Any Ilfosol 3 users

[pismo923]

Reading through the forums it seems that Ilfosol 3 is rarely mentioned when the topic of developers comes up. Coincidence or is there a reason for this?

So far it is all I have used along with HP5 and it seems to give decent results. I just ordered 40 rolls of Arista Premium. Is Ilfosol 3 a good match with Arista Premium? I prefer the one shot liquid developers. I know that results are subjective but I would like to standardize with one developer until I build up some experience and get consistent results.

 

[tokengirl]

I have used it with HP5+, and got very nice results when the bottle was brand new. The problem with Ilfosol 3 is that once you open that bottle, you better use it quick. Very short shelf life. I noticed a reduced efficacy after only one month, and now I'm scared to use it.

I then started developing my HP5+ in Rodinal 1:25 and honestly, I like the results better. And that stuff lasts F O R E V E R. It doesn't just have a shelf life, it has a half life.

 

[Austerby]

I've been using it in different guises for years - in fact I think it was the very first developer I ever used about 25 years ago. It's much improved in its latest formulation as the old Ilfosol II used to go off quite quickly but Ilfosol 3 lasts much longer. It's economical and produces good results.

I suspect that the lack of mention is that many people start with this and then move on to try other formulations which corresponds perhaps with a greater sophistication in their methods and they don't return to the beginners developer.

I've only really used it with Ilford films - it's a joy with FP4+.

Edit: Tokengirl has a good point - a competitor as a liquid developer is Rodinal which is such a good and versatile choice so Ilfosol is perhaps the poor cousin in relation.

 

[Peter_Jones]

As above - it goes off sharpish. Best to do a batch of films with it in one go.

Good results though when fresh 🙂

 

[MartinP]

Regarding the stability of the developer, the recent version 3 was announced to have solved the previous problems. Are the people who have had difficulties referring to the old versions ?

 

[Argenticien]

I'm using Ilfosol 3 for the following convoluted reasons: I'm trying to support my local photo shop, to start off. It offers only Ilfosol 3 (liquid concentrate) and D76 powder. I develop rather few rolls, rather rarely, and I've read at length online that you should not mix partial batches of D76 as the compounds may not be uniformly mixed throughout the powder. (I'm skeptical, but decided to accept that argument.) Therefore, I'm left with the Ilfosol 3.

Performance: I'm abusing this stuff, or I should say abusing my films, by developing Efke's weird emulsions (25 and 50 speed) in it, but it works pretty well. It does fine of course with HP5+, Delta Pro 400, etc. as you would expect since it's their own emulsions.

Freshness: I mix up only enough for each use each time I process film. After opening a new container of it, I transfer it to a wider-mouthed glass jar, then vacuum-seal it using a Food Saver machine and its jar sealer. I store this jar in the dark. I've had success with the concentrate surviving as long as almost a year this way.

Hope this helps a bit.
--Dave

 

[pismo923]

The label says the shelf life is 4 months once opened (1/2 full bottle). How does this compare with say TMax developer or DDX?