Frustration and wanting to know more about black and white!

[motcon]

nearly forgot; here is an xp2 test at different ei values (i am not the author of this test).

 

[motcon]

oh damn it...sepia. right. k.


well, you can either buy the sepia kit...which is a rip off or buy the raw chemicals. i bought the raw chemicals for about $30 and they've lasted me, oh, 5 years and running. there is also a non-offensive vapor version of sepia that i use that is quite nice. you will also need trays. kitty litter box bottoms work just fine. if you need more sepia info, just hollah.

 

[ksmattfish]

Here's my off the cuff, mini zone system in a nutshell, for folks who don't want to do film tests:

Meter off something black that is in the same light as your subject. Set your exposure at two stops less than the meter indicates.

Meter the darkest area where you want full detail. Meter the lightest area where you want full detail. Count the stops.

4 stops: under expose 1 stop/over develop
5 stops: expose and develop normally
6 stops: over expose 1 stop/under develop