enough for what I'm looking for.

However if you are going this direction and if you don't develop your own black and white, you might look at some of the chromogenic C-41 films. They tend to be less grainy than true black and white films. The basic rule is slower films, less grain. So Velvia 50 is a good suggestion for color slide. The ultimate question is how big will the end product be. If you are going up to 8 x 10 or bigger from a half frame, I would suspect grain is going to be an issue no matter what you do.

 

[dreilly]

I would say if you are grain-phobic a half frame probably isn't the way to go. I think half frames can be put to great use but really, you probably want to be able to incorporate the grain into the look of the photography as you are magnifiying more than 35mm which to medium format folks is already too grainy.

I'm certianly not grain-phobic, I just wanted to know what film I could use to minimize it--but utilizing it is part of the plan, too. I am thinking of starting to develop bw film at home, so the Delta 100 is a good suggestion. I already shoot xp2 and have a roll of it in the D2 as a test. As for final target size--well, I scan my negs and work them digitally, and actually I rarely print, and rarely print large. Though with an epson r1800 in my office now, that is changing, too!

The velvia I've shot before...but I tend to shoot at lower light levels than is practical.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts/suggestions. Any others?

doug

 

[taffer]

OTH, if you happen to be grainaholic and don't want to have to open that preciouss TMZ for some experiments, half frame may be the way to go...

 

[dll927]

There must be reasons why the PenFs were once so popular, and you have to wonder why they were so totally dropped. (There is supposed to have been a half-frame Leica at one time, and it's about as rare as anything they ever made.)

I've never had one, but a friend of mine did, and my recollection is that you held it 'vertically'
for a horizontal shot. In other words, the horizontal dimension went ACROSS the film, not along it, as a full-frame does. Requiescat in pacem!

 

[titrisol]

For BW Delta 100 should do fine (specially developed in DDX or Xtol), also XP2 shot as EI200.
For color Fuji Superia (negative) or Velvia/Provia (slide) my give you the best balance.

Half frame cameras were very popular at one time (Canon Demi was my expeirence) and i don't see why not shooting normally.

 

[dreilly]

The vertical-as-normal format is interesting. I almost never shoot 35mm in vertical format. My wife does all the time. The D2 forces me to literally turn my photographing on its head, and it's a useful tool for that. How does Delta 100 do in either Diafine or Rodinal, the two canditates for my "darkroom on the cheap".