Andreas_23
Hello!
I’ve found some old Ilford XP2 negatives. They date back to the time before I had my own darkroom. The photos I got from the camera shop back then were what you’d expect (too dark, low contrast). When I look at the negatives, they don’t look bad at all, so I reckon I can get better photos out of them.
Now, the XP2 has this odd purple-coloured backing. Does that actually affect the multigrade filters, which are also coloured?
Best regards,
Andreas
Andreas_23
I just gave it a go (which is always the best thing to do, anyway). To get good results, I have to use quite a high gradient, at least 4.
My explanation for this is that the base film’s inherent colour lies over the negatives like a grey haze, thereby reducing their contrast (unexposed areas aren’t white, but rather the film’s characteristic purple-grey). You then have to compensate for this with high contrast when enlarging.
No idea if that’s actually right, but the images turn out really well at 4.
Best regards,
Andreas
MirkoBoeddecker
Unfortunately, the reason is more complicated than that.
You can print through any kind of fog – it just increases the exposure time.
If you look at the negatives of chromogenic films, you’ll see that they aren’t white-grey-black, but rather pink-yellow-brown-dark brown.
The yellow component filters the contrast-variable paper – the pink mask counteracts this.
That’s how it’s meant to be...
Unfortunately, it never works out quite as intended.
Often, the highlights shift into different gradients relative to the shadows.
We only print from BW400 and XP2 with reservations and after clearly informing the customer.
Best regards,
Mirko
