OK, here's the technical stuff and related gory details that go with the latest batch of my Minolta 16MG black and white photos. Nothing here but text, but if you're like me it's the details that make it all the more interesting.

Darkroom: I use a changing bag to reload cassettes and load exposed film into a daylight tank for processing. If you're gonna mess with this sort of stuff a decent changing bag is a necessity. Zip your film and supplies inside, stick your hands in and go to work. For printing work, I convert our bathroom to a darkroom, and after reading this you'll know why I save up film to print a bunch in one day. The large window in the bathroom has decent mini-blinds in it. I shut those, then hang a large heavy sleeping bag in front of the window. I actually have decorative nails left in the top of the frame to facilitate this. Then I stuff a towel in the top edge, and touch up around it with shipping tape on spots where a little light makes it in. I use a 7 1/2 watt red bulb from the hardware store in the overhead fixture for a safelight (which has proven to be "safe" with everything I've tried it on). I set up small trays and an old Durst M300 35mm enlarger on the counter. Shut the door stuff some towels in it, and I'm in business.

Film: All my Minolta work (at least in this decade) is done on Kodak Double-X negative movie film. This seems to be a somewhat readily available film. It's listed as ISO 200 for tungsten light, and 250 for daylight. I shoot it at 200 for everything. This is number 7222 film. It comes in 100 foot rolls for about $25 which makes about 63 rolls of Minolta 20 exposure film. I reload it into used Minolta cassettes.

Developing: I develop the film in Kodak HC-110 diluted 1:16, solution right out of the bottle to tap water. 68 degrees for 4 minutes with agitation once a minute for a few seconds. I never bother with stop bath, just a water rinse for about 2 minutes then about 8 minutes in Illford Universal fixer. Note I'm always using chemicals that give me working solutions from concentrated liquid. I never save stuff. Just develop and throw out the used solution. 16mm requires such small quantities, and I get around to processing only a few times a year it doesn't pay to try to save mixed solutions. I wash the film about 10 minutes, final rinse in water with a dash of Kodak Photoflo 200 and hang to dry.

Printing: See darkroom set up above. These are printed on Illford postcard stock Multigrade IV RC Portfolio paper, which is 3 7/8 x 5 7/8 inches in size. Now, I make 3 1/2 x 5 prints, so I cut this into 3 1/2 inch wide strips before printing so it would slide into my Speed-Easel, then I trimmed them to 5" long after printing (I hate messing with the paper cutter in safelight). I used this paper simply because it is what the store had smaller than 8 x 10, and I used to actually have the multigrade filter set. I say "used to" because now all I can find is the number 4 filter. So, these were all printed with the number 4 filter. Using my Durst M300 enlarger with NO 16mm mask (I just shoved the film in the 35mm gate) I printed these straight. no dodging, burning, etc. Stopped the lens on the enlarger down two stops figuring I should get some extra depth of field to allow for my crummy eyesight when focusing. The lens is a German "Isco Gottingen Iscorit" F:4.5 50mm. So I used it at F:8. My exposures were either :20, :40 or :60 seconds. (give or take a bit relying on instinct). Some of the negatives were VERY dense. (I think my developing is a bit much giving me a faster effective film speed) while others were great. I think over all I've got a good average going, but maybe dilute a bit more on the film developer in the future. Developed in Illford Multigrade paper developer diluted 1:9 for a minute or so, the stop bath and Illford fix for a few minutes.

Scanning: Scanned on a cheep Microtek ScanMaker V600 at 72 DPI 256 grays. I tried not to give in to computer retouching, 'cause that somehow seems like cheating to me. I didn't notice any scratching or dust that I had to remove (lucky there!). I did tweak the contrast on a couple that were printed from the very dense negatives. I did use the "sharpen 1" setting, but I think that just made the scans look as good as the original prints. Everyone tells me you can't see better than a 72 dpi image on a monitor, so I never scan better than that for the web.

Comments: I think I'm over developing the negatives just a bit, but I like to be standardized on chemicals and such so I can evaluate the situation. I'm going to try a bit more dilute developer next time around. I use HC-110 just because I have it, and it's easy to mix up right out of the bottle, use it and throw it out. I've had the same jug of developer for many years! I need to find the rest of my multigrade filter set. Things like this go astray when you move a few times. The film is a bit grainy, but I don't plan on any enlargements, so for the most part I'm gonna stick with it. There's a certain satisfaction to waking up in the morning after a printing session and stacking up a nifty pile of small B&W prints with white borders. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

Next, I'm going to try some sort of E-6 process color transparency film. Haven't decided exactly what yet, but it will have to be available in 16mm as I don't have a slitter made up yet, and don't know when I'll have time to do that. But I can process E-6 myself as well. What I'll do with those teeny slides I'm not sure, but if I ever get a film scanner I'll have the answer to my problem!

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