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a Minox, Fuji
Super HR film, & PMK
Pyro Developer
Rodinal has been my developer of choice for
years. It replaced a magic brew of the distant
past, "Perfection", which made enchanted images
with Kodak High Contrast Copy Film (SO 5069). I
have not seen negatives, or prints, with that
velvet sharpness and tonality since their demise -
until now. The first film I have found of the
caliber of 5069 is Fuji Super HR
available from Filmdex
(about the same speed - ASA 3-6?)
The early morning fog in Morro Bay was thin, the
light diffused and luminous. I loaded a Minox B
with Fuji Super HR, metered the scenes, EV range of
9-14, shutter speed of 1/30 sec. (since the
film-developer combination is still unfamiliar, and
I have not run my usual film speed tests, I
confirmed by the bracketing). I was particularly
concerned with the ability of the film to render
the tonality as everything disappears into the fog.
I exposed two rolls, developing one with my usual
Rodinal procedure. The second was developed with
PMK
Pyro, following
Gordon Hutchings' recommended agitation. The PMK
Pyro prints, using Mr. Hutchings' recommendation of
variable contrast paper, exhibit similar acuity, no
visible grain, and marvelous highlight rendition.
The two developers, for me, produce expressively
different results. My suspicion is that each is
ideally suited to its own set of conditions, and as
was true with Rodinal, I will need great deal of
experimentation to discover the ideal exposure and
development needed to optimize PMK for various
visualizations. In the fog, PMK Pyro is enchanting.
Although I have spent a great deal of time
discussing Minox films, I have made some of my most
delightful negatives with 120 size, 6x6cm and
6x9cm, Ilford FP4, and PMK Pyro, a combination for
which I must thank Mr. Hutchings.
Negative toning with Kodak Rapid Selenium toner
is an excellent way to adjust the contrast of
individual frames of roll film. With Kodak Tech Pan
developed in Rodinal, I have achieved an N+2
increase in the slope of the characteristic curve.
So far, I see very little density increase with
selenium, FP4, and PMK, a confirmation of Mr.
Hutchings observations.
I can tell you that it is possible to get a good
print from a negative that looks TERRIBLE! Also the
look of the negative is not necessarily an
indication of the appearance of the final print.
This is just the beginning but I have the best
prints I have had from the Minox in years! But be
sure that this is NOT a cookbook solution with
these films. It is an experimenter's delight with
what I think is a worthwhile payoff.
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Kodak Technical Pan film - Minox B,
1/500 sec. - PMK Pyro, 6 minutes at 22.5
deg C., Gordon Hutchings' recommended
agitation - 6x8 inch print on Ilford
Multigrade IV RC paper, white light,
f/5.6, 17 second exposure.
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I would recommend starting
with your usual film speed for
the "microfilms" and development
in the 5-6 minute range, with
Gordon Hutchings' recommended
agitation schedule. I have so far
been setting my automatic
exposure Minox C at -
Tech Pan - ASA
50
Fuji HS-U - ASA
25
Agfa Copex Rapid -
ASA 12
Fuji Super HR - ASA
6
These are just twice the film
speeds established when testing
for a Zone I density of 0.5 above
film base+fog.
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Although the Minox is not the first
camera that comes to mind when discussing
landscape photography, it can dramatically
lighten the load when in the back country.
This combination of film and developer
eliminates any "image type" concerns the
photographer may have harbored, with
lovely 6x8 inch prints possible.
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But beware - The
impression of sharpness can be enhanced by
the presence of grain, the absence of
which may contribute to a feeling
of softness. This is not a problem with
large and medium format negatives, but is
a consideration with the 8x11mm negatives
of the Minox. I prefer the silky smooth
tonality.
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