MNossi
Hello!
I’m off to Spitsbergen soon. The weather forecast is predicting snow, rain, cloudy skies and a bit of sunshine. Which black-and-white film and suitable developer would you recommend?
Thanks for your advice!
Mario
Bonderer
TriX, what else? And JOE – my favourite combination.
Sharp, crisp and gritty.
But if he has a favourite developer himself, why shouldn’t it be this one?
Wolf_XL
...you’re not actually being serious, are you?
Urnes
Exactly the same combination you usually use. You don’t go to Spitsbergen to try out a new film-developer combination. Never! Remember to handle the film gently in cold temperatures. Cold film is prone to tearing.
Have fun, Sven.
sputnik
What a question!
For Spitsbergen, a special Bergg film is, of course, highly recommended.
Available here in the shop:
https://www.fotoimpex.de/shop/filme/bergger-brf-400-plus-135-36.html
fototiger
I wouldn’t change a thing about the combination you’ve been using so far, because you know it best and probably know best how to handle it in cloudy weather. If I were you, I’d take TriX and, just to be on the safe side, a 100 Neopan. Snow in cloudy conditions can turn out quite bright.
Wolf_XL
...at the very least, there should be an Icebird in the camera bag as well as the Rainbird... :lol:?
Bonderer
Where on earth is the politeness here? But even at school I was taught that there are no stupid questions, just stupid answers.
It seems that some of you here only ever made it to the third row, fourth branch.
Wolf_XL
... come on, the idea that there are no stupid questions is just another one of those unthinking clichés – on the contrary – stupid questions? of this sort? usually have a nasty little ulterior motive – namely, to spark pointless arguments...
sputnik
Where on earth is the politeness here? But even at school I was taught that there are no stupid questions, just stupid answers.
It seems some of you here only went as far as nursery school – third row, fourth branch.
?
At least we were taught punctuation. :-)
?
?
... oh come on, the idea that there are no stupid questions is just another one of those unthinking clichés
?
+1
MNossi
Hello!
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll think twice before asking another question on this forum in future, though. I can’t keep up with the experts.
Mario?
Morte
Hi Mario!
It never hurts to ask. Anyone who makes fun of that is just being silly. To the point:
Given the expected misty weather, I’d go for a 400 film so I can still shoot handheld. It’s also worth noting that in snowy areas, the contrast range between snow and rocks/dark areas can be very high, which makes it advisable to adjust the development (increase exposure, develop for a shorter time). However, if you have a snowstorm and an overcast sky, it can be exactly the opposite: very little contrast, so you might need to push the film. As you can see, a remote diagnosis isn’t really possible.
However, you’ll get on fine with a 400 film such as TriX or Kentmere and a compensating developer such as Atomal (A49).
€
Two more things: if you’re facing large expanses of snow, make sure you don’t fall for the light meter’s tricks and end up experiencing underexposure. A yellow filter can also be useful here, as it brings out fine details in the snow and reduces haze.
Urnes
Hi Mario,
I don’t think anyone here really meant to put you off. It’s just that the question is so broad that you could easily fill books with the answers. Basically, the weather in Spitsbergen isn’t any different from what we have here in winter or late autumn. Whether you’re dealing with a frozen North Sea or deep snow on the Ostalb, it won’t be that different from Spitsbergen (last winter in northern Finland showed that this assessment is pretty spot on).
As I said, I’d stick with my usual setup. Morte is right, though: if you don’t want to lug a tripod around, you should be fine with a 400. A49 gives you a true 400 ISO with a 400 Delta (I use virtually nothing else), and pushing it to 800 ISO still looks good. As I said, the film and developer are rather secondary here.
The question is more about what kind of pictures you have in mind. Do you want to work with filters? Do you perhaps need a tripod after all for long exposure times to blur the movement of the sea? Do you have enough batteries? Are you perhaps taking a fully mechanical camera that doesn’t need batteries? These are the sort of questions I’d ask myself. But, as I said, it really depends on your personal preference.
Regards, Sven.
