[LargeFormat] Hiking & Film

[Pete Caluori]

From: Mike Kirwan <mkirwan@pacbell.net>
Date: Thu, 02 May 2002 08:03:04 -0700

I should have been more clear. So here goes.

My favorite film combination is FP4+ developed in PMK Pyro, great stain,
very sharp and wonderful tonal range. However, I am gettting on in years and 
hiking around with my field camera and a whole slew of double sided film 
holders is a regal pain. I have sent numerous requests to Ilford for them to 
develop FP4+ in Readyloads but I do not think this will ever happen.

So I began experimenting with Kodak TMAX-100 as this film is available in 
Readyloads. I got OK results with TMX-100 developed in PMK Pyro, but I found 
it to be a real finnicky film. So I tried D-23 diluted 1:1 - success, and I 
like the results. I get almost full film speed, good shadow contrast and 
printable highlights. So when I go off on a hiking trip I have my Readyload 
holder, packet of 20 shots of TMX and three film holders with FP4+ to give 
me 6 shots. If I can stay close to my transport I will stick with FP4+


Mike
----------------------------------------------------------

Greetings Mike,

Welcome to the f32 list.

I could not help notice your comments about using PMK, but being more drawn 
to TMX.  I use ABC+ Pyro (similar to PMK) and got very poor stain results 
with TMX.  Just curious about your results with PMK and the stain formation 
on FP4+ vs TMX?

Regards, Pete

Thanks Mike.  That confirms what I've found with TMX.  My preference is 
FP4+, or HP5+ if I need a bit more speed.

For hiking have you considered either a Grafmatic holder, or the Fuji 
CuickChange system.  A single Grafmatic holder will hold 6 sheets of film 
and the Fuji has removable cartridges that each hold 8 sheets.  Both are 
good choices for keeping the weight down when traveling with LF.

Regards, Pete

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