tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post1140066989030915642..comments2024-03-21T07:30:48.866+00:00Comments on Photo-Analogue: Talking about pinhole photography with security guards in the parkUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-55719082416792802032014-08-11T21:22:33.604+01:002014-08-11T21:22:33.604+01:00So the slowness is also applicable when using thes...So the slowness is also applicable when using these plates in a camera - I will have another look at your pinhole post. Many thanks, MattMattBolex7https://www.blogger.com/profile/03665843397954325241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-82601188323706366862014-08-11T11:02:58.745+01:002014-08-11T11:02:58.745+01:00No doubt age has rendered them less sensitive, but...No doubt age has rendered them less sensitive, but the contact plates were a great deal slower than the 'special' lantern plates. I've posted the leaflet from the box my special lantern plates here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholasmiddleton/14693416500/ <br />Under exposure times, it recommends using a lamp threes times more powerful, three times closer, for three times as long as the special plates, which themselves are slower than plates for normal photography, so I think the contact plates have always been very slow. Also bear in mind that the N40 plate negative might also be denser than a 'normal' negative by today's standard.Nicholas Middletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09069364566487735897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-5164877800116673942014-08-07T10:42:51.542+01:002014-08-07T10:42:51.542+01:00At long last I have now tested the Ilford Contact ...At long last I have now tested the Ilford Contact Lantern Plates I have. I decided to try using them as they were intended: to make lantern plates from negatives in the darkroom. I am amazed at how slow these are. In the end I used a reasonably bright enlarger to provide a small rectangle of light to make a contact print, using one of my Ilford N40 plates. Eventually the correct exposure time proved to be half an hour! This did produce rich blacks and fine definition. I was at one point considering using a powerful flash head to make the exposure, but consider that this might not work so well on old plates like these. I suppose I could use multiple enlargers to make simultaneous exposures but it will take me quite a while to make a dozen lantern plates. Of course I do not have a lantern plate projector that could project plates 3 1/4" square! The lantern plates are from 1957, and still working almost perfectly. Do you think their age has slowed them even more?MattBolex7https://www.blogger.com/profile/03665843397954325241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-23340358711471629742014-07-13T23:22:24.902+01:002014-07-13T23:22:24.902+01:00I think the main advantage of matt emulsions is th...I think the main advantage of matt emulsions is these were specifically for ease of retouching, presumably why various process plates were offered with matt versions. In the Ilford Manual of Photography that I've got from 1946 it doesn't mention matt emulsions but does recommend the use of matt varnish prior to retouching with black chalk, conte crayons and the like.Nicholas Middletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09069364566487735897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-85067860914813450022014-07-04T07:06:57.506+01:002014-07-04T07:06:57.506+01:00Was there any advantage to having plates come in &...Was there any advantage to having plates come in 'matt' types? Not quite sure why plates were offered like this. Isn't the surface of the emulsion just the emulsion? MattBolex7https://www.blogger.com/profile/03665843397954325241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-30554738618056463792014-06-30T22:46:38.953+01:002014-06-30T22:46:38.953+01:00Yes, I've noticed that, but mostly increased f...Yes, I've noticed that, but mostly increased fog - and also 'silvering', where the silver halide decays to metallic silver, and has a shiny mirror-like quality to it. I think that this might be more due to heat and other types of radiation getting to the edges and not penetrating further into the stack of plates in the box. Nicholas Middletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09069364566487735897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-62274468991983996312014-06-10T00:12:36.469+01:002014-06-10T00:12:36.469+01:00Thinking further on glass plate negatives, have yo...Thinking further on glass plate negatives, have you had results that show a marked lack of sensitivity towards the edge of the plate? My Ilford N40 process plates have been excellent, fine grain, amazing detail, few pinholes, but on some plates the edge 5-10mm show a fading of the silver toward the edge, which shows on a print or scan as a darkened border, mostly slight. Pictures are perfectly usable, but I need to avoid putting important things right at the edge of frame. I guess air has got to the edges more than it has the middle of the plate. These plates are probably 1958-1960. MattBolex7https://www.blogger.com/profile/03665843397954325241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-21670473638736522502014-05-14T18:04:26.576+01:002014-05-14T18:04:26.576+01:00From a moderately small sample size of all the pla...From a moderately small sample size of all the plates I've used, I've also found that Ilford plates have aged better than Kodak as a general rule (I wonder why?). The only Ilford plates I've used so far which have been seriously degraded were a box of <a rel="nofollow">N.50 Thin Film Half Tone plates</a>.Nicholas Middletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09069364566487735897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-61437279714048861552014-05-12T23:13:19.988+01:002014-05-12T23:13:19.988+01:00Yes, the Agfa Standard is 9x12cm, and I have a 36 ...Yes, the Agfa Standard is 9x12cm, and I have a 36 plate box of HP3 in this size. These are marked as 400iso, but after testing are probably more like 50-100iso, as fast films and plates lose speed over time. I have found that generally, Kodak plates are worse at longevity than Ilford. For example the Kodak B40 plates I have are OK, but full of pinholes, whereas the Ilford N40 plates are pretty much like they were new.MattBolex7https://www.blogger.com/profile/03665843397954325241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-82915883998820054322014-05-12T12:08:44.130+01:002014-05-12T12:08:44.130+01:00Is the Agfa Standard 9x12cm? I've got an Avus ...Is the Agfa Standard 9x12cm? I've got an Avus and a Recomar in this size and I recently picked some HP3 plates from the early 1970s which look very promising, having just tested a couple, but not shot anything with them yet. From what I understand 9x12cm appears to be the continental/metric equivalent to 4x5, and 9x12cm film is still very much around.Nicholas Middletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09069364566487735897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-46962489031457689982014-05-10T10:09:50.594+01:002014-05-10T10:09:50.594+01:00I have just bought some of these 3.25" square...I have just bought some of these 3.25" square Lantern plates, but as yet have not tested them. Other plates from this batch worked fine, N40 plates were very contrasty but very slow. I have an Agfa Standard plate camera that takes 3.5"x4.75" plates. I do have some plates in this size, but as you pointed out, most are in the 3.25"x4.25" size, and although I have made adapters for the 5x4 darkslides, I also have some Houghton Butcher plate holders in this size. I found that these fitted the slide in the Agfa Standard, but left a gap at the bottom. So using trusty mounting board, I made a baffle that fits in the slide, and covers the gap. Works like a treat!MattBolex7https://www.blogger.com/profile/03665843397954325241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-70904479696849882122014-05-01T13:52:12.544+01:002014-05-01T13:52:12.544+01:00Thanks. I submitted the one of the bridge over the...Thanks. I submitted the one of the bridge over the River Lea.Nicholas Middletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09069364566487735897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573193546035756071.post-67980644373806265442014-04-29T19:12:17.720+01:002014-04-29T19:12:17.720+01:00Very nice photos! Did you submit any of them?Very nice photos! Did you submit any of them?H. Sousahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12920424978424569541noreply@blogger.com