The Darkroom Cookbook Forum

After determining a system specific EI for my camera/film combinations, the next step is to determine the best development time to obtain the most details in the highlights. (Expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights)

Looking at Kodak publication _Advanced Black-and-White Photography_, fourth edition, page 55, it states that during the development tests one should look for the frames that have a density of 1.05 over base+fog for negatives that will be printed diffusion enlarger, and 0.80 over base+fog when using a condenser enlarger, or the No. 4 and No. 8 wedges respectively if one is using the Kodak Projection Print Scale instead of a densitometer..

I'm curious if there is a recommended density to develop Zone VII to when the intended output is for scanning instead of printing in a darkroom, or if anyone can suggest a density from their own experiences?

Thanks

Richard Kowalski

Hi Richard,

I think that you'll find scanning is much more flexible than the photo papers that were available when that book was published. Either of those targets should work. As long as the scanner can get light through the brightest bits, you're good to go.

Thanks Tim. That's what I was thinking , but figured I'd ask in case I was missing something.