If you want better results, but a full-blown darkroom is not in your future, consider just developing your film. Taking this intermediate step will guarantee that your negatives capture the maximum amount of quality. Additionally, it is the part of the darkroom process that takes little time, requires little space, and does not call for large, heavy or expensive equipment. You can be "up and running" with a little bit of closet space and $25 worth of equipment and chemicals. Perhaps the best feature of this approach is that you can incorporate it right into your normal shooting technique without wasting film or special tests. Tthe only pieces of testing equipment you will need is a Kodak grey card and a Kodak Projection Print Scale. These are available through most camera shops, and are useful for more things than just this test.
If you are just starting out with film development, it's best to become comfortable with the normal development process before you begin these tests. Start by reviewing the basics. These are covered in the DARKROOM section of the SUBCLUB. Once you're comfortable with those, you can move on to these more rigorous methods.
This test compares selected grey-card exposures -- made with your camera -- to an object of known density -- the Kodak Projection Print Scale. The tests are relatively simple, but you may find that you need to repeat them several times -- depending on your situation.
1. Expose a roll of film at an ISO film speed of your liking. You can expose the film at the ISO recommended by the manufacctuer, an ISO that is pushed for special situations or at any speed that you want to use or test. Expose the entire roll as you normally would, just save six exposures (it can be at any place on the roll -- beginning, middle or end) for exposures of your grey card.
2. Set up the grey card in a sunny spot with no reflections or shadows falling on it. Set the lens at infinity but move close enough so that the grey card fills the frame of the viewfinder. Use whatever metering method you like, and make an exposure of the card. Advance the film, place a lens cap on the camera and make another exposure. This will produce a clear negative right next to the grey card exposure.
3. Take another exposure of the grey card to simulate a shadow exposure. To do this under-expose the grey card by 3 and one-half f-stops. Use whatever metering method you like, but if you are using an automatic exposure methods, you'll need to switch the camera to a manual mode to make the exposure (otherwise the camera will over-ride your exposure). For example, if your camera recommends a grey card exposure of f8 at 1/125, expose the film at f3.5 at 1/125. Advance the film, place a lens cap on the camera and make another exposure. This will produce a clear negative right next to the shadow exposure.
4. Take another exposure of the grey card to simulate a highlight exposure. To do this over-expose the grey card by 3 and one-half f-stops. Use whatever metering method you like, but if you are using an automatic exposure methods, you'll need to switch the camera to a manual mode to make the exposure (otherwise the camera will over-ride your exposure). For example, if your camera recommends a grey card exposure of f8 at 1/125, expose the film at f13.5 at 1/500. Advance the film, place a lens cap on the camera and make another exposure. This will produce a clear negative right next to the highlight exposure.
5. Process the film using whatever equipment, developer and techique that you like. You can use the manufacturer's suggested time and temperature, or any other approach. Just make sure that you take good notes since you will undoubtedly need to change the development time in subsequent tests.
6. Place the "16" wedge from the Kodak Projection Print Scale under the first "clear" exposure -- the one right next to the grey card exposure.
7. Hold up the negative with the Kodak Projection Print Scale and look through it. The densities of the grey card exposure and the "clear" exposure/Projection Print Scale stack should appear the same. This will be easier to do if you place a white piece of paper under the negative or hold the negatives up in front of a white wall.
8. Make a note as to whether the grey-card exposure is lighter, darker or the same as the Projection Print Scale.
9. Next, place the "48" wedge from the Kodak Projection Print Scale under the second "clear" exposure -- the one right next to the "shadow" grey card exposure.
10. Hold up the negative with the Kodak Projection Print Scale and look through it. The densities of the "shadow" grey card exposure and the "clear" exposure/Projection Print Scale stack should appear the same. This will be easier to do if you place a white piece of paper under the negative or hold the negatives up in front of a white wall.
11. Make a note as to whether the "shadow" grey-card exposure is lighter, darker or the same as the Projection Print Scale.
12. Next, place the "6" wedge from the Kodak Projection Print Scale under the second "clear" exposure -- the one right next to the "highlight" grey card exposure.
13. Hold up the negative with the Kodak Projection Print Scale and look through it. The densities of the "highlight" grey card exposure and the "clear" exposure/Projection Print Scale stack should appear the same. This will be easier to do if you place a white piece of paper under the negative or hold the negatives up in front of a white wall.
14. Make a note as to whether the "highlight" grey-card exposure is lighter, darker or the same as the Projection Print Scale.
15. If the "shadow" grey-card negative is darker than the Projection Print Scale, you are over-exposing your film. On the next roll of film, increase the ISO film speed one notch and retest. For example, if your original roll of film was exposed at ISO 100, shoot the next roll at ISO 125.
16. If the "shadow" grey-card negative is lighter than the Projection Print Scale, you are under-exposing your film. On the next roll of film, decrease the ISO film speed one notch and retest. For example, if your original roll of film was exposed at ISO 100, shoot the next roll at ISO 80.
17. If the "shadow" grey-card negative is not noticeably lighter or darker than the Projection Print Scale, you are exposing your film correctly. But you still might need to make changes to your development. Now check your grey-card negative. If the grey-card negative is darker than the Projection Print Scale, you are over-developing your film. On the next roll of film, decrease the development time by 10% and retest. For example, if your original roll of film was developed for 300 seconds, develop the next roll for 270 seconds. If the grey-card negative is lighter than the Projection Print Scale, you are under-developing your film. On the next roll of film, increase the development time by 10% and retest. For example, if your original roll of film was developed for 300 seconds, develop the next roll for 330 seconds.
18. If the "shadow" grey-card negative and the grey-card exposure are both not noticeably lighter or darker than the Projection Print Scale, you are exposing and developing your film correctly. Now check your "highlight" grey-card negative. It's unlikely that all three points will ever match, and there's not much you can do about when they don't -- except try a different developer or processing method. If you try to change the exposure or developmenet of the film, the accuracy of the other points will change. You are checking the "highlight" exposure just to see how this film acts with this developer. Usually, the best you can hope for is to get the "shadow" and grey-card exposures to match.
Even when you get as close as you can, it's a good idea to re-run the test every once in a while. You'll actually be testing the consistency of your processing. You'll aslo need to rerun this test for each film that you use, or if you change processing methods in ANY way -- such as a new developer, new dilution, new agitation, new temperature, new tank, etc..
COPYRIGHT @ 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 by Joe McGloin. All Rights Reserved.