Beginner's Black & White developing questions

Wow thanks for all of the posts everyone. Yes I do plan to get a m6 in the future and that'd be my last camera. Photography has been making me consider reevaluating what I want to go to school for but that's besides the point.
I probably am overthinking and will just end up getting d76 because of the results I've seen others get with it and tri x. Ill still look into hc110 and rodinal but I will for sure be putting in an order to freestyle tomorrow
 
what do you guys think about stand development? i am starting to like hc110 and for short times dilution h but am interested in ansel adams 1:119 results but am thinking of trying 1:100 that way i can use 3ml of hc110 and 300ml filtered water for one roll of 36exp 35mm film in a two 35mm reel SS tank

also do you really need 6ml of syrup for 36 exposures? i have read 3ml somewhere and 6ml according to kodak i think?
 
stand development is great for easily printable negatives with lots of acutance ( edge sharpness and good separation of small light/shadow details) IT ALSO ADDS TO THE GRAININESS so beware, if you are not a friend of grain.
 
finally decided on my order for arista premium, adox rodinal, and tf5 fixer 😀

rodinal grew on me 🙄


also how do you make your developer solution? ill be doing 1:100 probably so 5ml rodinal and 500ml of water or 495 😉 so basically put water in the container ill have my developer in and then put in rodinal concentrate and shake vigorously? 😀 ill try google too

and as for fixer how much is necessary for one roll of 35mm film? just enough to cover the film? and to make the solution mix the same way ?
 
I would think the fixer should be labeled as to how to mix it up. It then becomes a solution that you store in a bottle and reuse several times until it is exhausted. (Hypo Check is your friend.) You would use at least the same amount of fixer as developer, and your developing tank should say on it how much for each combination of reels (1 x 35 mm, 1 x 120, 2 x 35 mm, etc.). Now, with fixer, unlike most developers, you could just fill the developing tank to the top every time -- no waste since it's going back in the bottle anyway. (Theoreticians on this thread can now argue, if they like, about whether there's in fact a benefit to doing that by diluting the silver from the film across a greater volume of fixer.)
--Dave
 
another random question but do i have to make all 4 liters of fixer right away or can i make it as i need it like the rodinal developer? tf5 says its 1:3 but 1 liter of tf5 makes 4 liters of fixer
 
*chris said:
another random question but do i have to make all 4 liters of fixer right away or can i make it as i need it like the rodinal developer? tf5 says its 1:3 but 1 liter of tf5 makes 4 liters of fixer
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Got the manual? It might be a good read. It sounds like you may want to get a good basic intro book on B&W processing, of which there are many, or take a class.

I've never made up a partial batch of fixer, though I suppose one could. To me, it's easier to have the whole 4 L and pour out howsoever much you need each time (presuming that varies with how many rolls you're developing) and pour it back in.

If you're always using the same volume (say, 500 mL to develop 2 rolls), I suppose you could mix up only that 500 mL, use it until it's exhausted (15 - 20 rolls, the TF-5 manual says--see my Hypo Check reference above), then mix up the next 500 mL, etc. eight times. Maybe any chemists here can tell us whether you'll get more net total use out of that approach or out of mixing the whole batch of 4L and pouring out a different 500 mL of it each time. Something to do with solution saturation &c., way over my head. 🙂 It might just come out even...

--Dave
 
Rangefinderfreak said:
stand development is great for easily printable negatives with lots of acutance ( edge sharpness and good separation of small light/shadow details) IT ALSO ADDS TO THE GRAININESS so beware, if you are not a friend of grain.
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I'm an idiot, I've been using the Stand Dev technique in an attempt to reduce grain. I'm not sure how I've managed to get the wrong end of the stick here! Having come back to film in the last few weeks I was determined to improve my prior developing technique which always ended up with grainier negs than I wanted. So I'm trying to be very gentle with my inversions and avoid any temperature shock when it comes to washing the negs ( I try to ensure all fluids are 20c throughout the process.)

I'm enjoying the learning process but can't help but think by the time I find a film and processing technique that gives the look I want the emulsion will no longer be manufactured!

So, would a shorter dev time with a 'little' amount of agitation be a better way to avoid excessive graininess?

Great and useful thread, thanks
 
If you are thinking trying stand development with Rodinal, there are some great threads on this forum with information.

If you want something simple and easy to try first, use 3.5mL of Rodinal per roll in enough water to submerge the film for 60 minutes. Use room temperature water (the exact temperature doesn't matter much as long as it's not crazy). Invert for 30 seconds, then let it stand for 60 minutes. This works great for me with Arista Premium up to about EI 1600. For 3200 I just do 90 minutes with a wine-tasting type swirl at 45 minutes. I haven't tried 6400 yet, but a lot of people here have.

It may help to raise the reel up slightly from the bottom of the tank to avoid uneven development, but I actually haven't had any problems or (non)bromide drag streaks using the above technique with room temperature distilled water.

BTW, I use Compard R09 bought from Freestyle.

Also, I'm no expert, just a newbie like you. I've just found the above to be easy with good results.

-Greg
 
can i take my negs to costco, walmart or cvs and have them scan them to a cd ?

and can anyone confirm whether or not their adox adonal came with a seal under the cap? my tf5 was sealed but my rodinal wasn't
 
I'm not 100% sure about Costco or CVS and scanning your negs. I would guess that they have the ability, but they might want them uncut. You'd have to ask. Another place to try is Sam's Club, although not all of them have local photo processing and scanning. If the one(s) near you have a 1 hour photo center, they are probably the cheapest. I think they charge about $3 for processing and scanning a roll of 27 for color negs.

As for the rodinal being sealed, I wouldn't worry about it. Rodinal lasts for years and years, and an unsealed container in shipping is not going to change that.
 
Gregoyle said:
I'm not 100% sure about Costco or CVS and scanning your negs. I would guess that they have the ability, but they might want them uncut. You'd have to ask. Another place to try is Sam's Club, although not all of them have local photo processing and scanning. If the one(s) near you have a 1 hour photo center, they are probably the cheapest. I think they charge about $3 for processing and scanning a roll of 27 for color negs.

As for the rodinal being sealed, I wouldn't worry about it. Rodinal lasts for years and years, and an unsealed container in shipping is not going to change that.
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i'll just have to call them and ask. thanks for the info though. much appreciated
 
*chris said:
i'll just have to call them and ask. thanks for the info though. much appreciated
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Actually, funny enough, I just happened to stop by CVS this evening to get a Red Bull and asked the guy at the counter about it.

He said yes, they do scan negatives, and yes, it would be much easier and faster for them if you bring them in uncut so they can feed it through the scanner all at once. I didn't get a price from him because he was busy checking people out, but I can't imagine that it costs all that much.

-Greg
 
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