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Brilliance in black & white
for you
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NEW SPEED KING! DiLUXOL Vitesse
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| When the light dies, photographers need all the
help they can get. There are plenty of developers around that
enable 1/2 to 1 stop speed increase, and DiLuxol Vitesse does
that too. The problem comes when we want to extend beyond that.
Sure we can push the film for longer times in the developer,
but now highlight densities build up and block; graduation is
compressed; grain gets mottled. Dodging and burning become a
nightmare and only yield inferior tonal results. DiLuxol Vitesse
combats this. Because of its unique blend of phenidone AND metol
with ascorbic acid, in standard usage it yields an easy 1/2
to 1 full stop speed increase with all the subtle graduation
and tonality that comes automatically with a two bath formulation.
It isn't an ultra-fine grain developer, though it is far from
coarse. Unlike many speed increasing developers, the grain isn't
mushy and blurred, it is crisp and compact giving fine acutance
for perceived definition. Usefully, all films take the same
time, and the life of the two bath is quite exceptional - often
new developer can simply be added to the old instead of replacing
it. It is when push processing that the automatic highlight
restraint given by the two bath combats the usual burned out
and blocked highlights far more effectively than conventional
single bath developers do, while the critical shadow detail
and separation is nursed up. This means that high quality unmottled
richly graduated prints can often be made, not just acceptable
ones, and with much less effort. There are special techniques
availble for two bath use to extend 'pushability'. Not just
for fast films, it can also rescue slower films accidentally
exposed at the wrong, higher, speed rating. For instance FP4
at EI400 is fine. Only available direct from Fine Print in an
A+B, one litre each, pack sufficient for AT LEAST 20 films. |
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