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Introduction
(Article updated 1-18-05) Recently, Ilford announced the plans to discontinue several product lines. This "imploding" of the film industry has started and will continue in haste over the next couple of years. For the black and white photographer or custom lab operator, this presents several challenges.
As a photographer, chances are that my favorite films will no longer be available. I shoot a lot of Ilford PanF+ in 35mm. If that goes, what do I substitute it with? In 4x5 I shoot Ilford HP5+. My bread and butter film is Ilford Delta 400 in 35mm. All of the above get processed in Ilfotec DD-X chemistry. Scary, huh?
As a lab operator, my systems are all standardized on Ilford Multigrade IV papers and chemistry. The Ilford products have been exceptionally consistent and of high quality. Sure, there are better papers and developers out there, but the material costs, fast processing (very short "wet-time") and overall efficiency of the Ilford system has been a tremendous benefit.
Over the past year I've seen my business change radically. I process very little film for others anymore. Probably a good thing since the postal system "nukes" everything and radiation exposure is a real problem. Another thing that has occurred is people enjoy the B&W prints so much that they've invested in their own darkroom equipment. At least three customers have bailed on me and built their own. Finally, digital has really kicked in. Some people have made the minimal investment in reels and tanks to process their own film, but then digitize the film using a high-quality scanner. But, through all of this, one part of the business has increased--high quality custom enlargements on fiber paper. Therefore, I've gone and tested alternative papers and processes. I'm settling in on a "boutique" supplier that provides the quality, constancy and characteristics I like in my prints. The paper is Perfecta, the developer is Perfecta-D and the entire processing chain is acid free and archival.
What can you expect from these new materials? First of all, the paper is heavy weight. Some papers are too thin and in larger sizes can cause problems in handling. More than once, I've had to dispose of an otherwise perfect print because of a wrinkle. Another thing is a "brilliance" to the print. Many glossy prints (Ilford in particular) look like there is a haze over the emulsion. This haze is gone. The blacks are inky black and the surface almost shimmers with life. When dry, the print looks wet! The emulsion tends to lift and separate tones on problem negatives. Delta 100, which normally has muddy Zones II-IV is brightened and the tonal separation problem is countered with a slight curve adjustment.
One nuance that I discovered with Perfecta is that it does not perform well with the color filteration used in most dichromatic-head enlargers. Speed and contrast inconsistencies abound. For example, changing paper grade settings from -00 to 2.5 results in only a singe grade change. However 2.5 to 3 jumps about two grades and anything behone grade 3.5 is almost unusable and is also a full stop faster than the other grades. I changed to the Ilford Multigrade filters and fully addressed this issue. I still use the dichromatic head because of the diffusion light source, but for grade control I use the Ilford filters.
Perfecta split-grade prints very well and produces excellent tonal ranges with subtle highlights and solid blacks. Not all variable contrast papers respond as well to split-grade printing and I rank Perfecta a very close second to Ilford Multigrade IV--which is exceptional.
Drydown compensation is required for Perfecta, yet the offset is slightly less than I've found with Multigrade IV Fiber. A microwave oven can be used for quick drying test prints, however, a microwaved print will possess a glossier surface. I prefer the microwaved surface to an air-dried print, but longevity questions remain. Multigrade papers tend to yellow when microwaved, but the Perfecta stays whiter.
Perfecta-D is the matched developer for this paper. I've started using this developer for all of my papers and have seen a marked improvement over the Ilford Multigrade Developer. The complete Ilford system results in slightly hazy blacks and a lack of brilliance to the print. Perfecta-D doesn't haze and it also boosts the overall clarity. I'm seeing about a 1/2 grade effective increase without altering the mid-tones. When developed in Perfecta-D, Multigrade IV Fiber has nearly identical print characteristics to the Perfecta paper--except for speed differences.
Perfecta papers are available in 5x7, 8x10 and 11x14 sizes. My complaint with the packaging is that it's much tighter than Ilford packaging. I've transferred the paper supplies to empty Ilford boxes. Another complaint has to do with paper curl. With the thicker paper base the paper tends to curl and not smooth easily. I rank it as more difficult than Ilford fiber papers.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with the Perfecta "system". The surface character is neutral and tones with only a minor color change. I was nearly 100% Ilford prior to the reorganization and needed to diversify my supply chain a little. I'm glad I did. These are excellent materials and were very cost effective. I will continue to use Ilford papers as necessary, but for the majority of my fiber printing I'll be using Perfecta.
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