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Re: [OM] My first roll self-development B&W film

Subject: Re: [OM] My first roll self-development B&W film
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:08:25 -0800
Michael Wong wrote:
> http://www.fotop.net/MichaelWong/Rollei35sBW
>
> Although it's not very good, the first step is successful ^_^
>   
Michael Wong wrote:
> I missed the info from the website (http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html 
> ) & it recommends 9 mins developing time for Lucky 100 by TMAX developer. I 
> made it less 2 mins, maybe it caused to low contrast :-(
>   

It's been something like 40 years since I developed a roll of B&W, so I 
have no idea what the short development time would do.

But it's only been a couple of weeks since I scanned some B&W film. It's 
impossible to tell from here how much of the results is from 
film/development and how much from scanner, scanning software and 
operator settings.

Using IMG3605 as an example, overall contrast is fine, in the sense that 
neither highlight or shadow detail is lost at the ends of the histogram. 
However, the image overall looks flat and lifeless, especially for a 
subject so busy and full of life. As I see it, the problem is at least 
partially in local contrast and sharpness, with lesser problems of tonal 
distribution.

Although this is a film image originally, I am seeing it as a digital 
capture, since it was scanned. Possibly as a result of the development, 
local contrast, tonal differentiation at the edges between areas of 
different tonal value, is very low. Also, detail actually captured by 
lens and film is lost in the digital process. ALL digitally captured 
images need sharpening if one wishes to see all the detail. It's nothing 
to do with the source or the nominal resolution of the sensor/scanner, 
but with the nature of scanning of an analog image with a fixed grid. 
I've tried to explain the reason in clear, simple terms on Zone-10. 
<http://zone-10.com/cmsm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=1>

Here are a couple of versions of how I think the image "should" look. 
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/Others/MWong/IMG3605.htm>

I first applied noise reduction, mostly so that LCE and sharpening 
wouldn't accentuate the grain. Then I applied LCE, Curves and 
Sharpening. I also did use masks, so those tools were applied in 
different amounts to different parts of the image.

It may well be that the right film/developer combination will get you 
negs that will print perfectly with the right paper and darkroom 
technique. You will still need LCE and/or sharpening to get a similar 
effect on the web for scanned images.

All the above assumes a desire for the kind of result I linked to. There 
may well be others for whom the soft, almost dreamy quality af the image 
as-is will be preferable.

Moose
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