i'm developing from 35mm onto ilford multigrade IV fiber single weight and using a no; 3.5 filter with the lens wide open for 50 sec. Now i like the contrast and the deep blacks but the whites are not white enough.....what next? thanks mickey

-- michel bayard (michelbayard@webtv.net), May 23, 2001

Answers

Mickey, not sure what you are asking. I take it you mean 'enlarging' and not 'developing.' It seems to me that if your whites are not white enough you are overexposing, and with 50 seconds and wide open, it sure sounds like it.

Suggest you get your highlights/whites where you want them, and then adjust the contrast from there. That is, if your highlights are ok and your blacks too gray, up your contrast filter. Go to a # 4 or 5, if you have to.

It seems to me you need to look at your film exposure/development for some adjustment there.

By the way, this topic should not be under alternative processes; film & processing would be a better one.

chris

-- Christian Harkness (chris.harkness@eudoramail.com), May 24, 2001.

I used to have the same problem - tracked it down to underdeveloping the film. I ended up doing Ilford FP-4 in D-76 diluted 3:1 for 20 minutes. That's not for everyone, just works great for me. You'd have to work out your own times, etc.

-- Harv Jenkins (hjenkins@prcn.org), June 09, 2001.