Re: Enlarged negative methodology

Pollmeier Klaus (100561.2417@CompuServe.COM)
01 May 96 16:43:28 EDT

Contrast control with yellow and blue filters can only be done with that
particular material AGFA GO 210p. It has a double layer emulsion - one is soft
working and sensitive to blue light and the other is contrasty and sensitive to
yellow light. Oridinary multigrade filters or heads can be used, but don't yield
the full range of contrast the material is capable to give. The (gelatin)
filters I mentioned are specially designed for this film. I use the AGFA G5c
developer or TETENAL Dokumol and Eukobrom developer. With the G5c one can bring
up the Dmax up to 3.5, which sometimes may be useful for salted paper or
albumen.

The film N 31p, which Judy mentioned must be s. th.different. Although AGFA may
be clueless, they would mention the variable contrast in the data sheet... The
GO 210p once was used widely in the graphic arts industry to make standardised
films for rotogravure (printing from copper cylinders) AGFA had (has?) a whole
family of this type of film, including special low-density masking films. But as
the rotogravure market broke down, this may be the reason why AGFA will probably
dicontinue the production not so far in the future.

Yes I find the way to use those filters much better than using different
developing times or developers. From a good looking interpositive (somewhat
dense in the highlights, but still good separation in the shadows), with a 3
minute development (my standard time), I can either get a soft neg for gum (e.
g. 10 seconds blue filter), a medium one for platinum (5 seconds yellow, 5
seconds blue) or a contrasty one for palladium (10 seconds yellow). And the film
is thin (like lith film) so if by mistake I had put the camera neg upside down
in the enlarger, I can expose through the layer (either when making the neg or
when exposing the print with my flourescent tubes) without much loss of
sharpnes.

Klaus Pollmeier

Klaus Pollmeier