Shooting Eastman (Double-X) 5222 in the Leica

Acer1240UT-test2-XX

Acer1240UT-test2-XX

Here's another, still not sure about all these Vuescan settings!
 
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Ok, i'm very late to this party, but wanted to let y'all know that i've just finished loading a few dozen XX pics to my flickr page (link). I've got about 80 more that i've scanned, and about 1k more exposures yet to be scanned, but this feels like a good start.

I've tagged them all with the developer/dilution/time used (mostly BW44, R09, Diafine, and my favorite so far, Fuji SPD, which i believe is a Crawleys FX-37 clone?), and camera & lens used, etc. I've also added a handful to the XX flickr pool..

A caveat: neither my 'sunny 16' skills, nor my scanning skills are yet to be in tip-top shape, so there will be some oddities in there. That said, it's been a lot of fun shooting the 5222 - i really like it, and it's become my main film!

On a personal note, i'd like to thank Tom A, who was very helpful and patient with my XX-questions well over a year ago - it is still very much appreciated! And in that spirit, the Citroen 2CV pic is dedicated to you! :)

--c--
 
ADOX Borax chemical precipitate after film run

ADOX Borax chemical precipitate after film run

Here's the chemical precipitate, that accumulates in the bottom of the 2-litre Coke Classic bottle, after each XX film run. Looks like Silver Bromide, maybe? I filter the contents using coffee filter before the next film run, and it's fine. But I don't want that junk on my negatives.
 
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The Adox solution is pretty well maxed out as to solution. It probably a good idea to filter it a couple of times. Once you have done it 1-2 times, the precipitate should vanish. I have found that with Td 201 there tends to form flakes in the A solution and I have filtered it a couple of times and now it seems gone.
Found a good chemical supplier for canadian addicts. : http://www.jdphotochem.com
Very good pricing and service and you dont have to have stuff going across the border either.
 
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120 Neopan 400 in ADOX Borax MQ

120 Neopan 400 in ADOX Borax MQ

I developed this Evil 120 Neopan 400 along with some XX last week. It seems to do pretty well with the Presto and the XX:
 
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>Looks like Silver Bromide, maybe?

Silver bromide is very light sensitive and would react quickly to form other substances. Most of the bromide produced during development will form sodium bromide, which is freely soluble in water up to about 70g/L. It's more likely to be precipitated sodium sulphite, but without proper analysis we're just speculating.

Marty
 
I put up some more stuff with the Td 201. I have tagged it as a 3rd run (15 rolls so far) and I will try to run another 5-10 before Sunday to see if there is a change in times required. I also included a shot done on XXX as a comparison. I rated it at around 250-320 and ran it at the same time as the XX. Looks OK on the scan and neg, but I feel that the XX does give better mid-range tones.
has anyone tried it with Pyro Cat yet?
 
Tom A said:
Ideally I would take two M2's and the R4M and it might come down to that ultimately.
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Enjoy your trip. Take lots of XX, and your three best M2's, IMO. :D

I'm mixing up my first TD-201 this weekend, I also want to try Diafine, Microdol-X (I have a gallon to mix up) and possibly PMK Pyro+ (my favorite soup). BTW I use a liquid PMK+ kit from Photographer's Formulary, not powdered Pyro :eek:
 
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After reading this thread I called up Film Emporium and ordered 100' of Kodak 5222. The spool, a daylight load "Eyemo" reel, was just barely too large for my Watson loader so I had to respool the film onto a core. I plan to shoot a test roll tomorrow if time and weather permit. I will post samples on the 5222 group on flickr.

The daylight load reel turned out to be a plastic reel with solid sides. The idea is that first couple of layers of film protect the rest of the reel from exposure. Since the sides are solid no light can get to the edges of the film. An Eyemo, I learned, is vintage 35mm professional grade movie camera which was made by Bell and Howell.
 
I downloaded a couple of shots's last night from earlier XX shoots. Two are done with D76 (my notes are a bit sketchy here, but I suspect it was 1:1/10 min) and a shot done in Pyro (similar to Hutchins PMK). The D76 shots were done at 250asa and the Pyro at 200asa.
The Pyro worked well, plenty of details in the deep shadow in the garage and the old Caddy's bright white paint holds up well.
Well, I am laid up at the moment after I got diagnosed with a mild pneumonia. Screwed up our trip to Japan and also I was given antibiotics thats really zaps your energy. No outdoor shooting for a couple of days! Oh well, it will give me a chance to catch up with negative filing and possibly darkroom work.
 
I am planning to oder some XX film from Film emporium, but they only have the 400' Rolls. Since this cannot be put into a regular loader, I guess the transfer to cassette will have to be done by first just unraveling the film in a dark bag or darkroom, and guessing the length. Or is there some other method that I am not aware of ?
(I just don't want to end up with half the roll off the reel in my hand ! :eek: )
 
I just rolled a 400 foot roll of xx. I used a regular bulk loader. I used my darkroom, (light tight) and put the 400 foot roll on my enlarger table flat. I pulled an arm length out and then rolled it into a circle, roll. I did this 20 time so i would get about 100' into a roll. Of course the room is light tight.

I put that 100' into an open 100' wrapper and film tin and sealed it. I then put the remaining 300' back into its original film can.

I turned the lights on and got my bulk loader ready. With the lights off I put the 100' roll of XX into the bulk loader and with the lights on loaded about 18 rolls as I normally would.

I did this four evenings in a row and got the full 400' loaded.

It took about an hour each night. This counted cutting the leader and labeling the film.

I now have about 70+ rolls of 36 exp xx ASA 250 ready to shoot.

It is harder to explain than to actually do.

Leo
 
I find that pulling out or up a strip of film and extending my arms fully - I get about 37-39 frames. The trick is to attach the centerspool with tape and holding the spool pulling it a full armslengths (both arms) and cut it at the other end.
Make up a little wooden pin (dowel pin) and sand or trim with a knife and cut a slot in that allows the pin to be pushed into the center spool (there is a bar across inisde the spool -the slot could slide firmly over that). This speeds up the spooling up of your 5-6 feet into the cassette.
I have always preferred to spool up the film prior to inserting it into the cassette as this reduces the amount of times the film is pulled through the felt-trap.
I mainly use the Leica IXMOO cassettes, these are brass cassettes that will open up to a 10mm opening once the lock in the baseplate is turned. This prevents scratches from the film rubbing against a felt-trap or sharp edges.
I find that I can do 70-72 rolls in about 2-3 hours. Of course this is done in total darkness and it is very boring - but it gives me 4-5 weeks of "shooting".
 
I normally roll-up about ten rolls at a time (to fill up a box of Kodak Snap Caps). I stretch my arms out wide, measuring a strip right off the 400'. Then I tape it to the plastic spool, (I precut the masking tape, and stick it on the end of the table, so I can find it by touch) and roll up the film on the spool . Then on it goes into the Snap-Cap. Scissors I keep in my back pocket, so I don't lose 'em, and I use the top of the 400' Eastman can to hold the Snap-Cap parts so I don't lose them in the dark:bang:.

I'm running XX through my M2 right now, with my new 35mm f2.8 Jupiter-12 Russian lens. I like it a great deal, the images are superb, great with the retro XX. And my Evil Minolta SRT's wanted feeding:eek:, so I loaded up three of those with XX, and my Motorized SR-M, as well. Made another ADOX Borax MQ run this last weekend with my -big- 2000ml Nikkor tank, four rolls of 120 (Neopan 400, 2-Ilford Pan F, and Fomapan 100). And also another roll of Neopan Presto 400 35mm, all processed together in one run, 8 min at 20C. That is one -great- developer, it's very consistent, full emulsion speed, great "look" with all these different films. I'll think I'll keep it around as a general-purpose developer.

-Dan, gotta shoot more XX............
 
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Is Film Emporium the best place to buy 5222? I see they offer 100' short ends on their web site, but judging from the discussion it sounds like they don't always have them in stock even if they're listed for sale on the site. I'd be better off calling them, I guess?

Sorry for the newbie question, but I've been lurking on this thread for a while and I'm really enjoying the samples I've seen posted.
 
Yes, when I called them for my first roll of XX, they checked their stock, and had only one roll of 400' RECAN (that's film unloaded from a preloaded 35mm Cine magazine). It probably varies quite a bit, depending on what Cine film crews turn back into them to resell. Many here have reported good luck. Or you can simply call Eastman New York City and get fresh XX, I bought a 400' roll of 35mm Cine Plus-X from them and it was about $145 with Fedex shipping, and I got it in two days. Still not bad for 70+ rolls of 36exp. And there is something to be said for buying unopened stock.
 
There is always a chance that the movie camera guys cut and unload a bit sloppy. What they are interested in is the exposed stuff - not what is left on the spool. I find that Kodak's freshly packaged and un-opened cans are a really good deal. On friday (before I knew that I had to cancel my much anticipated trip to Japan) I went and picked up 20 rolls of Neopan 400 at my regular store here in Vancouver. The bill came to $139!!!!! and thats after all te discounts I get. I can buy 400 ft of XX for the same money - that's 70+ rolls for the price of 20!
It is not that I am cheap, but if I look at 600+ rolls/year - thats the difference between spending $120-140/month versus $400+/month. That does add up over 12 month!
 
I just posted 5 pictures from my first roll of Double X. I exposed it at iso 200 and developed it in HC110 B (6 minutes - as per the Massive Development Chart). The negatives looked like the had been overexposed by at least a full stop, but they were easy to print and I was pleased with they way they looked. I was particularly impressed by the way this film handles the tones from shadow to sky as, for example, in the light house picture. I am going to try my next roll at iso 400.

Buying from the Film Emporium seems to be pretty much luck of the draw. When I called, the only Double X they had was the 100' daylight load Eyemo which I bought.
 
Tom A said:
I find that Kodak's freshly packaged and un-opened cans are a really good deal.
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That's the direction i'll be taking when i order more 5222 (which will be soon!) - no FE waiting list, no re-can 'oddities', and the difference in price is too minimal to bother with the short ends, imo.

Hope you're feeling better, Tom!

--c--
 
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