> On Mon, 29 Jul 1996, Luis Nadeau wrote:
> > As far as I know this is the only film specifically designed to vary its
> > contrast according to the *exposure* it receives. To a lesser degree you
> > can vary its contrast by changing the development time.
> > This explains at least in part why so many people have never been able to
> > tame this film.
As I told Luis, rather tartly perhaps (at least for me who is generally so
sweet), I was well aware of that and had bracketed the film from here to
Gibraltar. The overall density range was fine, and the highlights were in
fact dandy. But I'd included a grey scale on the copyboard (I too was
using the film for copying) and was trying to match the *midtones* which
simply would not match tone for tone until I switched to Rodinal.
(A friend, whom I shall refer to here only as GS, put me up to this. His
PCF came out perfect every time, but he was flipping 8 in a tray, which
turned out not to be my best trick.)
> It is also, as far as I know, the only film designed specifically for
> copying continuous tone originals, with a reshaped film curve shoulder
> that lessens the possibility of the highlight values packing up. This is
> why I use this film exclusively for making enlarged negatives.
> John>
Indeed, as the data sheet & fairly extensive additional documentation from
the big K point out. But as I recall, the film doesn't come any larger
than 8x10.... Or does it? (At the time I was projecting the copy negs for
silver gelatine & 4x5 was fine. The experience having been so hellacious,
I may have repressed all further knowledge of the material.)
Judy