HC110 ... using it as you would Rodinal.

Keith

Keith

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I've had a bottle of concentrate HC110 sitting on the shelf for a while but could never be bothered getting my head around all the 'dilution H' 'dilution whatever' nonsense and read that many people just use it like Rodinal.

It's no longer available in OZ because Kodak (bless their souls) decided to stop bringing it into this fair land ... so I may as well just use it I guess! 🙄

What's your experience with HC110 and do you bother with all the variations of dilutions ... H, A, B etc?
 
Coincidentally I am just scanning at the moment the second film ever that I have developed using "dil H" and one hour stand. It was Tri-X 400 @ ISO1600. Before that I have tried LegacyPro @ 1600ISO. The results (scanning) look absolute identical to Rodinal (1 hour stand) but much more grain than usin my standard "dil B".

Ihave yet to try Tri-X @ 400ISO in dil H, keen to compare to dil B results.

HC-110 is also off the list here in Japan but with patience (~ 2 month waiting time) still available.

Rodinal is very expensive in Japan....

EDIT: First try using "dil H" (one hour stand, LegacyPro @1600ISO)

6123177186_64f9209d52.jpg
 
Oh ... and I meant to add:

Please post some examples of various films developed in HC110 with your dilution and method etc.
 
Keith said:
..................................... What's your experience with HC110 and do you bother with all the variations of dilutions ... H, A, B etc?
Click to expand...

Keith: HC110 Dilution H has been my standard for 10+ years for 35mm film. Dilution H is twice as dilute as the standard Dilution B. Dilution H is simply 1 part syrup to 64 parts water.

It is primarily convenient but yields good results. I am sold on the simpler is better mode of thinking.

Try 10 minutes at 20C for iso 400 films. Tweak as needed.

If you look at my website BobMichaels.org everything there in the Cuba series was shot 35mm and developed in HC110.

FWIW, I have always used Rodinal for MF film. I tend to be consistent. Almost everything in my South Apopka series was shot MF and developed in Rodinal.
 
Thanks Bob ... your recomendation is valued because I know you like consistency and results.

I developed a roll of Adox CHS 100 Art today in HC110 and just had a guess and used 50:1 for ten minutes @ 20deg. The results were quite pleasing and backing it off to 64:1 would make sense because it did seem a touch over cooked!

I love Rodinal also and if I can simplify my existence to two developers as you seem to have done life will be perfect. Who knows where I will get my next bottle of HC110 though ... the one I have came from freestyle from memory but the freight kills it. At least Rodinal is still readily available within OZ!
 
maddoc said:
Coincidentally I am just scanning at the moment the second film ever that I have developed using "dil H" and one hour stand. It was Tri-X 400 @ ISO1600. Before that I have tried LegacyPro @ 1600ISO. The results (scanning) look absolute identical to Rodinal (1 hour stand) but much more grain than usin my standard "dil B".

Ihave yet to try Tri-X @ 400ISO in dil H, keen to compare to dil B results.

HC-110 is also off the list here in Japan but with patience (~ 2 month waiting time) still available.

Rodinal is very expensive in Japan....

EDIT: First try using "dil H" (one hour stand, LegacyPro @1600ISO)

6123177186_64f9209d52.jpg
Click to expand...


That looks very nice to me Gabor ... thanks! 🙂
 
Keith said:
.......................... I love Rodinal also and if I can simplify my existence to two developers as you seem to have done life will be perfect. Who knows where I will get my next bottle of HC110 though ... the one I have came from freestyle from memory but the freight kills it. At least Rodinal is still readily available within OZ!
Click to expand...

Keith: my personal opinion is that this one developer vs. another is as overblown as one lens vs. another. It is still what you eye sees that counts.

Use the HC110 till it is gone. Then switch to Rodinal since it is available.

Here is a series shot with 35mm Neopan 400 and developed in Rodinal 1:50. It worked as well as HC110 to my eye.

I once knew someone who shot with a Lubitel and developed her film in Dektol. Her work was distinctive, not because of her camera and developer choice, but because of the way she interpreted the world.
 
Bob Michaels said:
Keith: my personal opinion is that this one developer vs. another is as overblown as one lens vs. another. It is still what you eye sees that counts.

Use the HC110 till it is gone. Then switch to Rodinal since it is available.

Here is a series shot with 35mm Neopan 400 and developed in Rodinal 1:50. It worked as well as HC110 to my eye.

I once knew someone who shot with a Lubitel and developed her film in Dektol. Her work was distinctive, not because of her camera and developer choice, but because of the way she interpreted the world.
Click to expand...


That's so true ... I think sometimes developers become just another magic bullet!

I was using Xtol as my 'other' developer a while ago then realised that Rodinal pretty well covers all the bases and it's incredibly easy to use and never goes off. I still have three packs of Xtol kicking around somewhere that I may never use I suspect!
 
I am using HC110 for a while now, and I migrated from Rodinal. I develop my Neopan 400 (rated at 250 ISO) for 5 minutes in dilution B, and it works like a charm. I love it - it suits me better than Rodinal, providing very sharp grain but also more details in shadows.

I don't have much experience with the developers and only tried Xtol and Rodinal so far, but HC110 I like the most. I like it so much that I don't see a reason for trying anything else...

082011_001_0028.jpg
 
I use it one shot like Rodinal, this is dilution h. I like it much better than Rodinal of 35mm and this image is Tmax100 at 50 (35mm) and 16-18 minutes. I use 7.8ml of syrup then fill to 500ml. You are sometimes sending to Freestyle for an Australia buy, you could include it if you like it.

757393803_22971432c4.jpg


Edit: I checked and it was 13 minutes.
 
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I absolutely LOVE HC110. I use primarily dilution b - I dilute 17ml (in a tc graduate) to a 500ml with water. If I want to double the time, then I dilute to a liter instead (which is known as dilution h.) I choose dilution h over dilution b when I pull film, so that it has a sufficiently long development time to insure even development.

The reason I love HC110 so much is that 1) it's easy to make a small batch, and 2) it is relatively non toxic and non-corrosive when compared to rodinal. It also delivers less obtrusive grain than rodinal, but that is not always a good thing. If the appearance of the grain is very important to a picture, I develop in D76.

For those who are considering stand development using HC110 - try adding 3mL of syrup per 36 exp roll of 35mm or roll of 120 film to enough water to fill the tank. This much HC110 will completely develop the film in about an hour, and be fully exhausted after that. I learNed this from a former memBer here.

strata.jpg

HC110 dilution H, Delta 3200 at 1600
 
Chris, thanks a lot for sharing the tip that you have learNed from a former memBer here ! 🙂😉

I just develop a roll of LegacyPro following that recipe.


Chris101 said:
I absolutely LOVE HC110. I use primarily dilution b - I dilute 17ml (in a tc graduate) to a 500ml with water. If I want to double the time, then I dilute to a liter instead (which is known as dilution h.) I choose dilution h over dilution b when I pull film, so that it has a sufficiently long development time to insure even development.

The reason I love HC110 so much is that 1) it's easy to make a small batch, and 2) it is relatively non toxic and non-corrosive when compared to rodinal. It also delivers less obtrusive grain than rodinal, but that is not always a good thing. If the appearance of the grain is very important to a picture, I develop in D76.

For those who are considering stand development using HC110 - try adding 3mL of syrup per 36 exp roll of 35mm or roll of 120 film to enough water to fill the tank. This much HC110 will completely develop the film in about an hour, and be fully exhausted after that. I learNed this from a former memBer here.

strata.jpg

HC110 dilution H, Delta 3200 at 1600
Click to expand...
 
Having tried a wide variety of developers over the years - D76 and its variations, 2 bath developers, Xtol and Rodinal - searching for the magic elixir. Never found it. Therefore I use HC110 for the convenience - the stuff never goes bad (even if it turns a deep orange color), and to me, looks as good as anything else - film speed reasonable, grain reasonable. I use dilution H with Tmax400 for 11 minutes at 68 degrees (6 shakes every minute) only because the time of 5.5 minutes with dilution B gave me some spotting.
 
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