In case anybody actually gives a rip, I wanted to share that the ADOX MCC
110 paper (with PRINT WA developer) is so good that I just placed a second
order of it!. At this time I don't see myself using any other
variable-contrast glossy fiber paper. This paper has the look I've been
seeking for many years and can be fully mistaken for a graded paper without
even a hint of truth-stretching.
Unfortunately, I don't have any kickback marketing thing going on with
Freestyle yet... So take these positive comments as a completely unbiased
and honest without undue influence.
The richness of tones are unmatched by the Ilford papers and just like the
old Kodak papers, black is black. Excellent dmax.
My only problem with the paper, which required extensive calibration is the
variability in sensitivity per "grade". It is not linear as you'd expect and
midtone exposure varies by over a full stop. (Inotherwords, if you meter for
midtone at Grade 2, changing to Grade 3 results in a radically different
exposure for midtone). The five grades have five distinctly different
cross-over points and they aren't in order. Ilford Multigrade also has five
mid-tone cross points, but all but Grades 4 and 5 are tightly clustered.
In studying the published curves I noticed something that had been recently
discussed on APUG. The Ilford Multigrade IV papers have a non-linear
straight-line section for grades 00-3. There are a pair of humps in the
curves in the Zones II-IV and VII-VIII regions which reduce tonal
seperation. While the high-value bump is nice because it tends to enhance
skintones, the low-value bump is not welcome as it lifts the shadows a bit
restricting max black and forcing us to increase paper grade to shove the
lows down lower. To get a good solid foot means you end up compromising
Zones II-IV to accomplish it. It's very hard to get good deep gradients on
Multigrade IV. The ADOX MCC paper is very different in that the
straight-line section is not only straight, but the toe and shoulder is
uniform on both ends, With Multigrade IV, the toe and shoulder have
distinctly different curves. These double-humped curves are a problem
because when you try to adjust a tone higher or lower it can either take a
great deal of effort to move it or it will shift on you if you look
cross-eyed at it.
I can print an entire grade softer with ADOX compared to Multigrade IV. With
one particular negative, the difference was two grades. And I haven't even
gotten to split-grade printing yet. I used to split-grade because I had
to--but this paper gives me the right results without the dual-exposures.
Oh, one other thing--ADOX has two protective layers on the surface. it does
not scratch easily at all. These layers do make spotting a little more
challenging than Ilford, but not difficult.
As previously mentioned, drydown is much less than Ilford, but still there.
Unlike Ilford, it doesn't seem to affect the high values as much, but the
entire picture seems to intensifiy with the darker values getting darker.
Instead of an across-the-board darkening, it seems to take on a gamma
adjustment. The just-off-whites tend to stay put with just a hint of
darkening.
On very close examination, I am finding that the thick emulsion with
protective layers does cause a little more lateral halation than I'm used to
seeing, but that's only visible with a 10x loupe.
This stuff definitely gets the Schnozz's seal of approval.
AG Schnozz
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