v3cron
Well-known
It's been about 6 years of developing my own Tri-X, then scanning and inkjet printing, and now I'm ready to get back to the "real" thing (actually, I'm moving to an apartment with more space, which is all that's been preventing me since I moved to NYC).
Last time I had a darkroom setup at home, I was shooting a lot of 6x6 and printing on a 4x5 Beseler with a Componon lens. Now I'm a Leica shooter primarily, so I'm picking up a Valoy for next to nothing. The lens on it is in bad shape, so I'm shopping around for one. I've read that the Focotars are quite good, but pricey, and that the 63mm Nikkor may be another good option. Thoughts?
Paper: looks like not a whole lot left, and all kind of expensive now. I used to use a lot of Forte and Ilford MG. What are people using now in a fiber paper for the best blacks? I'm not sure if I want VC or graded, but I think the final tonal rendition is the priority, so I could adapt to either. Which papers are giving the best blacks, and are neutral with nice bright whites as well?
Thanks for the input.
Last time I had a darkroom setup at home, I was shooting a lot of 6x6 and printing on a 4x5 Beseler with a Componon lens. Now I'm a Leica shooter primarily, so I'm picking up a Valoy for next to nothing. The lens on it is in bad shape, so I'm shopping around for one. I've read that the Focotars are quite good, but pricey, and that the 63mm Nikkor may be another good option. Thoughts?
Paper: looks like not a whole lot left, and all kind of expensive now. I used to use a lot of Forte and Ilford MG. What are people using now in a fiber paper for the best blacks? I'm not sure if I want VC or graded, but I think the final tonal rendition is the priority, so I could adapt to either. Which papers are giving the best blacks, and are neutral with nice bright whites as well?
Thanks for the input.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
llford MG probaby surpassed graded 15-20 years ago: Dmax 2.2+ just about possible. I prefer Warmtone: the lower Dmax is not normally perceptible to the naked eye, and the colour is better. Focotars are cheap nowadays, and still good.
Tashi delek,
R.
Tashi delek,
R.