I am about to try my first black & white film and I wondered what advice you could offer to set me on the right track. I think I have already made a mistake by buying a Kodak T400CN film which uses the C-41 process. Does this mean it will be printed on colour paper which will give it a coloured hue? Please excuse my ignorance of this subject, I am completely self taught (thank goodness for libraries and the internet). I live in a country town and don't have access to much in the way of photographic shops. If it makes any difference, I use a completely manual Ricoh SLR as I wanted to learn all about the camera first. Thankyou for the great site.

-- Carol S. (carfred@hotmail.com), September 16, 2001

Answers

T400CN printed on color paper gives a sepia cast. The negatives can be printed too on normal B+W paper, but will be in low contrast, so a grade of 3.5 or 4 has to be used. The new chromogenic film Portra400 B+W is said to yield in true B+W pictures when printed on color paper.

-- Marc Leest (mmm@n2photography.com), September 16, 2001.

Most processing labs don't even carry B&W paper, so your T400CN will almost certainly be printed on colour paper. Proper B&W printing is a premium service these days. It costs much more, and usually entails a long turn-around time while it's sent away to a specialist lab.
Can I also just point out that the new Portra 'B&W' film has a strong orange mask, and is almost impossible to print on normal B&W paper. Another alternative is Ilford XP2 super, but if you want good conventional B&W processing without paying a fortune, you've got to do it yourself.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), September 17, 2001.

Carol, if you are interested in doing black and white, I think you have two options, or a combination of them. The first one is to set up a darkroom and do your own processing [developing and printing], and the other one is to upgrade your computer system so you can do your photographs digitally. If you will let us know which way you are heading, perhaps we can help.

chris

-- Christian Harkness (chris.harkness@eudoramail.com), September 17, 2001.

Carol, what is the end product you are looking for? It makes a big difference. If you just want B&W images of family and people/places in general, then the T400CN film can do that. The hue of the prints shouldn't interfere with your enjoyment of them. If you want fine art prints then you need to process your own film(incredibly easy and we will help) and learn to print. Does your local jr college or extension class(high school) have a darkroom? That is usually how most people start and many continue to use these facilities. We will help you learn the rudiments of printing. This forum has a wealth of talent and you are welcome to use it. James

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), September 17, 2001.

Thank you for responding to my question. As my web search took me straight to this page, I hadn't seen all the previous discussions on this subject. Sorry, you must be a patient lot. I will now go back and read through them to find out as much as I can. I have already found the names of a couple of books which I will try to order. I don't know if I will have the confidence to try developing my own prints, but you have certainly stirred my interest.

Many thanks Carol S.

-- Carol S. (carfred@hotmail.com), September 21, 2001.

Carol: Just remember--It isn't that hard, or a lot of us that love photography wouldn't be here! It can be made overly difficult by well meaning persons. (No slight is meant to anyone who has responded to you,many of whom have a LOT more knowledge than I do.) First: read ONE simple book on the subject. Kodak used to publish little booklets on film developing, etc, that told all you needed to get started. And unlike some texts on the matter,they were understandable without a PhD. Second: buy some simple equipment. A developing tank, changing bag if you don't have a darkrom, a thermometer, and some chemicals, and that's it. As an alternative, take a class from your local high school or community college.You will have fun, and learn lots of good stuff, bypassing at least a dozen common mistakes. Regular colleges charge too much, and tend to look down on those that are attempting to increase their personal knowledge. Buy a roll or two of film, and take pictures, using the manufacturer's recommendations (look inside the box, which is where it will likely be printed) use your camera's meter, set at the recommended film speed,and develop per instructions, which will give you a starting point.Proof your negs, and have the best ones printed.One reason for starting out simple is that it eliminates confusion. Example: I knew a fellow when I was in the service, he was a photographer, too. (this was in the days when film manufacturers rated their films at 1/2 the real speed to overcome WIDE variations in shutter speeds and processing.) One day, in conversation, he said he rated his film like one of the popular magazines of the day recommended. Panatomic X (an ancient black and white film) was rated at a speed of 25,(It was right there on the box!) and all of us camera wonks (except him) rated it at 50. He had misunderstood and rated it at 10-12, resulting in dense, hard to print negatives. My, I DO get wordy! Go and have fun! CC

-- Carl Crosby (humminboid@aol.com), September 29, 2001.

Carol: I read the rest of your post. Bless you my child! Learning to us a basic camera before going full auto! Marvelous concept! It will serve you well in coming years, even after age and failing eyesight make auto focus and other fancy goodies "necessary". Remember; this magical pastime is a happy combination of two greek words: Photo: light, and Graphos: writing. So: photographers write with light! I love that concept! C.Crosby

-- Carl Crosby (hummnboid@aol.com), September 29, 2001.

Carol, it's a pleasure to read that you are largely self-taught in photography--in my estimation, the best way to learn. I have not used Kodak T400CN, but Konica VX400 is a good cheap chromogenic b/w film at my local discount store. It prints up nicely at the one-hour lab on color papers with a slightly warm tone. If you want more detail in the sky, you might want to use an amber filter, but I prefer shooting without filters and take the film's anomalies as part of the territory.

Of course, as a self-taught photographer, you already know "making mistakes" can be an educational experience. Chromogenic film is a godsend to people who like the look of black and white, without the need for the darkroom.

-- Gary Riggs (eeyorekidding2@hotmail.com), October 26, 2001.