Photographic paper help

Wildcat

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My kiddo got an email from the professor regarding which film and paper they need for the photography class.

The film is easy--they'll be using Ilford HP5 (which seems to be ISO 400).

The paper...that's another story. He calls it out as shown here, but I could not find anything exactly like it:

Ilford Multigrade FB Poly Contrast 8x10 Glossy

I'm figuring out that FB is "fiber based." I did not see anything called "poly contrast," but have seen "variable contrast" mentioned in some product listings, as well as on Ilford's own web site. Not sure if that's the same or not (or an old name for it).

I won't have her buy paper on eBay (too much chance for counterfeit, unless it's from a reputable camera dealer I've heard of), but we're trying to find somewhere that isn't ultra-expensive. If prices are pretty much the same, we'll just pick some up from the easiest source. I didn't know if there was a good source I'm overlooking for this sort of thing. The school bookstore likely has the paper, but these bookstores are known for charging full list price on everything.
 
My kiddo got an email from the professor regarding which film and paper they need for the photography class.

The film is easy--they'll be using Ilford HP5 (which seems to be ISO 400).

The paper...that's another story. He calls it out as shown here, but I could not find anything exactly like it:

Ilford Multigrade FB Poly Contrast 8x10 Glossy

I'm figuring out that FB is "fiber based." I did not see anything called "poly contrast," but have seen "variable contrast" mentioned in some product listings, as well as on Ilford's own web site. Not sure if that's the same or not (or an old name for it).

I won't have her buy paper on eBay (too much chance for counterfeit, unless it's from a reputable camera dealer I've heard of), but we're trying to find somewhere that isn't ultra-expensive. If prices are pretty much the same, we'll just pick some up from the easiest source. I didn't know if there was a good source I'm overlooking for this sort of thing. The school bookstore likely has the paper, but these bookstores are known for charging full list price on everything.

I'd speculate that variable contrast is the same as poly contrast - both are really marketing terms. Back before digital became the thing for photography, there were lots of options for paper - not so much these days.

This may well be what you're looking for: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1017774-REG/ilford_1171983_mgfb1k_classc_8_x10_100.html

I've found B&H photo (in NYC) to be a very reliable place to shop (with reasonable pricing). Try giving them a call - they cal probably help you out.

Rich
 
Yes, the paper mentioned in the B and H link is what you want.

B and H would be your best bet for something like this.

Make sure your kid knows not to open the box in daylight.(I took an intro to photo class and one of my classmates made this little faux pas =8-0
 
"Polycontrast" paper, like looking for a box of "Kleenex" ... the Kodak nomenclature still with us years after the product has been discontinued. I still call it "Polycontrast" paper even though I switched to Ilford paper in the 1970s. Ilford sells it as "Multigrade" as they pointed out above.
 
Polycontrast filters are required for the KodK paper to manipulate the contrast. Negitives are rarely perfect and the filters are used to correct.
 
Just checking nomenclature mostly, and I think we're all thinking the same thing regarding the paper, as this is the same thing I came up with (per the B&H link above). $109 seems to be the price everywhere. She's checking the bookstore tomorrow, so we can compare pricing. If it's the same either way, she'll just grab it there at school.

And yep, I've warned about the paper and film being kept out of light until it gets to the darkroom. ;)
 
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