[LargeFormat] B&W film of the 40s

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Les Newcomer" <LNPhoto@twmi.rr.com>
To: "f32" <largeformat@f32.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 1:48 PM
Subject: [LargeFormat] B&W film of the 40s


> It's 1943,  6 months ago you back at home trying to figure
out where to
> take your sweetheart next Friday.
>
> But your in the war now.  You're part of a Signal Corps
Photographic
> Unit.
>
> Uncle Sam gave you free training, a colt 45 side arm, and
a Speed
> Graphic.
>
> Just what kind of film is in that camera right now?  Pack
film, for
> sure, but it won't be Tri-x would it?
>
> Might it be ortho?  Hey the flyboys use that stuff to cut
through the
> haze, but would ground troops use it?
>
>
>
  It would have been virtually any of the commercially
available film stocks of the time. Tri-X was not available
in roll or packs but was as sheet film. The Kodak speed was
800, about equivalent to ISO 400!
  For general use in press type coverage packs of Plus-X or
sheets of Super Panchro Press would probably be the choice
  Ortho film is not useful for haze cutting, in fact its the
opposite since it has no red sensitivity. It was very
commonly used for press work because it gave better details
of faces when used with flash-on-the-camera lighting and
because it can be processed under a red safelight.
  I.R. film was available and many others.
  Ansco made similar films but at the time Tri-X was the
fastest.
  Kodak speeds were measured using a system similar to that
adopted by the ASA about 1944, however, it has no safety
factor. Equivalent ISO speeds are about half the Kodak
speed. Tri-X rated by the then common Weston system was 160
but Weston speeds include about a 2x safety factor. While
this film was pretty fast it was also very grainy compared
to later Tri-X.
  Many of these films were still made when I was in
highschool. I used a lot of Super Panchro Press, Type B
(there was once also a Type-A), and Super Ortho Press, all
shot in a Speed Graphic belonging to one of my teachers.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com