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From: hagerman@friday.DEC
Newsgroups: net.rec.photo
Subject: B&W reversal photography
Message-ID: <1199@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Tue, 18-Feb-86 00:18:57 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.1199
Posted: Tue Feb 18 00:18:57 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Feb-86 08:03:27 EST
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Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
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x

I did a fair amount of experimentation with the Kodak direct positive
kit about 10 years ago.  I don't know if it is still available, but
what it had in it was chemicals to make developer, bleach, a clearing
bath, and a second developer.  The recommended film was Panatomic-X
rated at ASA 80.  Using the kit in this way gave interesting B&W slides
with fairly fine grain.  I especially enjoyed mixing B&W slides in
with color ones of the same subject.  Also, for subjects that we
normally associate with B&W like farm scenes in the mid west
a la the familiar depression photos, it seems almost more natural
to see a B&W picture than a color one.

I also tried using Plus-X and Tri-X with the kit.  Plus-X works ok
at a speed of about ASA 800, but I was never able to get decent
results with Tri-X.  There are also some films meant for
printing B&W movies that are especially designed to work with reversal
processing.  I never tried them.

For someone without a darkroom that wants to "fool around" with
photography, reversal B&W is a good approach.

Doug Hagerman