Rodinal has been my developer of choice for years. It replaced a magic brew of the distant past, "Perfection", which made enchanted images with Kodak High Contrast Copy Film (SO 5069). I have not seen negatives, or prints, with that velvet sharpness and tonality since their demise - until now. The first film I have found of the caliber of 5069 is Fuji Super HR available from Filmdex (about the same speed - ASA 3-6?)

The early morning fog in Morro Bay was thin, the light diffused and luminous. I loaded a Minox B with Fuji Super HR, metered the scenes, EV range of 9-14, shutter speed of 1/30 sec. (since the film-developer combination is still unfamiliar, and I have not run my usual film speed tests, I confirmed by the bracketing). I was particularly concerned with the ability of the film to render the tonality as everything disappears into the fog. I exposed two rolls, developing one with my usual Rodinal procedure. The second was developed with PMK Pyro, following Gordon Hutchings' recommended agitation. The PMK Pyro prints, using Mr. Hutchings' recommendation of variable contrast paper, exhibit similar acuity, no visible grain, and marvelous highlight rendition. The two developers, for me, produce expressively different results. My suspicion is that each is ideally suited to its own set of conditions, and as was true with Rodinal, I will need great deal of experimentation to discover the ideal exposure and development needed to optimize PMK for various visualizations. In the fog, PMK Pyro is enchanting.

Although I have spent a great deal of time discussing Minox films, I have made some of my most delightful negatives with 120 size, 6x6cm and 6x9cm, Ilford FP4, and PMK Pyro, a combination for which I must thank Mr. Hutchings.

Negative toning with Kodak Rapid Selenium toner is an excellent way to adjust the contrast of individual frames of roll film. With Kodak Tech Pan developed in Rodinal, I have achieved an N+2 increase in the slope of the characteristic curve. So far, I see very little density increase with selenium, FP4, and PMK, a confirmation of Mr. Hutchings observations.

I can tell you that it is possible to get a good print from a negative that looks TERRIBLE! Also the look of the negative is not necessarily an indication of the appearance of the final print. This is just the beginning but I have the best prints I have had from the Minox in years! But be sure that this is NOT a cookbook solution with these films. It is an experimenter's delight with what I think is a worthwhile payoff.

Kodak Technical Pan film - Minox B, 1/500 sec. - PMK Pyro, 6 minutes at 22.5 deg C., Gordon Hutchings' recommended agitation - 6x8 inch print on Ilford Multigrade IV RC paper, white light, f/5.6, 17 second exposure. I would recommend starting with your usual film speed for the "microfilms" and development in the 5-6 minute range, with Gordon Hutchings' recommended agitation schedule. I have so far been setting my automatic exposure Minox C at - Tech Pan - ASA 50 Fuji HS-U - ASA 25 Agfa Copex Rapid - ASA 12 Fuji Super HR - ASA 6 These are just twice the film speeds established when testing for a Zone I density of 0.5 above film base+fog.

Although the Minox is not the first camera that comes to mind when discussing landscape photography, it can dramatically lighten the load when in the back country. This combination of film and developer eliminates any "image type" concerns the photographer may have harbored, with lovely 6x8 inch prints possible.

But beware - The impression of sharpness can be enhanced by the presence of grain, the absence of which may contribute to a feeling of softness. This is not a problem with large and medium format negatives, but is a consideration with the 8x11mm negatives of the Minox. I prefer the silky smooth tonality.

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