> Is this the most difficult exposure situation? Black cat on
> snow, maybe only beaten by bride and groom?
Very close. Put that black cat in a tree shadow and have direct
sunshine in that scene and you'll definitely hit the limits.
> I have never used C-41 black and white film before, this is
> Kodak 400CN. I had it in my OM-1 and used a silver nose
100/2.8.
Ah, good choice! Silvernosed lenses do B&W better because they
reduce the overall contrast slightly (as compared to the uptown
blacknosed jobbies) which helps put more details into the
shadows.
> http://privat.johanmalmstrom.se/pics/blackcat8.jpg
> http://privat.johanmalmstrom.se/pics/blackcat9.jpg
> http://privat.johanmalmstrom.se/pics/blackcat10.jpg
These photos look far too contrasty. I'd probably pull back at
least a full grade if printing in the darkroom. There should be
extensive shadow and highlight detail. The highlights are
holding good in these on-line pictures, but the cat is pretty
much blacked out. You should be able to see texture in the fur.
T400CN is a beast to use in the darkroom but is an outstanding
scanner film. I do have to really wrankle the gamma, though.
Adjusting curves is fine for tweeking the high and low values,
but in the case of T400CN, and uniquely this film, you have to
make a major gamma adjustment as the the midtones are misplaced
in the grand scheme of things. Portra B&W is exactly the same
way (as it is essentially the exact same film with slightly
altered skin response to match the same luminous values of the
Portra color films.
This film has the ability to be WAY overexposed. In doing so,
it actually makes the image sharper. Has to do with how the
emulsion layers are stacked. However, in doing so, it really
causes the image to lean into the "shoulder" of the film. To
use a digital analogy: Instead of a 16-bit image, you are using
only 4-bits. You literally throw away 2/3 of the response
potential of the film.
AG
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