Agfa MCP RC paper contrast

"sreenath" wrote in message
...
Hi, I have been using this paper (11X14) with Ilford
filters.

I don't know if I am sufficiently developing films, but
prints have
low contract.

Do Ilford filters allow all possible contract with this
paper? For
example, does Ilford Grade 4 filter really give grade 4
results with
Agfa paper?

thanks,
Sreenath

Is this genuine old stock AGFA paper? If it is the
paper has probably lost some contrast. If its some current
clone then the manufacturer should be contacted about what
filters to use. Sometimes, if there is a chart for setting a
color head you can tell whether the paper is designed for
Kodak or Ilford filters. The two are not the same. While one
can be used for the other paper the grade steps and the
exposure compensation will not be the same.
If you have access to a step wedge and reflection
densitometer you can measure the contrast. Otherwise its
guesswork. Even without the densitometer you can get a
pretty good idea of the contrast visually since the step
wedge has more steps than the paper will reproduce. Stauffer
makes good step wedges, the uncalibrated ones are not very
expensive. Actually a Kodak Projection Print Scale, while
not at all a precision device, can give you a good idea of
contrast via visual measurement.
Note the developer can make a little difference. Try
Dektol at 1:1 rather than 1:2 or the equivalent with another
developer to see if it makes any difference.
Testing with known negatives will also help since you
will then isolate the problem to the paper and not the
negatives.
My experience with AGFA paper when it was still in
production by AGFA was that it worked with both Kodak and
Ilford filters although I mostly used Kodak ones. It was one
of my favorite papers and I never had problems with lack of
contrast or poor blacks. Current stuff may or may not be the
same regardless of the name on it.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL