I have had nice results in the past shooting Kentmere film and processing in both HC-110 and PMK Pyro. Recently, though, my negatives end up looking a stop or two underexposed. I bought a new beaker and a syringe for measuring and mixing the developer, thinking that the problem could be contamination of the processing equipment. That made no difference in the outcome, however. I still had to compensate for the thin negatives with Photoshop adjustments. So, my plan now is to shoot the film at a stop slower and accept that it is not going to produce what I want at the rated box speed.
It is tempting to theorize some manufacturing fault, but I haven't seen any reports on the issue elsewhere , including from the people who have inspired me to use the film at Photonet and Rangefinder Forum. On the up side, the fact that I can get a reasonable outcome from the weak negatives speaks to the fundamental excellence of the film in regard to exposure latitude and fine grain.
These frames look pretty good, at least for web display. Nice tonality.
ReplyDeleteYou always get such good results from this film. I need to try it.
ReplyDeleteI generally have gotten better results shooting Kentmere at a stop slower than the box speed. That is partially dependent on processing, so a bit of experimentation with different combinations of speed and processing is worthwhile. In terms of tonal values I think the Madonna shot is as good as anything I have ever done. And, Kentmere is half the price of anything else on the market these days.
ReplyDeleteI would say you're really showing off the value of K400, in terms of latitude and suitability for a subject. You're probably way ahead of me on this, but I assume you've eliminated camera malfunction or metering errors in the process? So many things that can go awry! But that's the challenge (and beauty) of film, I think.
ReplyDeleteThe meter in the X-700 seems pretty reliable to me and generally seems to get what I'm after. I did retest my digital thermometer recently and it gives me readings close to my mercury one. You're certainly right about the complexity of variables being both vexatious and a source of value.
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