Bill Smith's Photography

  I fell in love with ORWO UN 54 all over again. I've shot with it off and on over the years and used Xtol and Rodinal developers, the results were nice but didn't set the world on fire. ID-11 or D76 cut down to 1+1 solution, now we're talking. I went and bought two 100 foot bulk rolls so I won't run out.  Camera: Canon F-1n, FD 35 F2 Silver Nose Lens, FD 24 F2.8 SSC lens.  Film: ORWO UN 54 1+1 

  My recently overhauled Canon F-1n, needed a shake down run so I went on an early March photowalk on a very sunny Sunday morning with my friends John Meadows and Ori Carmona. I rolled with ORWO UN 54, a black and white motion picture stock repurposed as a still film. I haven't shot with this emulsion in a while, I still had seven hand rolled cassettes left and I was going to switch over to Rollei RPX 100. Well, the results have me reconsidering.  ORWO UN54 sings in D76 or ID-11 at a one part developer one part water solution. Damn, I'm now thinking I should get two more bulk rolls because I'm blown away with the results, especially on a sunny day. Well as they say, but wait, there will be more, you just have to wait until the next post.  Camera: Canon F-1n, FD 35 f2 chrome nose lens, FDn 135 F2.8 lens,  Film: ORWO UN 54 ID-11 1+1. 

  I don't shoot Ortho film all that often, the previous occasion was last Summer and through one of my Olympus OM-2n's. This time out I took my new to me recently recently re-sealed Nikkormat FT2 and popped a green filter on the Nikkor SC 50 f1.4 lens so I wouldn't get blown out skies. One thing with a green filter, you lose two stops of light. If I want a fine grained Ilford film I think I'll reach for FP4 125 instead, it's a more versatile film to shoot with.  As for the black Nikkormat FT2, it delivered, granted I had to fix jumpy meter syndrome with some DeOxit but the meter is pretty accurate for camera made in the mid 1970s with an unknown service history. All the shutter speeds seem accurate. I plan to shoot a found roll of Ultrafine Extreme 400 through the camera to see how the higher speeds handle.  Camera: Nikkormat FT2, Nikkor S.C. 50 f1..4 lens and green filter.  Film: Ilford Ortho Plus 80, ID-11 1+1.  ...

 I don't shoot medium format in the winter much, I had an expereince with my Mamiya C220f where the 80 F2.8 lens crapped out on me in the cold and needed servicing. Actually the lens really did need servicing. Since winter weather receded sooner than later, I pulled out my Rolleicord Vb for a good workout and loaded it with Catlabs X Film 80, their tribute to Kodak Panatomic X black and white film that got discontinued ages ago with Tmax 100 being its replacement.  The big knock against Catlabs X Film 80 is it was finished and spooled by Shanghai Film in China, which has at best a very mixed reputation for quality control (work with me, I'm being polite, they might get their act together and surprise us all). I pre soak the film in water for five minutes or so prior to developing to get the antihalation layer off and any other crud that wound up on the film. I process in HC110 dillution B and I love the results. I prefer X Film 80 for a hybrid process, as in develop, scan, pos...