[jnanian]

What I'm interested in is the character, or "feeling", of films. I don't have any specific scene in mind and I'm not searching for a suitable film for a purpose, I want to see what this elusive "character" is simply out of curiosity. If different films have different character, there must be a difference, if subtle, in the final image. Is it the spectral sensitivity? Contrast? Latitude? I can read about differences and kind of understand descriptions of a film's properties, but it's so much easier to understand with two pictures side by side.

Of course many other things can change the final result, which is why I was trying to say "don't change anything except the film". Difficult, certainly. Perhaps sending the films to a pro lab would make it easier to ensure consistent development?

hi again arctic amateur

as i suggested before it isn't just the chemistry and the film but the person using the chemistry and film, that's the other side of the equation. i have given my method of processing film, in a developer to friends ... time, temperature, dilution, agitation scheme, exposure ( in camera ) so they would know what to expect ... and they wrote to me that their film was so contrasty they couldn't even make salt prints with the negatives ... these are the same negatives that when i process the film i enlarge or contact them onto paper without any filtration at all, and the print developer is not dilute to compensate for contrast &c ...

i think it would be interesting to see what one person can do with the same film and developer to show the limits of a film and developer,
but i don't think it will be hugely useful, unless the same person who is using these tests to learn about the film +chemistry &c, is the person who has been the one exposing and developing the film.

i have pretty much given up on developer tests and film tests. i just process everything i do in the same developer for the same amount of time and get negatives i am used to, and look forward to using.

photography is a strange beast ... one person's trash is another person's treasure

( referring to the lomo thread nobel was referring to )