Oriental Seagull Select VC-FB (Fiber) Black and White Paper
Oriental Seagull Select VC-FB (Fiber) Black and White Paper
USER REVIEWS
[Nov 30, 2002]
Tom
Intermediate
Strength:
Very neutral, beutiful (full) tonality. Tones well, though quite strongly/quickly in selenium (keep a close eye!)
Weakness:
Price slighty steep when no specials on such as: (£30 for 25 x 11x14 @ Mr Cad - get 2nd pack 1/2 price,so £45 for 50). However, I believe it is easy to stomach when you see the results. Not worth printing OK negs on this due to cost, but rather save for 'special' prints. Base is on the thinner side of OK, only I would love it more if it was the 300g base of Forte Polywarmtone! Excellent, neutral, predictable paper. Reviews stating that this paper is all about neutral, sensitive representation are not wrong. The neutral tones just seem 'right'and you get a faithful, unperverted, truly black and white image. The glossy finsih remains so when air dried unlike many papers, which helops to provide a healthy glow to the final print. Customer Service Not used Similar Products Used: Ilford MG (RC and FB), same Warmtone (V. Nice), Agfa Premium RC and Classic FB, Forte Polywarmtone FB (Which is in the same premium category as Oriental when a warm print is wanted-fantastic!). |
[Nov 26, 2000]
Jim Morris
Expert
Strength:
Excellent contrast, good latitude in various developers, consisitent results can be expected.
Weakness:
A bit more expensive than other glossy fiber papers, glossy only. For great blacks and contrast the Oriental is hard to beat. It is very neutral, neither warm nor cold toned. Though the variable contrast works well with filters the graded fiber paper also is easy to use if your negatives are consistently contrasty. Unfortunately, the paper seems to come in glossy only. Though you spend a bit more the results are generally worth it. Customer Service Never used Similar Products Used: Forte, Luminos, Agfa, Kodak |
[Mar 06, 2001]
Aleksi Moriarty
Intermediate
Strength:
Exceptional range; very deep, rich blacks; very forgiving. Selenium toning gives it a vibrant, subtly purple richness that really brings it alive.
Weakness:
Haven't found any yet. An excellent paper. The more I use it the more I like it. I think it's going to become my paper of choice. Customer Service n/a Similar Products Used: Ilford; Agfa; Luminos; Forte |
[Apr 30, 2001]
Rob Faucher
Intermediate
Strength:
Excellent tonal characteristics and a slightly warm tone.
Weakness:
Like all FB papers, it curls up when it is air dryed. This is my paper of choice when printing out my favourite photos. It works very well with virtually any developer and seems compatible with Ilford VC filters. The tone of this paper seems somewhat more revealing than other papers I have tried. It produces an excellent spectrum of dones from deep black to pure white. It tends to be a slightly warm paper, which I prefer. Often times, I have found other papers tend to produce a cooler tone with harsher blacks and less shadow detail. Overall an excellent and predictable paper that is worth trying. Customer Service Never used it Similar Products Used: Ilford MGIV, Forte |