Exposing Eastman (Double-X) 5222 in the Leica

Just posted another 30 frames from yesterdays shooting with XX at

http://flickr.com/photos/rapidwinder/

By now the Adox has had 45 rolls through it and it has a bit lower contrast - very subtle smootness to it. Tomorrow I am doing another 3-4 rolls with among other things the new 35mm f1,4 Single Coated lens from Cosina. I am running it against my 40/1,4 SC and my old Summilux 35/1,4 (mid 90's version). Probably will post some of that stuff friday afternoon.
Yesterday's shots were done with a selection of Nikon Rf's (a S2/S3/SP and 35/1,8 new version. a S-mount Nokton 50mm f1.5 and a 85mm f2.0 Nikkor). Slghtly different tonality than with the Leica lenses.
 
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I have also found it difficult to contact print my negatives, even when I had access to a well equipped darkroom and a pretty good assembly line system. (for RC)

1 test sheet to get exposure down, expose every negfile one after another.
Start staring at the clock and running sheets through trays: 1st sheet dektol 2min, drip 20sec, stopbath 20sec, drip 20sec, (place second sheet in dektol)
fix 2min, drip 20sec (1st and second sheets) 1st sheet in wash, 2nd... and so on.
​
*note, this only works when you are alone in the darkroom!
It can also get tricky with the print tongs, but with practice can shave several minutes off of the time for each contact sheet.

Now, I've grown lazy. I'll scan every negative at 300ppi, and use Photoshop's automated contact sheet do-dad. run that off the printer and use that to select which negative to scan full resolution. In a pinch though, (more often of late) I've scanned the negative file pages on the flatbed at fairly low resolution and just used the resulting file as a contact sheet, and not saved it at the end of a session.

-XX progress update-

Had to make some necessary repairs on my vehicle, so funds for photographic acquisition have been a bit short of late. have my sights set on two 400' reels of XX, and have just about everything else to get the basement darkroom up and running. Still need chemicals though, especially for the ADOX that Tom has been getting such nice tonality from.
 
Tom A said:
Maybe if I got a flat bed scanner that could do 6 wide and 7 down negfiles I could use that! Nah, I know myself to well. It would never get done.
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My friend got Epson V700 and I got chance to try this. I like this much and I would love switch my 35mm scanner Dualscan with this. IT is great to be able to scan whole 36 frames for preview at the same time as I get a pair of frames from the slow struggling scanner or a smelly contact copy. V700 tempts me now even more when I bought Rolleiflex recently after Al Kaplan's tips.

Thank you for the tip, Al Kaplan 😉
 
tomasis said:
One question:

Did anyone got stuffs from filmeporium recently? I'd like to know if anyone living is moving there.
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Yes. I called their NYC number on a Wednesday the week before last and had 150ft of short ends delivered the very next day. The guy said that was all they had other than 400ft rolls, so my reccomendation is to try by phone rather than email.
 
Tomasis, you're welcome for the tips. It's great to know that there are still people carrying on the traditions of B&W film, and even trying 120 film. Now that the major photo magazines are mostly just memory we have a generation of young photographers with little choice but to get their information from the internet. So much knowledge will simply be gone forever in another twenty years or so, even if 5222 and D-76 survives.
 
I have more XX film to process, but my 16-year old son accidentally broke my Kodak Process Thermometer. I'm over it, and have found a replacement on ebay (a Kodak Color Process thermometer, the glass-tube type with blue liquid), and I've switcherooed these pieces out in the past. The glass Color Process tube fits right into the Kodak Process Thermometer metal case, with a bit of bending of the metal tabs.

I've got some Presto 1600 I've exposed at EI 640, and I think I can run it in ADOX Borax MQ along with XX. Seven minutes seems to be in the ballpark, according to digitaltruth.photo using stock D-76.

Makes me think about how you really have all your ducks in place to make all this fly. But it's worth it, in terms of result satisfaction, and overall recreational therapy. I used to hate processing film, but now I think I am enjoying getting it just the way -I- want it. And mixing developer from scratch is just part of the fun, as far as I'm concerned. So I just bought a copy of "The Darkroom Cookbook" by Steve Anchell
 
The Kodak Process thermometer is accurate for sure, but both expensive and delicate. Pick up an easy to read dial thermometer. Weston is probably the best. Every few weeks check it against the Kodak Process. The dial models I've seen can be adjusted to match. That way the Kodak spends most of its time in the case and you know that the Weston (or cheaper copy) is on the money. The dial models are faster reacting to temperature changes and they are a lot easier to read.
 
"The Darkroom Cook Books" and the "Film Developing Cook book" are my favored "waiting for film to wash" reading. Lots of information and some interesting mixes to try. They are also far safer than the vintage photo chemsitry manuals that I have -Stuff like Mercury Oxalate toning, uranium toning of prints and potassium Thiocyanide as a developer. I wonder how these old photographers survived at all. We know that most of the Daquerrotypists went nuts, a side effect of using "fuming mercury" as a developer! Ouch!!!
 
A few years ago I bought a digital multi-meter that included a temperature probe and mode. It's consistent and a multi-use tool. 😀

I've never used the fuming mercury, but my mental state ... how do you explain it???
 
Trius said:
A few years ago I bought a digital multi-meter that included a temperature probe and mode. It's consistent and a multi-use tool. 😀

I've never used the fuming mercury, but my mental state ... how do you explain it???
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Hmmm, maybe residual silver halides in the Rochester water supply or just plain Toronto?
 
Finished two more rolls of XX yesterday, 250 @ f16 bright sunlight shots, using my 85mm f1.9 Jupiter-9. I'm thinking hard about adding a 35mm f2.8 black Jupiter-12 to my collection. I don't have anything with that type of optical design, which is a copy of the postwar Contax Biogon. I do have the CV 35mm f1.7 Utron and CV 35mm f2.5 Skopar, I like both of those. But do those two make the Jupiter-12 redundant?

Next run, I think I'll fire-up my eight-reel Nikor tank. BTW I bought a replacement mercury-tube for my Kodak Process thermometer yesterday at the photo junk shop, and used a tube of white bathroom caulk to secure the glass tube inside the metal Process Thermometer case. As soon as the caulk has cured for 24 hours, I'll be able to run film again. I also looked for a Weston thermometer, but didn't find anything suitable. I'll keep looking, but I do want one that has the adjustable nut on the back to allow for temperature calibration.

Also picked up a nice Patterson safelight for $5, another box of Kodak Snapcaps for $5, and a "Hurricane Film Washer" for a whopping $2. That thing makes a nice vortex when it's hooked up to the faucet, and will nicely wash 4 rolls of film.
 
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I dumped my Adox on Friday after it had developed 55 rolls! There was a slight decrease in contrast towards the end and it it did look like sewage sludge after that many rolls. I like the developer, quite simple to make and very good storage characteristics.
Today I am mixing up some other stuff, some D86 for one or two runs of it and then the Td 201, split bath developer. If everything goes according to plans (it rarely does) I will have another 5 rolls to run tonight (in between watching Oscar's ceremonies) and possibly 5 more on Tuesday. I am trying out the new Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 Single Coated version and that gives me the impetus to shoot more!
I did "flickerize" some low light stuff yesterday, XX in well seasoned Adox. I am sticking to the 7.5 minute times as it seems to correspond to my way of shooting.
 
Tom.

wow, 55 rolls, it does seem like the time to get rid of the Adox developer. I tried some T-max developer on some XX but I couldn't tame the contrast (to Much) no matter what developing time I used so I went back to the Adox formula. Maybe it was the sun we are having in the North West this past week.

I would be interested in the findings with the split developer. If you could share your formula that would be appreciated.

I just started to roll another 400 feet of XX and am about 1/3 done. Maybe I will finish this evening.

I picked up a new Letiz AFLOO film winder (Like Chris used) see #133 in this thread. I still like using a bulk loader better. FS IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED. PM ME.

Let us know how the Split developer works with XX.

Leo
In Washington State
 
Leo, I will let you know how the Td 201 works, but first I amdoing 10 rolls in the D89 as I just mixed that up! have to finish another couple off rolls this afternoon. That bright sun really screws up exposures doesn't it! Living in the NW, one gets spoiled by 1/250 and f5,6 with XX!!!
The Td 201 is one of the variations of the old D23 in a split formula. It uses Sodium SulPHATE to reduce the swelling of the emulsion. I did some rolls last year with it -mainly Tri X/Neopan 400 and some slower stuff. It requires constant agitation (3 min in A and 3 min in B) but it will handle all this bright stuff very well.
I will find out if we can post the formula here as it is in Anchells "The Filmdeveloping Cookbook" and I rather see people buying that book and support Anchell's further research in weird and wonderful chemistry!
 
Tom, I have the Developing cookbook, I will look up the formula. I am game to try something different so i might brew it up this evening.

Leo
 
JUst finished hanging another film run, this one is two Presto 1600 (at EI640) and two XX. Developed in the Adox Borax Metol MQ for 7.5 minutes at 20C. Everything looks good, as I have been expecting. Increased developer time, due to the fact that I've now run twenty rolls through this batch of Adox Borax MQ. Developer is slightly cloudy, but clean looking, after filtering. I noticed a chemical precipitate in the bottom of the two-litre Coke Classic bottle that holds the developer, so I filtered it with Patterson funnel and coffee filter, before running the film. There is a silvery-black particulate-matter being trapped by the filter. I guess that is Silver Bromide eaten-away by all that Sulphite? Better that that crap ends up in the filter paper, than on my negatives!

First time I've used Presto 1600. I'm impressed with the results. That film has some d-max, absolutely jet black in the ADOX. And the XX looks just as I am expecting it to. Absolutely the juiciest-looking negs I've produced in years 🙂
 
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df cardwell said:
This talk of XX is a VERY bad thing. Making picture taking slightly more difficult is always fun !

A simple D-76 variant-of-a-variant is D-89:

metol 3g
sulfite 100g
borax 5g
pot bromide 1/2 g

Originally calling for Pinacryptol Green, a desensitizer and anti-foggant,
potassium bromide is readily available and works fine.

The difference between this and Kodak's packaged D-76 is slightly less base fog,
due to the bromide. The formula is re-jiggered to compensate for the bromide,
and HQ is unnecessary, so left out.

Use the same times and dilutions as packaged D-76. Or D-96.
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Just did a run with the D89 and XX. 10 min with 10sec/60sec agitation. The wet negs look good. Tomorrow I will see if I have time to scan some of them. The five rolls were shot today and yesterday in blazing sun and using "Sunny f16". Maybe it is time to take the M6 and the IXMOO rapidwinder out for some stuff. Most of my exposures are OK and when I err it tends to be on the + side. Could be interesting to see what metered stuff would look like.
Thanks for the tip on the D89. I mixed up enough to do one more 5 reel run and after the negs have dried I will look at them and see if I need to adjsut times.
 
Just downloaded some stuff done with Double XX and D89. Looking at the negs i think i will cut the time down to 9 min from 10 min. Good looking negatives and even pushing the size up in Lightroom to its maximum, the grain looks good.
Using the D89 at 10 min. seems to give me a bit more speed, between 320-400 asa. I still have enough mixed up to do another 5 rolls. I hope to do a couple of more rolls tomorrow and then do a run.
 
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