uhoepfner
Hello,
In February, I’m due to photograph a school stage show. I need to choose some film for this. I’ve never used high-speed film with an ISO rating of over 400 before. The options available from Impex are Ilford (really expensive), Kodak (both 3200), Fuji 1600 and Rollei R3. Promicrol is available as a developer. The Ilford is probably out of the question because it’s too expensive. I’d appreciate your advice on which of the other three films would be most likely to give me usable results without too much trial and error (enlargements will be made with an Axomat 4 on Fomaspeed Variant, max 24×30).
cfb_de
Hi Uwe,
None of them quite reach their rated sensitivity, except in cases of extreme contrast – or barely. Have a look at TMax3200 and Emofin; I’m expecting the most from those (though I haven’t tested them yet – my TMZ rolls are still in the fridge).
Otherwise, I’ve had quite good results so far with good old HP5+ in Rodinal at 1600 ASA (medium format). Apparently my web server is down at the moment. Once it’s up again, you should be able to see something here:
http://www.borgerding.de/Dosenkohl/1600ASA/index.html
Best regards,
Franz
skahde
Hi Uwe,
Your kit should meet two requirements: a minimum aperture of f/2.8 and a minimum ISO of 800. If that’s not enough, the lighting will have the characteristics of stage lighting and the shots will turn out dull and boring. No good light, no good photos. With anything less than f/2.8, you’ll quickly find yourself in situations where you need more speed than even the best films can provide.
That doesn’t make the decision any easier, as both a pushed 400-speed film and the aforementioned high-speed films are options here. Incidentally, washed-out shadows aren’t the problem: what isn’t lit up is usually not meant to be seen on stage anyway. So pushing isn’t a hopeless dilemma here.
My tip: NP1600 pushed to 1000 ASA in XTol 1+1. With NP1600, the highlights don’t blow out as quickly because the curve flattens out nicely at the top.
Best regards
Stefan
uhoepfner
Thanks for the tips so far.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a telephoto lens with that aperture (the Zuiko is only f/4), so I’ll have to use the f/1.4 50mm.
As for the developer, I’ll try out Promicrol with the Fuji first.
Has anyone else had any experience with the R3 in this area?
SamuliSchielke
I haven’t had any experience with the R3, but I can highly recommend the NP 1600. It’s very robust overall and easy to use. And the grain isn’t unpleasant.
I find the 1.4/50 lens ideal. If it’s the same Canon FD lens that I have, it’s perfect for the kind of photos you want to take. You’ll just need to get a bit closer to the people.
Have fun
Samuli
skahde
Unfortunately, I don’t have a telephoto lens with that aperture (the Zuiko is only f/4),
That might be enough in good lighting. Just take it along...
Best regards
Stefan
uhoepfner
Hello,
Thanks for the tips.
We have a Zuiko 1.4/50 and a Zeiss T-Planar 1.4/50 (Olympus and Contax).
We’re still discussing who will move around near the stage and who will take photos from the middle of the auditorium (more or less stationary). We’ll be using at least two digital cameras (an older Sony model and a Canon 350D with a Sigma 2.8/70-200) (no film cameras) and I want to take my analogue kit with me. I’m leaning towards moving around, but then I’d have to take the Sony, and I don’t like that one. The Sigma zoom at the edge of the stage would be overkill :rolleyes: .
I’ve just bought an extra film loader at auction, which is why I prefer the Rollei at the moment, as it comes on spools.
piu58
Hello,
In February, I’m due to photograph a school stage show. I need to choose some film for this. I’ve never used high-speed film with a speed of over 400 ASA before. The options available from Impex are Ilford (really expensive), Kodak (both 3200), Fuji 1600 and Rollei R3. Promicrol is available as a developer. The Ilford is probably out of the question because it’s too expensive. I’d appreciate your advice on which of the other three films would be most likely to give me usable results without too much trial and error (enlargements will be made with an Axomat 4 on Fomaspeed Variant, max 24×30).
In situations like this, I usually go one of two ways:
- Kodak TMZ 3200, delivers a true 1000 ISO. I process it in Ultrafin Plus 1:6 as a single-use developer. A49 would probably work as well.
- HP5+ or Mirko’s substitute ADOX CHM 400 can be pushed up to 800 ISO. I also process this in UF+ 1:6. However, the shadow detail is slightly poorer, though the grain is slightly better. And the whole thing is cheaper.
cfb_de
Hi Uwe,
As far as I’m concerned, I’ve written and shown everything there is to say about HP5+ at 1600 ISO in Rodinal.
One of Rodinal’s great advantages is that, after about 17 minutes in a 1:50 dilution, it drops off completely at the bottom of the curve when developing to standard density. It’s also a nice feature of modern VC papers that they allow for a fairly decent non-linear contrast shift and still have something to offer at the top of the curve. Normally, that sort of thing happens at grade 2. Just like with my old HP5+.
Regarding the print in question, you’re welcome to ask Pillendreher (from another forum), for example, as he’s actually *seen* it. Walter and a few others have too (even several of the pictures where they’re partly in them themselves), but Pillendreher is the only one in the group who’s learnt to assess such prints and negatives technically.
Despite all that: 1600 is hardly possible with the HP5+ without technical expertise. 3200 is, to my knowledge, impossible. 800 should be easily achievable, 400 even by a trained primate. All in Rodinal.
You have to stay ‘cool’ and, if necessary, be able to persevere for a long time. The development times are publicly available. And achievable without pushing.
Best regards,
Franz
robat
I haven’t had any experience with R3, but I can highly recommend NP 1600. Overall, it’s very robust and easy to use. And the grain isn’t unpleasant.
Hello,
may I ask which developer you would recommend for the NP1600? Last Saturday I performed an exposure on a roll at ISO 1600...
Ciao, Robert
SamuliSchielke
ID-11 or D-76 (they are the same), 1+1 dilution, development time 6 minutes and 30 seconds at 24 degrees.
Renate
Hello,
I strongly advise against the R3. It doesn’t even reach 800 ISO properly. I’m dissatisfied with the R3 in every respect. The advertising promises qualities that the film simply doesn’t have.
I’ve had the best experience with Ilford 3200. It’s expensive, but worth every penny. No other film comes close. It’s the most sensitive black-and-white film on the market. I developed it in Emofin.
Fuji Neopan 400, developed in Ultrafin-Plus, is also usable. With that, you can easily reach 800 ISO and the grain stays within reasonable limits. A theatre photographer I know swears by it. I’ve had good results with it too.
A monopod is always helpful for shots like these. It easily gains you another 2 stops.
Best regards
Renate
ThomasLoos
leoz
As a developer, I’d go for Diafine (I’ve never used it before, but from what I’ve read it sounds like it’s ideal for push development, though I do wonder why Impex doesn’t stock it. (Mirko will surely shed some light on that soon :) )
http://www.ars-imago.ch/productinfos/BKA_DB_Diafine.pdf
That way, you could perform an exposure on the Fuji Nepan 1600 at 2400.
That said, I’ve personally had good results with Kodak P3200 in T-Max, so I’ve also performed an exposure on it at 3200.
The negatives are top-notch, of course, but otherwise I’ve been very satisfied.
I could post a few scans if there’s a need?
