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Tri-X as a negative


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I'm about to test this in a couple weeks, but in the meantime, does anyone have any anecdotes (or images!) regarding how, when processed as a negative, Tri-X 7266 looks compared to Double-X? I'm desperately grasping for a way to shoot true black and white film, while avoiding the mush that is Double-X.

 

Thanks.

 

-Jarin

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Why shouldn’t they? Fomapan is the trade name of several black-and-white negative stocks.

If you mean Fomapan R, R for reversal, then things look different.

 

Why, yes! That is exactly what I mean and I should have said it. Thinking of getting some for the Filmo 70-DR.

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Well, it took my about four seconds for this:

 

Cinelab can develop 16mm, Super 16mm, and Ultra 16mm Color and Black and White Negative Films. We are also one of the very few laboratories in the United States doing daily processing of BW Reversal.

 

http://www.cinelab.com/16mm.html

 

Yes, but it didn't specify which ones. I'm not aware of which process Fomapan R requires, or if the one used by Cinelab is the best one for this stock.

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Yes, but it didn't specify which ones. I'm not aware of which process Fomapan R requires, or if the one used by Cinelab is the best one for this stock.

You can process literally any b/w film, neg or reversal, in the same developer and get an image. Reversal involves a couple of extra steps.

So if a lab says it processes b/w, it processes any b/w. There are differences between developers, but now that no-one is developing for print or projection anymore, they have less influence on the final images than they used to.

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You can process literally any b/w film, neg or reversal, in the same developer and get an image. Reversal involves a couple of extra steps.

So if a lab says it processes b/w, it processes any b/w. There are differences between developers, but now that no-one is developing for print or projection anymore, they have less influence on the final images than they used to.

 

Thanks, Mark

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Well, it took my about four seconds for this:

 

Cinelab can develop 16mm, Super 16mm, and Ultra 16mm Color and Black and White Negative Films. We are also one of the very few laboratories in the United States doing daily processing of BW Reversal.

 

http://www.cinelab.com/16mm.html

 

 

 

Yes, but it didn't specify which ones. I'm not aware of which process Fomapan R requires, or if the one used by Cinelab is the best one for this stock.

 

Its been discussed before that Fomapan uses different times than Tri X, and I cannot remember which lab, maybe Spectra, does special runs with Fomapan.

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Its been discussed before that Fomapan uses different times than Tri X, and I cannot remember which lab, maybe Spectra, does special runs with Fomapan.

 

I found what Robert from Cinelab posted a long time ago.

 

 

We develop allot of B&W Reversal, more than any lab in the world.

 

20,000ft in a day at times.

 

Foma has a much softer emulsion than Tri-X does, if you run it in the same time/temp as Tri-X the emulsion cooks off.

 

Spectra has called us in the past to ask how to deal with bleach issues, there is not a "Special mastery" of developing this stock.

 

Foma has to be run in special batches because the emulsion is not hard like Kodak or Orwo.

 

I see that dr5 charges $135 to develop an 100 ft roll of 16mm Foma, seems a bit expensive.

 

YMMV

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We develop Fomapan.

 

We have a dedicated Treise 8mm/16mm B&W Reversal processor and a Allen 16mm/35mm processor with developer tanks for B&W Negative and B&W Print.

 

We run FomapanR in batches as it comes in compared to Tri-x which is a daily run.

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We develop Fomapan.

 

We have a dedicated Treise 8mm/16mm B&W Reversal processor and a Allen 16mm/35mm processor with developer tanks for B&W Negative and B&W Print.

 

We run FomapanR in batches as it comes in compared to Tri-x which is a daily run.

 

Thank you, Robert. How much Fomapan constitutes a batch? What's the average turnaround? Ever since I saw this stock I can't wait to use some.

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We develop Fomapan.

 

We have a dedicated Treise 8mm/16mm B&W Reversal processor and a Allen 16mm/35mm processor with developer tanks for B&W Negative and B&W Print.

 

We run FomapanR in batches as it comes in compared to Tri-x which is a daily run.

 

Robert, Are you guys only developing as a negative? No B&W reversal?

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We have processed a couple thousand feet of Tri-X reversal as a negative for a school. The grain is very fine, the latitude is much less than Double-X, same as reversal and you loose about one stop of speed. I don't recommend it except as special effect or in emergency.

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Jarin, here is some Tri-X as negative @ 7:33

 

Password = test

 

35mm and 16mm lighting, filter, exposure tests from the past year or so for a feature I'm writing, shooting, directing. I've already started shooting on 35mm short ends, it's probably going to take me a year.

 

I sent Tri-X to Video and Film Solutions assuming they processed reversal, they don't, they said I would lose some speed, so I went ahead and had them process as negative, (2k scan, K3 camera and Meteor zoom). This is a somewhat high contrast scene, for comparison ther Double XX starting at 2:06 in essentially the same bright afternoon California sun ...the only Tri -x is that end clip and BTW @ 5:08 Double XX shot at night, pushed 1 stop, under-cranked

 

For further comparison 35mm Double XX pushed 1 stop. I love this but hard to get in short ends.

Every cut I adjusted the lighting, there are a few seconds with a b&w filter.

 

What I learned shooting b&w tests: the contrast you see is the contrast you get.

 

 

W.

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Jarin, here is some Tri-X as negative @ 7:33

 

Password = test

.

 

William, what sort of diffusion did you use for that first scene with the girl 30 seconds in? And about a minute in? I love the look of it. Was that 35mm 50D? Can you tell us more about how you accomplished this? Thank you.

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