First few from Spotty
- Thread starter Ralph Turner
- Start date
. Kentmere 100, caffenol.
Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
One thing I had another go at was developing another roll in the same caffenol c-h brew instead of the usual one shot routine. I made up the usual 500ml to cover a 120 roll of FP4+ from my Ensign (yet to be scanned), First I used enough to cover the above roll of Kentmere for the normal 15mins (this roll was more crucial to get right) then used the whole brew on the FP4 with 20% extra time. Both came out well, although I may have over compensated a bit on the time for the second roll as it is. little on the contrasty side. Nevertheless both had a plenty of density and the base on both was nice and clear.
Stevenson Gawen
Well-Known Member
Nice shots Ralph, and great to hear the Spotmatic is in good health. Interesting about the '2-shot' caffenol... I really should try it sometime.
Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
Thanks, @Stevenson Gawen . It was all a bit ‘finger in the wind’. I wasn’t sure exactly how it would go - I tried it a while back and the result was a bit more variable (I probably didn’t allow enough compensation time on that occasion). I’ll get a better idea of how it went when I scan the rest.
Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
A couple of scans from the roll of FP4+ from my old Selfix 8-20 (12-on mode). Essentially the same adjustments to those I made on the scans from the Kentmere in the Spotty (setting white/black points and a marginal boost to contrast to taste). I’m quite pleased with the outcome so far. (First image is Greenan Castle off the Ayr coast, the second is a view at the farm down our lane.
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Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
I don’t know quite meaningful this is , but when I did a rough number crunch comparison on areas of film (ignoring rebates, leaders, etc) a 36 exposure roll of 35mm is around 310 sq.cm and 120 is somewhere between 340-370 ish depending on format (only 10-20% more). Therefore if I can fully develop a 36 exp roll in 300ml of dev it makes sense that I can get a reasonable result from this roll and a roll of 120 when I’ve made up 500ml sufficient for the tank of the bigger format. Strictly speaking, then, I’ve not really gained a whole 2-for-1 from a single, normally one-shot, mix, merely used the single brew more efficiently than I would if I was doing a single 120 roll. I ought to get a second 35mm tank and try a proper double dev from just the 300ml you’d normally need for that format.
Phew! That got very wordy and probably not altogether coherent lol, but I hope it makes some sense. I does offer a more economical alternative when I can wait to do one of each at the same session.
Phew! That got very wordy and probably not altogether coherent lol, but I hope it makes some sense. I does offer a more economical alternative when I can wait to do one of each at the same session.
Chris Bennett
Well-Known Member
Thanks for telling us about this, Ralph. It's very interesting.
What was your motivation to try this out, I wonder?
What was your motivation to try this out, I wonder?
Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
Cheers, Chris. I’d read somewhere online that someone had tried this and had a good outcome. I wanted to try it as can help reduce my film eco footprint a bit more, something I’ve been keen to do since coming back to film a few years back.
Chris Bennett
Well-Known Member
So it was about conserving resources then. Thanks.
I somehow didn't think it would be to save money, as a single caffenol development is not exactly an expensive endeavour!
I somehow didn't think it would be to save money, as a single caffenol development is not exactly an expensive endeavour!
Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
Indeed, that’s part of it. Another reason is that we’re on septic tank drainage, so I try to be careful where I can.
There is, of course, still the question of the fixer and what to do with it once it’s spent (Ilford’s Rapid Fix). I’ll either possibly try and ‘rejuvenate’ it by removing the silver or just take it to be disposed of at our local waste specialist. If all that fails I’ll store it until I can find a better option. Admittedly my film usage pretty low and sporadic at best (1 or 2 rolls a month at most), but I’m still using the same fix mix that I made up before last Xmas. It still clears the film in about a minute or just over, so still viable so I’ve yet to cross that hurdle. As mentioned before, I’m far from being any kind of expert with any of it, mostly just trying to find a steady reliable process as I go along. So far, so good
.
There is, of course, still the question of the fixer and what to do with it once it’s spent (Ilford’s Rapid Fix). I’ll either possibly try and ‘rejuvenate’ it by removing the silver or just take it to be disposed of at our local waste specialist. If all that fails I’ll store it until I can find a better option. Admittedly my film usage pretty low and sporadic at best (1 or 2 rolls a month at most), but I’m still using the same fix mix that I made up before last Xmas. It still clears the film in about a minute or just over, so still viable so I’ve yet to cross that hurdle. As mentioned before, I’m far from being any kind of expert with any of it, mostly just trying to find a steady reliable process as I go along. So far, so good
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Geoff Chaplin
Well-Known Member
Great shots Ralph, the sort of subject matter I love. I think the 55mm super Tak was the first lens I had for 35mm, Brings back (vague) memories - a long long time ago, in a land far far away ....
Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
Many thanks, Geoff. Well, this particular camera/lens combo has been in our family since December ‘76 when my late brother bought it (I’ve still got the manual with the purchase date in it, written in his hand). If memory serves, when he moved on to a Pentax ME my my dad took it over. I inherited it back in the ear noughties. If the camera was made around the same time as the manual was printed, then it’s the same age as me
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Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
That 55mm is certainly cracking optic. Despite being shot wide open, the pic of the crumbling wall is remarkably sharp in the regionI focused on. The bokeh can be a little swirly under the right conditions, luckily something I quite like.
Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
Chris Bennett
Well-Known Member
These images are all rather fine.
My Spotmatic F is one of my most valued possessions and the 50 and 55mm Takumars are my most numerous lens. I have way too many but I can't bear the thought of parting with any of them!
My Spotmatic F is one of my most valued possessions and the 50 and 55mm Takumars are my most numerous lens. I have way too many but I can't bear the thought of parting with any of them!
Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
Many thanks, Chris. Well, if they all have sufficient room where you keep them, then there can never be too many
Ralph Turner
Well-Known Member
I ran an A4 sized print off of my ‘porcelain doves’ pic (cropped a slightly to fit the paper better) to see how a less-than-half-frame crop from Spotty would look. Rather pleased with the surprisingly sharp result with little left wanting at normal viewing distance
