4x5 for 365 project (107/365)
Whenever any new, or new to me, piece of gear comes my way, I tend to take it out into our backyard and shoot our pond with it. When I got my Busch Pressman Model D 4x5 press camera recently, it came with a Graflex Optar 135mm f:4.7 lens in a Graphex shutter. I didn't hold much hope for the lens really suiting my shooting style so I immediately swapped it out with my existing Rodenstock Geronar 150mm lens for it's first weekend out shooting. So it was only fair that I test the Optar lens that came with the camera at some point so I mounted it back on the camera and took a few test shots with it out at the pond. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the 1950s era lens does very well in terms of sharpness and contrast when shot with X-Ray film. I have a set of Kodak Series VI filters that I can use with the lens so I'll be putting them through some tests with different kinds of films this coming weekend too.
Camera: Busch Pressman Model D 4x5 large format press camera.
Lens: Graflex Optar 135mm F4.7 lens in a Graphex shutter with Kodak Series VI yellow filter.
Film: Kodak Ektascan BR/A single-sided X-Ray film. Purchased from zzmedical.com as 8x10" sheets and cut down to 4x5". Film rated at 80 ISO.
Exposure: 1/10th @ F32.
Development: Self Developed film in Rodinal (Adox Adonol) 1:100 in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. Semi-Stand for 15 minutes with initial minute of inversions then 10 seconds of inversion on minutes one and two then let it sit until minute 14 when I do a final ten seconds of inversions. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo. Hung to dry.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.