AREA NEWS
LATENT IMAGE
Bill Wilson Area 17.
I`ve had a problem on my mind concerning the length of time that can safely elapse after a film has been exposed but before development takes place. Photographic text advises that a film should be developed soon after exposure, and is of course sound advice. But how long is soon?
It ocurred to me that if one is on a long holiday he problem of latent image deterioration after a certain period of time is rather worrying.
Perhaps one amongst you has some encouraging or otherwise news, or a solution to the problem. I don`t fancy taking the kitchen sink and all the bottles of solutions while on holiday. The camera bag is bad enough after a 5 mile hike and one`s mind is not artistically tuned for a stint of DIY in no mans land on a return to base.
I have read that top Pros. when on an assignment, air mail their days shooting, but what you never hear or read about in the Pacific, Seychelles etc, where there is no post office. The models will keep their image for a long time, but what happens to the image on hundreds of rolls of film, well exposed?
I have read that david Bailey was out for two months shooting a calandar the other side of Rota Rua. We know that there`s a lot of theories in print that just do not hold water. The most obvious are `Always have the sun behind your back", "Always carry a camera with you", "Always carry a tripod" (and end up wearing a truss).
HOLIDAY LOSS
Sue Croad. Area 20.
The thieves stole more than nine hundred pounds worth of camera equipment from us while we were on holiday in France. Our RAC `Eurocover` policy covered us for only £200 of camera equipment and whilst we were able to claim for a further £500 under our home contents policy we could not cover the remaining £200 loss.
Two months after the robbery we received a letter from the British Consulate General at Bordeaux saying that a nearby Gendarmerie held our two passports, a rucksack and `other` items that may belong to us. Our French not being good enough to contact the police by telephone meant that a letter had to be sent instead. Either this or their reply will have been held up in the current Post Office strike. In the meantime, Ron spotted in a photographic magazine that any camera equipment refunded by an insurance company becomes their property, although we may have the option to buy it back from them!
3M 1000 ASA
H. J. Telling Area 20.
Very good for special purposes. You can use it inside Warwick Castle, for example. It`s best use I found was for declining winter sunshine on a December afternoon. Colour good, but naturally grainy. I expect to be using it again this autumn.
WIDE SCREEN PRINTS
George Sparkes AREA 22.
Bill Crumplin knows of a photo-lab offering specialist printing of extra wide slides or colour negatives taken on stereo cameras - Helen Parker B. Sc., Rosemount House, Rosemount Ave., West Byfleet, Weybridge, Surrey. KT14 6NP. 4.
PROCESSING SESSION
George Sparkes Area 22.
A full set of processing solutions were made up recently as the old ones were definitely time expired. The pH of the solutions were checked on my C.P. I. meter immediately after making up on 25th June and again just before processing on 30th June. The readings were the same on each occasion. FD pH 9.5 CD pH 11.9 Stops pH 4.7 Bleach pH 7.0 Fix pH 8.7 A pH check after processing gave two changes- Bleach 6.9 and Fix 8.8. I have just processed in the same tank two Fuji films and a short test length of 100asa Scotch film - four outdoor shots in sunshine, three shots of articles of many colours under a cloudy sky with varied exposure and three flash shots of the same articles with varied exposure.
Using my home brew which works very successfully with Fuji film (but not with Konica) I found that the Fuji gave the usual excellent results but with the Scotch film all frames, although very sharp, had a slight green cast (but not as green as with Konica) Which I confirmed by viewing through a magenta filter. Also the film was about half a stop faster than 100 asa but this was probably due to the Scotch film requiring less First Development than the seven minutes that I gave the Fuji film. It seems therefore that although excellent results are obtained by other members with certain kits and other brews, my home brew gives good results only with Fuji film.
DEVELOPING TANKS
George Sparkes Area 22.
Ken Lewis has been a member from early CR50 days and has been slide processing since the days of Ferrania 25 asa and Johnson kits. Ken has a "Paterson Super System Four" two reel developing tank with a very large top, purchased only last year. He much prefers the no longer obtainable old "System Four" two reel tank, so would any member like to swap old for new?