I agree with everything you say, Shel, except the last paragraph. I've only used c41 b&w twice. The first time, I bought Ilford because I was out on a walk, ran out of film, and the minilab that I went into (first and last time) only had c41 b&w. The next time was when I bought the Portra a couple of weeks ago, just to see what it was like, since it has gotten rave reviews from some on this list.
I am a committed "real" b&w user - 90% of my shooting is b&w, the majority being either Tri-X or HP5+. I just (up to this point) don't develop it myself. But, once again, your points are well-taken by me. regards, frank Shel Belinkoff wrote: > Frank, > > You can't screw up a nice shot. If you've got the negative, then you > can always make another print, or, if you feel particularly insecure, > the neg can always be taken to a good printer for a final, exhibition > quality print. > > And, by processing your own B&W, you can have absolute control over how > the negatives turn out - with the processing keyed to your style of > shooting, and adjusted to even 1/4 stop ISO. In the long run you'll > probably end up with more good shots because you'll be able to control > the entire process. > > Plus, C41 B&W teaches you very little about proper exposure. You're > trapped into one way of exposing and processing the film, and your > creativity is limited by the emulsion, film speed, and processing > requirements. C41 B&W has its uses, but, IMO, it's a type of film with > a very limited range. > > If you want to grow as a photographer, expand your creativity, and have > photos that have your own look to them, think about leaving C41 B&W and > moving to real B&W film. -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
