Pushing Ektar 100 (Help Needed)

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LoneWolfnCamera
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Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2017 12:07 pm
Location: Los Angeles (area)

Pushing Ektar 100 (Help Needed)

Post by LoneWolfnCamera »

Hey folks! I'm new to color processing and have hit a huge bump in the figurative road. I went for a nice little hike a few weeks ago and brought along some Ektar 100 to capture some of the stunning colors of the local flora, especially the great golden color of the California Poppies that had recently come into bloom. Wouldn't you know it? I forgot my spot meter at home and so had to rely on the built-in meter of my Pentax 67. No big deal. However, it wasn't until I loaded a fresh roll of Tri-X that I realized my meter was set to 1600 ISO! Words cannot express the level of horror suddenly thrust upon me by this shocking revelation. I had recently been playing around with Tri-X in the darkroom; some night time photography, a push here, a push there and this would explain the high rating of my camera's meter. However, this does not explain my stupidity.

So I come to you seeking counsel regarding my next move in the development process. I've read that it is not advised to push Ektar as there will likely be unwanted effects like color casts, graininess, what-have-you. But, due to my rookie mistake I believe a push or two is absolutely necessary. What would you suggest? Should I even attempt a 4-stop push with this film or perhaps just meet in the middle at a 2-stop push and hope the film is not too incredibly underexposed? Please, HELP!

Jeremy
Jeremy Alvarez
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Instagram: @lost_in_space.out_of_time

"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite."
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perfesserkev
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Re: Pushing Ektar 100 (Help Needed)

Post by perfesserkev »

Hi Jeremy,

Generally color neg films only push well by a stop. At two stops the quality suffers hugely. At four stops I doubt there would be much usable about it. However, you may have a happy weird surprise! So the choice is "what the heck" and a four-stop push (if so, post them here). Or chalking it up as one that got away.
"You compose, you decompose." -- Ernst Haas
LoneWolfnCamera
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2017 12:07 pm
Location: Los Angeles (area)

Re: Pushing Ektar 100 (Help Needed)

Post by LoneWolfnCamera »

perfesserkev, thanks for the reply, I was worried that might be the case. Well I guess I can use this roll as a sort of experiment. I'll just see what an attempted 4-stop push looks like. I'll try to post the results as soon as I get myself some fresh chemistry. I got nothing to lose here.
Jeremy Alvarez
Complete Amateur
Instagram: @lost_in_space.out_of_time

"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite."
andynguyen
Posts: 37
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2016 8:45 pm

Re: Pushing Ektar 100 (Help Needed)

Post by andynguyen »

idk if this reply is too late for the roll you mentioned. but yes, it is do-able. I often do it with the Noritsu V-50 in my lab. I'd just stop the film drive as the film is fully submerged in the CD tank for an extra 30-40s for a 2-stop push. The films often come out with non-noticable color cast. Such maneuver, when applied to film only underexposed by 1 stop, leads to slightly thick negatives. You could try a 1-min push, if you decide it's worth the risk, but i'd not do it myself.
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