Color film in a B&W camera

**Alex645** · 09-25-2016, 09:44 AM

Originally posted by ChrisPlatt

That's the reason I never wanted to visit Kansas.

Chris

I have only been to Paris and New York City in the winter when everything is pretty much gray scale. Itʻs hard for me to imagine those places in color. Now I live in Hawaii where everything is color year-round and I love to shoot here in B&W.

**gaweidert** · 09-25-2016, 10:00 AM - **1 Like**

ctrout,

Welcome Aboard!! I hope the good natured ribbing does not offend you. The old film cameras were not just for black and white film. Either one can be used without any concern. It is all about exposure. I shot a lot of color slide film with my Spotmatic II. Wonderful camera. Where you have to be more careful with color film is exposure. Color negative films are more picky than black and white film, and color reversal (slide) film is very picky so exposure has to be almost right on for good results.

Mastering black and white film is harder than master color film. With color film you make your exposure and thn the film as per the instructions. Very little variation allowed to keep you process in control. With black and white film, you can push or pull both exposure and developing. You can pick different developers or even vary temperature to control contrast and how deep you want Dmax to be. Then there is B&W print paper. There are various contrasts and tones available. Some paper has a warmer tone and others cooler. Some paper is multi contrast so the paper contrast varies depending upon the filter pack you place over the enlarger lens. Watching a person who has mastered B&W photography in action is a thing to behold. It is the reason that I hope B&W conventional photography stays around for a long long time.

ctrout · 09-25-2016, 10:14 AM

That's really the reason I started the thread, to generate some comedic discussion. I don't know if you saw the final line of my post, all the way at the bottom. Anyway, no, I'm not offended. All in good fun, just as I intended.

**BigMackCam** · 09-25-2016, 10:37 AM

Originally posted by ctrout

That's really the reason I started the thread, to generate some comedic discussion.

It's a fun thread

Of course, there's a chance that someone, somewhere, is taking some or all of this seriously...

**gaweidert** · 09-25-2016, 12:10 PM

Originally posted by ctrout

That's really the reason I started the thread, to generate some comedic discussion. I don't know if you saw the final line of my post, all the way at the bottom. Anyway, no, I'm not offended. All in good fun, just as I intended.

Ooooooops!!!!! Missed that. But I would still like to have a killer B&W darkroom and a 4x5 field camera to go with my sadly neglected Bronica ETRSi.

Eyewanders · 09-25-2016, 04:19 PM

I definitely enjoy a good black comedy.

**goatsNdonkey** · 09-25-2016, 05:46 PM

I think I dreamed in black-and-white, possibly because my family didn't have a color TV until I was halfway through college. My dad tinkered with electronics, and people would give him old TVs. He was really much better at repairing the classic five-tube AM radio, but he could replace a bad tube in a TV and make some other simple repairs. Often our home TV was one of these junkers he had fixed up. When I was in about 5th grade there was a time when we "watched" two black-and-white sets. The one with a watchable picture, but distorted sound, was stacked on top of the one with good sound and no picture at all. You turned on both, and then just had to keep them tuned to the same channel, of course!

stevebrot · 09-25-2016, 06:42 PM - **1 Like**

Pleasantville...

Steve

**From1980** · 09-25-2016, 06:47 PM

Oh yes, TV in the '60s. My brother and I were so disappointed by '65 or '66. We heard all about all the new color TV programs coming out but it was a lie. Night after night we anxiously awaited but, they always looked like the same B&W on our set.

ctrout · 09-25-2016, 08:21 PM

I remember a 13" B/W tv I had when I was a kid. Crazy as it sounds, I strung a wire to a window screen (they were made of metal wire mesh back then) to try to improve reception. This was back in the late 70s when HBO first came out and my dad was one of the first subscribers in our town. I was able to dial in a distorted picture of something that a kid would never see on regular tv. Oh how I wished that tv was in color!

**gofour3** · 09-29-2016, 09:06 AM

Originally posted by chickentender

I definitely enjoy a good black comedy.

Film noir?

Phil.

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09-25-2016, 09:44 AM	#16
Alex645 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Kaneohe, HI Photos: Albums Posts: 3,526	Originally posted by ChrisPlatt That's the reason I never wanted to visit Kansas. Chris I have only been to Paris and New York City in the winter when everything is pretty much gray scale. Itʻs hard for me to imagine those places in color. Now I live in Hawaii where everything is color year-round and I love to shoot here in B&W.

09-25-2016, 10:00 AM - 1 Like	#17
gaweidert Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Rochester, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,325	ctrout, Welcome Aboard!! I hope the good natured ribbing does not offend you. The old film cameras were not just for black and white film. Either one can be used without any concern. It is all about exposure. I shot a lot of color slide film with my Spotmatic II. Wonderful camera. Where you have to be more careful with color film is exposure. Color negative films are more picky than black and white film, and color reversal (slide) film is very picky so exposure has to be almost right on for good results. Mastering black and white film is harder than master color film. With color film you make your exposure and thn the film as per the instructions. Very little variation allowed to keep you process in control. With black and white film, you can push or pull both exposure and developing. You can pick different developers or even vary temperature to control contrast and how deep you want Dmax to be. Then there is B&W print paper. There are various contrasts and tones available. Some paper has a warmer tone and others cooler. Some paper is multi contrast so the paper contrast varies depending upon the filter pack you place over the enlarger lens. Watching a person who has mastered B&W photography in action is a thing to behold. It is the reason that I hope B&W conventional photography stays around for a long long time.

09-25-2016, 10:14 AM	#18
ctrout Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Photos: Gallery Posts: 444 Original Poster	That's really the reason I started the thread, to generate some comedic discussion. I don't know if you saw the final line of my post, all the way at the bottom. Anyway, no, I'm not offended. All in good fun, just as I intended.

09-25-2016, 10:37 AM	#19
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,681	Originally posted by ctrout That's really the reason I started the thread, to generate some comedic discussion. It's a fun thread Of course, there's a chance that someone, somewhere, is taking some or all of this seriously...

09-25-2016, 12:10 PM	#20
gaweidert Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Rochester, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,325	Originally posted by ctrout That's really the reason I started the thread, to generate some comedic discussion. I don't know if you saw the final line of my post, all the way at the bottom. Anyway, no, I'm not offended. All in good fun, just as I intended. Ooooooops!!!!! Missed that. But I would still like to have a killer B&W darkroom and a 4x5 field camera to go with my sadly neglected Bronica ETRSi.

09-25-2016, 04:19 PM	#21
Eyewanders Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Land of the Salish Sea Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,343	I definitely enjoy a good black comedy.

09-25-2016, 05:46 PM	#22
goatsNdonkey Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Fulton County, Illinois Posts: 3,736	I think I dreamed in black-and-white, possibly because my family didn't have a color TV until I was halfway through college. My dad tinkered with electronics, and people would give him old TVs. He was really much better at repairing the classic five-tube AM radio, but he could replace a bad tube in a TV and make some other simple repairs. Often our home TV was one of these junkers he had fixed up. When I was in about 5th grade there was a time when we "watched" two black-and-white sets. The one with a watchable picture, but distorted sound, was stacked on top of the one with good sound and no picture at all. You turned on both, and then just had to keep them tuned to the same channel, of course!

09-25-2016, 06:42 PM - 1 Like	#23
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Pleasantville... Steve

09-25-2016, 06:47 PM	#24
From1980 Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Essex, Ontario Posts: 682	Oh yes, TV in the '60s. My brother and I were so disappointed by '65 or '66. We heard all about all the new color TV programs coming out but it was a lie. Night after night we anxiously awaited but, they always looked like the same B&W on our set.

09-25-2016, 08:21 PM	#25
ctrout Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Photos: Gallery Posts: 444 Original Poster	I remember a 13" B/W tv I had when I was a kid. Crazy as it sounds, I strung a wire to a window screen (they were made of metal wire mesh back then) to try to improve reception. This was back in the late 70s when HBO first came out and my dad was one of the first subscribers in our town. I was able to dial in a distorted picture of something that a kid would never see on regular tv. Oh how I wished that tv was in color!

09-29-2016, 09:06 AM	#26
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,092	Originally posted by chickentender I definitely enjoy a good black comedy. Film noir? Phil.