How Diafine Saves the Day

[Gabriel M.A.]

Diafine is not a Silver Bullet, which will save you from all your exposure problems; it will not make all your pictures beautiful, and it will not undo your worst mistakes, from the moment you've exposed the frame to the moment you're done cutting the negative.

That said, once you've gotten a handle of what it can and cannot do (or rather, what it shouldn't be used with and for), when used responsibly it can make you want to pat yourself on the back; just a little.

I have a Rolleiflex with shutter speeds in need of calibration (the slower they are, the more they drift); this weekend I decided to take it out for a spin, and do what most dare not do: measure light by feel. And, well, I cheated a bit: my secret weapon? A few rolls of Tri-X and TJ-Max.

The Rolleiflex was not the only one getting the Tri-X/Diafine treat; my Leica/Summitar pair was too...

A few with the Rolleiflex w/Tri-X and TJ-Max souped in Diafine:

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

A few with my Leica/Summitar pair with Tri-X & Diafine...

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

I hate to say this, but the Lecia wins.


Wayne

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Thanks Wayne.

Well, to be fair, I used the Rolleiflex in less favorable lighting conditions. Here's one in the same area as the other Leica shots, with better tones. For obvious blinkin' reasons, the following is not a keeper, but you can see how the lighting can have an effect on the usefulness of Diafine...

 

[T_om]

I hate to say this, but the Lecia wins.


Wayne

Actually, the first shot of the series (of the two individuals looking at each other) is by far the the strongest composition.

Next was the shot across the table in the coffee shop, but it has a totally different presence or feel to it.

Tom

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

Actually, the first shot of the series (of the two individuals looking at each other) is by far the the strongest composition.

Next was the shot across the table in the coffee shop, but it has a totally different presence or feel to it.

Tom

In fairness I should have said the Leica shots in these examples wins in my opinion, not because of the equipment, but because of the end result. I was thinking of the coffee shop photo when I said this.

The compostion is strong in the first couple shot I agree, but I find the bright background is what first draws my attention and not the two people, which I believe are the subject of his photo. Any way, my opinion doesn't really matter.

Cheers,

Wayne

 

[FrankS]

Everyones' opinion matters! All we are doing is expressing our opinions rather than absolutes. I've added an "IMHO" to my signature just to remind everyone that what I express is simply that.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I've noted in many of my frames the price of my enthusiasm: I think "slight" and "very gentle" agitation is worse than no agitation. I agitated very very gently, for about five or ten seconds total, including a fast tap/rap for bubble shake.

Notice on the following frames some streaks; these come down from the sprocket holes.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

But now come to think of it, 120 film has no perforations...so it must have been an effect by the developing reel tank.

 

[Roman]

Uh oh, bromide drag, the bane of two-bath developers...

Roman

 

[rover]

Uh oh, bromide drag, the bane of two-bath developers...

Roman

What's that?

I have taken gentle aggitation to mean 1 slow turn with my Paterson tank thingy and that is it. 10 seconds sounds like a lot in comparison.

 

[Roman]

Well, this is happens when there is not enough agitation, usually - there's not enough fresh chemistry available at the film's surface, and byproducts of the chemical process, like bromides, will run down the film surface (you usually see this only on one edge of the film - the one that was on the upper side in the tank) and cause uneven development.
So, while too much agitation in bath B is bad with 'real' 2-baths, too little is not good either - needs a bit of experimenting...

Roman

 

[T_om]

Well, this is happens when there is not enough agitation, usually - there's not enough fresh chemistry available at the film's surface, and byproducts of the chemical process, like bromides, will run down the film surface (you usually see this only on one edge of the film - the one that was on the upper side in the tank) and cause uneven development.
So, while too much agitation in bath B is bad with 'real' 2-baths, too little is not good either - needs a bit of experimenting...

Roman

Roman nailed it... not anything more I can add.

Tom

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Ahh, Roman...so you're saying that I was too gentle. Or perhaps that I should do the same gentle agitation, but perhaps increase it?

 

[Roman]

Well, I have not even mixed the Diafine I got today with water, so you'd better wait for the experts...
With my homemade Metol-2-bath, agitating a bit more often solved the problem.

Roman