Xp2 or Kodak Bw 400 Cn as transparency?

Gast · 2005-06-21T18:42:39+00:00

Hallo, hat schon mal jemand einen XP2 oder Kodak BW 400 CN überbelichtet und dann E6 entwickeln lassen? Theoretisch müssten Dias mit einem schwarz/grünen Bi...

Gast

Hello, Has anyone ever experienced an overexposure of an XP2 or Kodak BW 400 CN and then had it developed as E6? In theory, this should produce slides with a black and green colour cast. I’d be grateful to hear about your experiences. Best regards from the Rhineland Uwe

Gast

That’s right, we did XP2 a long time ago. You do indeed get a black-and-green cast. Exposure at 64–80 ISO, if I’m not mistaken. Best regards, Robert

FrankJBeckmann

Hi, With the BW 400 CN, the problem is probably the orange mask. Bye Frank

PeterVolkmar

Hello, I also used XP2 a while back. If I remember correctly, I pushed the film by two stops, as the contrast is otherwise quite soft. There is/was some information on this from Ilford – have you had a look at their website? These days, however, it’s probably easier/better to use a Scala (while it’s still available), or you could take a look at the reversal developers from Foma. Best regards, Peter

CPD

Hi Uwe, Years ago, I did this out of necessity using an XP2 (not the 'Super' version). I wasn't really impressed with the results back then. But it really isn't rocket science to develop a standard black-and-white film in reverse. Regards, CP

Gast

Oh, right, you’ve done that before – green-black, ISO 64, I see. So: http://portfolio.grossformatfotografie.de/...6&mode=lightbox XP2 (I’d have to check if it’s ‘super’). The exposure was at ISO 400, pushed by 2 stops. The magenta cast in the highlights might be down to my Tetenal 3-bath kit, which wasn’t pH-balanced. They didn’t have that one in the lab; there, the shadows were actually a bit greener. You won’t get any black there. By the way, the 4x5 format is probably going to be hard to find now. As you can see, it’s relatively soft. I haven’t tried projection yet, but it might be borderline. It’s quite handy for fine art prints, as you can go straight from the roll film or 35mm to the contact negative with just one transfer step. Regards Martin

PeterVolkmar

Yeah, yeah, I’ve done that before. I didn’t mention anything about green-black, nor about 64 ASA. I see. So: I can’t scan anything for you at the moment, unfortunately, but I didn’t have a colour like the one you described. Greenish is a better description (though there wasn’t really any black in it). If I remember correctly, I had an exposure of 100 ASA and then pushed it by two stops. I can’t remember which XP it was. What was on the market in the late 80s? You can see what Ilford says about it on the website: Ilford The colour description roughly matches my experience; the speed is listed as one stop higher, though the Ilford specifications are likely to be based on a more advanced version. Regards, Peter

Gast

Hi Peter, you’re right, it wasn’t you but Robert. As for the exposure, that’s certainly a matter of personal preference. When I started out, I had the advantage that PPS Hamburg had a sample book with a series of apertures at -2/0/+2 and development at 0 and +2. In my view, that combination produced the best results. What’s important, in my view, is that the XP2’s contrast behaviour is also reversed: in other words, whilst it’s extremely forgiving as a negative film, it isn’t as a slide. Highlights blow out quickly, and shadows get bogged down. That’s why I also think it’ll be difficult to achieve the crisp contrast needed for projection. The deepest shadows simply don’t turn black, but remain a deep blue/green or whatever. The highlights always remain slightly washed out. In my opinion, it’s more suited to lightbox displays. Incidentally, the colour in the sample book was also significantly bluer than the Kodak film, which actually looked a dirty green. Regards Martin

Gast

Hello, Thank you for your comments. It seems none of you are really convinced by the method. I’ll have a look into the concept of a reversal trend. Best regards, Uwe

Gast

Hi Uwe, Mind you, I think the results are brilliant. But only on the light table. If you enjoy experimenting, shoot a roll of XP2 at ISO 400, using subjects with moderate contrast, hand it in to the lab with the note ‘Cross+2’, and see for yourself if you like it. It’s quite different from black-and-white slides, though. Best regards, Martin