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Japanese B&W films (2)
Fuji Neopan + Agfa Rodinal... wow!
When I make prints from negatives taken between ten and thirty years ago I notice that most of the prints display a "gritty" feel which gives them more impact. This, to me, is the essence of personal black-and-white photography and it definitely has more "feeling" than the almost lifeless quality that, for example, resulted from my use of chromogenic black-and-white film (chromogenic monochrome films are processed in C-41 color negative chemistry) in the late 1980s. This, coupled with a return to using Leica M and Nikon F2 manual cameras from the 1950s and 70s, as opposed to AFs of the 90s, has redefined "monochrome" photography for me. But, what is the combination of film and developer that replicates those negatives without the inherent coarse grain, high contrast and high density that was the result of less than careful processing in those long gone days?
I have in fact found an ideal combination with two of the newest films on the market, Fuji Neopan 400 Pro and Neopan 1600 Pro, processed in the oldest commercially available liquid developer... Agfa Rodinal, which was formulated well over 100 years ago. With this combination I initially thought that film grain was going to be revealed as the size of rice grain... especially with the 1600 speed emulsion. But from a normal viewing distance a 25 x 20 cm print made from a Neopan 1600 negative (such as the shot of leaves on a road) has remarkably fine grain and strong tonal qualities... albeit with a slightly hard contrast which I find attractive. Having made comparison prints using Neopan 1600 in a 35mm Nikon and Ilford Delta 400 in a Mamiya 645 Pro roll-film camera, (the opposite of the normal faster 120 roll-film versus slower 35mm film contest), whilst the roll-film negatives definitely had a smoother tone, which was to be expected, they lacked an interesting "feel" because they were too close, or too accurate, to the original subject. Whilst this is fine for straight photographic recording of much subject matter it's not usually what a creative photographer wants.
Having tried the faster of the two Neopan emulsions first to see what creative and "emotive feelings" the negative could produce I then turned to the slower ISO 400 film to see how it compared to the ISO 400 emulsions of the past. Over a period of several months I used Neopan 400 as my standard film for landscapes, portraits, still-life, interiors, auto rallying and so on and so forth. The startling conclusion I have come to is that there is possibly no apparent need for a much slower ISO 100 film for general photography. Okay, there will always be subjects and situations where the finest detail and lack of grain are prerequisites for a photograph, but in general Neopan 400 film is good for most things.
Considering, therefore, the still universal appeal of the 35mm camera, it's not surprising that Fuji have strengthened their position in this marketplace. Initially the company aimed Neopan Professional at the press photographer who had to take photographs of all types of subjects and situations, in all kinds of lighting conditions from daylight to tungsten and flash... and process them in all sorts of facilities from newspaper offices to makeshift darkrooms in hotel bedrooms.
The most demanding application, however, is when the film is "pushed" for more speed. Here both Neopan films excel - the technical information sheets indicating that the nominal ISO ratings of Neopan 400 can be extended to EI 800 or EI 1600 whilst Neopan 1600 can be rated at EI 3200 in a wide variety of developers including D-76, ID-11, HC-110, Microdol-X, T-Max, Microphen and Acufine. Although these are aimed at the U.S. market, the German photographer is also well catered for with developers and times from Agfa with Rodinal and Atomal as well as Tetenal including the Neofins, Emofins, Ultrafins and Neopress.
The above image of sycamore leaves stuck to an oily patch of road was taken on Fuji Neopan 1600, is virtually grain-free on a 10x8 inch print, and very sharp.
...part 1 and part 3...
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