Slower Tri-X?

Ok, not digital, but many here will know.

I want to try out an old film camera that shoots 120 rolls. No, actually
620, so I will have to re-spool. Anyway, the camera's fastest shutter speed
is 1/400 and I have no ND filters for it. So I thought for shooting
outside it might be good to use a slow film, like ISO 100, which is more what
the camera was made for in 1944. But I've never liked the non-grainy films.
So I wonder if there isn't a Tri-X type film that's slower than 400. Does
Ilford make one like that? Anyone else? Apparently Kodak doesn't.

Also, any suggestions for a good place to buy would be helpful.

On 2016-07-22 13:15:41 +0000, Peabody said:

Ok, not digital, but many here will know.

I want to try out an old film camera that shoots 120 rolls. No, actually
620, so I will have to re-spool. Anyway, the camera's fastest shutter speed
is 1/400 and I have no ND filters for it. So I thought for shooting
outside it might be good to use a slow film, like ISO 100, which is more what
the camera was made for in 1944. But I've never liked the non-grainy films.
So I wonder if there isn't a Tri-X type film that's slower than 400. Does
Ilford make one like that? Anyone else? Apparently Kodak doesn't.

Also, any suggestions for a good place to buy would be helpful.

A good place to start would be B&H and I would look at:
Ilford Delta 100
Ilford FP4 (ISO 125)
Ilford Pan F Plus (ISO 50)
Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros
All of those are finer grained than Tri-X. However, the way the grain
shows in shadows is very effective and less harsh than pushed Tri-X,
giving much more workable contrast.

or Kodak 400Tmax (gives better leeway than Tri-X)
--
Regards,

Savageduck

Peabody wrote:
Ok, not digital, but many here will know.

I want to try out an old film camera that shoots 120 rolls. No, actually
620, so I will have to re-spool. Anyway, the camera's fastest shutter speed
is 1/400 and I have no ND filters for it. So I thought for shooting
outside it might be good to use a slow film, like ISO 100, which is more what
the camera was made for in 1944. But I've never liked the non-grainy films.
So I wonder if there isn't a Tri-X type film that's slower than 400. Does
Ilford make one like that? Anyone else? Apparently Kodak doesn't.

I've shot quite a bit of Tri-X and other 400 speed films
in old folding cameras like the Kodak 66 with a maximum shutter
speed of 1/200. Tri-x with normal development is probably
best exposed at a meter setting of 200 and has lots of overexposure
latitude.

On a guess-focus medium format camera, small f-stops are your
friends. Even if your lens has f/5.6 available it is very difficult
in general to guess the distance well enough with a 75mm lens on a
6x6 camera. It is pretty easy to guess medium distances well enough
for f/11.

If your camera uses the red window film advance system, then
you are likely to find that the numbers on the back of Ilford
films are a bit faint. They are usable, but you have to look
more carefully at the red window. In every other way Ilford
films are a good choice. If you want a 125 speed film after
all, Ilford FP4+ is very good old technology B&W film.

Peter.
--

On 7/22/2016 3:58 PM, Peter Irwin wrote:
Peabody wrote:
Ok, not digital, but many here will know.

I want to try out an old film camera that shoots 120 rolls. No, actually
620, so I will have to re-spool. Anyway, the camera's fastest shutter speed
is 1/400 and I have no ND filters for it. So I thought for shooting
outside it might be good to use a slow film, like ISO 100, which is more what
the camera was made for in 1944. But I've never liked the non-grainy films.
So I wonder if there isn't a Tri-X type film that's slower than 400. Does
Ilford make one like that? Anyone else? Apparently Kodak doesn't.

I've shot quite a bit of Tri-X and other 400 speed films
in old folding cameras like the Kodak 66 with a maximum shutter
speed of 1/200. Tri-x with normal development is probably
best exposed at a meter setting of 200 and has lots of overexposure
latitude.

On a guess-focus medium format camera, small f-stops are your
friends. Even if your lens has f/5.6 available it is very difficult
in general to guess the distance well enough with a 75mm lens on a
6x6 camera. It is pretty easy to guess medium distances well enough
for f/11.

If your camera uses the red window film advance system, then
you are likely to find that the numbers on the back of Ilford
films are a bit faint. They are usable, but you have to look
more carefully at the red window. In every other way Ilford
films are a good choice. If you want a 125 speed film after
all, Ilford FP4+ is very good old technology B&W film.

Peter.


FP4 was always my favourite B&W film.

newshound wrote:
FP4 was always my favourite B&W film.

Adox KB-17 and KB-21 were fabulous films that I used in the 1950s in Europe.

Latterly, they were made in Yugoslavia,and I do not know if the quality
was the same.

Memories.

Mort Linder

Savageduck says...

A good place to start would be B&H and I would look at:
Ilford Delta 100
Ilford FP4 (ISO 125)
Ilford Pan F Plus (ISO 50)
Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros

All of those are finer grained than Tri-X. However, the
way the grain shows in shadows is very effective and
less harsh than pushed Tri-X, giving much more workable
contrast.

or Kodak 400Tmax (gives better leeway than Tri-X)

Thanks, but I've shot a roll of 100 Acros in the camera, and didn't like it.
That smooth look is what I'm trying to get away from. I know that some of
the grain in Tri-X results from it being 400 speeed, but I thought part of it
was also because it isn't a t-grain film.

Peter Irwin says...

On a guess-focus medium format camera, small f-stops are
your friends. Even if your lens has f/5.6 available it
is very difficult in general to guess the distance well
enough with a 75mm lens on a 6x6 camera. It is pretty
easy to guess medium distances well enough for f/11.

The camera is a Kodak Medalist, with very capable range
finder focus. It's 6x9, with a 100mm lens. Focus isn't the
issue, but I would like to be able to not have everything in
focus, and thought a slower film would let me use larger
apertures for shallower depth of field. But mainly, I like
the character of the Tri-X grain.

If your camera uses the red window film advance system,
then you are likely to find that the numbers on the back
of Ilford films are a bit faint. They are usable, but
you have to look more carefully at the red window.

I only have to look on the first frame. After that, the
camera automatically advances the right amount.

If you want a 125 speed film after all, Ilford FP4+ is
very good old technology B&W film.

Yes, it looks like that's the one I need to try.

The film type indicator on the camera has these options:

Kodacolor
Plus-X
Super XX
Panatomic X
Verichrome

So a 125 would fit right in.

On 2016-07-22, Peabody wrote:
Ok, not digital, but many here will know.

I want to try out an old film camera that shoots 120 rolls. No,
actually 620, so I will have to re-spool. Anyway, the camera's fastest
shutter speed is 1/400 and I have no ND filters for it. So I thought
for shooting outside it might be good to use a slow film, like ISO
100, which is more what the camera was made for in 1944. But I've
never liked the non-grainy films. So I wonder if there isn't a Tri-X
type film that's slower than 400. Does Ilford make one like that?
Anyone else? Apparently Kodak doesn't.

Also, any suggestions for a good place to buy would be helpful.

You're going against the flow of more than 100 years of film makers
trying to get rid of grain )

Look into 'pull processing'. Essentially, giving less chemical
development to compensate for over-exposing in the camera. A nominally
ISO 400 film might give acceptable results exposed as ISO 200 or even
ISO 100.

Different developer chemicals also give different 'grain' and 'speed'.

Check out the 'Lomography' site for ideas and to see what materials are
currently available http://shop.lomography.com/en/films.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

On 22/07/2016 11:15 @wiz, Peabody wrote:
Ok, not digital, but many here will know.

I want to try out an old film camera that shoots 120 rolls. No, actually
620, so I will have to re-spool. Anyway, the camera's fastest shutter speed
is 1/400 and I have no ND filters for it. So I thought for shooting
outside it might be good to use a slow film, like ISO 100, which is more what
the camera was made for in 1944. But I've never liked the non-grainy films.
So I wonder if there isn't a Tri-X type film that's slower than 400. Does
Ilford make one like that? Anyone else? Apparently Kodak doesn't.

Also, any suggestions for a good place to buy would be helpful.




I'm currently using Ilford Pan F Plus which I have found exceptional
when developed in a home brew. I'd say using a developer like DDX or
similar would be ideal.

But like anything in film - half the fun is in experimenting.

In article ,
Peabody wrote:

Ok, not digital, but many here will know.

I want to try out an old film camera that shoots 120 rolls. No, actually
620, so I will have to re-spool. Anyway, the camera's fastest shutter speed
is 1/400 and I have no ND filters for it. So I thought for shooting
outside it might be good to use a slow film, like ISO 100, which is more what
the camera was made for in 1944. But I've never liked the non-grainy films.
So I wonder if there isn't a Tri-X type film that's slower than 400. Does
Ilford make one like that? Anyone else? Apparently Kodak doesn't.

Also, any suggestions for a good place to buy would be helpful.

May I suggested "The Negative" by Ansel Adams...
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teleportation kills