Tom A
RFF Sponsor
Due to some medical problem and the ensuing medication I have been laid up for the last couple of month. So it was a good time to start sorting out some old negative files. Most dating back to the mid-80's and earlier.
For decades my developer of choice was the D76, diluted 1:1 and 10 minutes with TriX, usually shot as "sunny f16". I either used the store bought version in cans or pouches - or made my own.
Going back over, so far, 150 rolls, it amazed me how good that combination is. Not the sharpest edge as the Sodium Sulphite volume kind of "mushes" up the grain a bit, but those midtones are great and it is a combination that has a great exposure latitude - i.e. you can screw up quite a bit and still get decent prints (or, today, scan)
Over the decades I have probably processed TriX in just about any known mix, it has been pulled and pushed more than the salt water taffy at a beach concession - anything from 6 iso to 3200 iso. In the end I usually have come back to D76, 1:1, 10 minutes and the film at something like 320-400 iso. Seems to be an international message too - any lab ( with a couple of notable exceptions) will recognize it "Ah, TriX. D76/1;1/10 min?"
Just put up about 170 shots on our Flickr "Back to Basics TriX/D76" - going from 1970 until yesterday. The early stuff (1970) was developed in Perth, Western Australia and I suspect that they used Vegemite in the D76. Kind of strange looking negatives.
But once I could do my own processing - it improved the quality.
I just loaded up some 38 reloadable cassettes (Nikon Rf) with TriX and the Arista Premium 400 (same thing - except that the Arista is 1/2 the cost).
So for the next couple of month I will do some more of this "magical" combination (still a couple of 1000 ft of Arista/TriX in the freezer).
So give your input on your own experience with the Classic Combo - It was the press photographers standard soup, it was Salgados choice for his venture to Sahel, it was Magnum's "drink" of choice. Kodak got it right in 1954 and though they have fiddled a bit with the base and the emulsion - you can still rely on D76, 1:1 for 10 min.
All you really need is that M2, a 35 and a bag of "uncanned" TriX and the phrase "D76/10 min? 1:1" and you are all set.
I will probably incorporate some of the variations on D76 (E76, Divided D76, Buffered D76 etc) in the next while too.
So smell that Sodium Sulphite, shake the metol can and chip out some Potassium Carbonate and go and get a box of 20 mule team Borax too.
Should have a lead in picture to this - but I still cant figure out how to do it - so take my words for it and check the Flickr instead.
My first TriX was shot in 1957 and though I have no idea how many rolls of it I have shot - it probably ranges in the 20 000 roll range.
The world of Photography is divided in 2 camps - The TriX group and the HP5 clan - some upstarts from japan and China lately - and the contrast lovers of Agfapan 400.
But this is all about TriX and D76 - so let it rip.
Tom
For decades my developer of choice was the D76, diluted 1:1 and 10 minutes with TriX, usually shot as "sunny f16". I either used the store bought version in cans or pouches - or made my own.
Going back over, so far, 150 rolls, it amazed me how good that combination is. Not the sharpest edge as the Sodium Sulphite volume kind of "mushes" up the grain a bit, but those midtones are great and it is a combination that has a great exposure latitude - i.e. you can screw up quite a bit and still get decent prints (or, today, scan)
Over the decades I have probably processed TriX in just about any known mix, it has been pulled and pushed more than the salt water taffy at a beach concession - anything from 6 iso to 3200 iso. In the end I usually have come back to D76, 1:1, 10 minutes and the film at something like 320-400 iso. Seems to be an international message too - any lab ( with a couple of notable exceptions) will recognize it "Ah, TriX. D76/1;1/10 min?"
Just put up about 170 shots on our Flickr "Back to Basics TriX/D76" - going from 1970 until yesterday. The early stuff (1970) was developed in Perth, Western Australia and I suspect that they used Vegemite in the D76. Kind of strange looking negatives.
But once I could do my own processing - it improved the quality.
I just loaded up some 38 reloadable cassettes (Nikon Rf) with TriX and the Arista Premium 400 (same thing - except that the Arista is 1/2 the cost).
So for the next couple of month I will do some more of this "magical" combination (still a couple of 1000 ft of Arista/TriX in the freezer).
So give your input on your own experience with the Classic Combo - It was the press photographers standard soup, it was Salgados choice for his venture to Sahel, it was Magnum's "drink" of choice. Kodak got it right in 1954 and though they have fiddled a bit with the base and the emulsion - you can still rely on D76, 1:1 for 10 min.
All you really need is that M2, a 35 and a bag of "uncanned" TriX and the phrase "D76/10 min? 1:1" and you are all set.
I will probably incorporate some of the variations on D76 (E76, Divided D76, Buffered D76 etc) in the next while too.
So smell that Sodium Sulphite, shake the metol can and chip out some Potassium Carbonate and go and get a box of 20 mule team Borax too.
Should have a lead in picture to this - but I still cant figure out how to do it - so take my words for it and check the Flickr instead.
My first TriX was shot in 1957 and though I have no idea how many rolls of it I have shot - it probably ranges in the 20 000 roll range.
The world of Photography is divided in 2 camps - The TriX group and the HP5 clan - some upstarts from japan and China lately - and the contrast lovers of Agfapan 400.
But this is all about TriX and D76 - so let it rip.
Tom
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