When you choose a developer to process film, should you opt for maximum sharpness or fine grain.

-- Ralph Foste (aspen4@home.com), June 07, 2000

Answers

This is an excellent question, since my own experience indicates the two, at 'maximum quality', are mutually exclusive. Ergo, the answer to this question can only be "whatever you like the most'.

-- shawn (shawngibson_prophoto@yahoo.com), June 07, 2000.

I lost a paragraph between 'exclusive' and 'Ergo'. Have to finish later. :-)

-- shawn (shawngibson_prophoto@yahoo.com), June 07, 2000.

Sharpness, or, to be more precise, acutance.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com), June 07, 2000.

I just figured out why what i was saying sounded wrong. Ed's right, as always. Fine grained developers are not the way to go unless you want fine grain and have already shot the film--which can only really be had at the expense of other characteristics. For all else a regular developer is better. If you want finer grain, switch to a finer-grained emulsion and use a regular developer.

-- shawn (shawngibson_prophoto@yahoo.com), June 07, 2000.

Maximum Sharpness is the short answer. You can have a no grain image but if you can't get sharp detail than it is useless. A really sharp image can be enlarge to an extreme amount. That people forget about the grain because of the viewing distance. A fine grain image that isn't sharp just doesn't see to be able to be focused on the easel. However it depends on what you want to do. Do you want to be Photojournalist or a landscape tripod user? Regardless you HAVE to buy The Film Developing Cookbook. The best book EVER on this film developing.

-- David Payumo (dpayumo@home.com), June 07, 2000.

Thanks for the input. I just picked up the "Film Developing Cookbook" this week. It looks like it has a lot of worthwhile information.

-- Ralph Foste (aspen4@home.com), June 08, 2000.

Or you can use a fine grained film processed in a fine grained developer and then make an unsharp mask and enhance the edge effects without introducing grain. Try it. It looks kind of nice. james

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), June 10, 2000.