Complete Newbie....

R

Rezultz

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I've been lurking around the forum for a few weeks now trying to sponge up all the knowledge. :) After some bad experience with local film development, I'm gonna give home development a shot. Space is an issue, but from everything I've read, a bathtub will suffice. I'm very excited about this endeavor but also quite confused. There are so many developers and stop baths and fixers out there...not sure which combination to use. I typically shoot HP5 plus and Tri-x. Ideally, I'd like the final result to be sharp and not extremely grainy with a nice tonal range. Many people recommend Rodinal (B&H doesn' carry this stuff), D-76, XTOL, Diafine, and HC-110.
I initially thought I'd just go with an entire line of Ilford products but they probably half dozen developers on their site and I'm not sure which one would be ideal. Also, after reading a bunch of newbie suggestions for developers, Ilford was rarely mentioned.

What would you guys recommend for a good starter chemistry kit including Developer, Fixer, Short Stop, and Detergent?
Thanks for all the info!
 
Personally I use Rodinal (RO9 a rodinal clone), Ilford rapid fixer, no stop and Kodak photo-flo (I assume by detergent you mean a wetting agent) That works for me!

I like RO9 because it's easy to find (I bought mine on ebay) and it's one shot which makes it easier to use when you don't develop much film and you're living in student accommodation.
 
Problem with Rodinal (and R09) is it's hard to get here in New York. B&H Photo doesn't carry it. Ebay has one listing but its an overseas seller.
 
I recommend D-76. It's a very versatile developer, decent speed, good for pushing, and depending on dilution it can function as a fine grain or a high-def developer. The mixing for processing is easy (1:1, 1:3). You don't even need a graduated cylinder to do that (although, get a couple, anyway). For fixer, I like Photographer's Formulary's TF-4. It's a very 'clean' fixer, it doesn't stink, and it requires a water stop bath (so use a water stop). Also good for taking the pink stain out of TMAX films. Don't use 'detergent', use Photo-Flo. :)

Good luck!


/
 
I second d76. I use the kodak indicator stop, and ilford universal fixer, and kodak photo-flo.

Next in the queue it play with is microphen, and diafine. I'll let you know how those go.
 
Rezultz said:
Problem with Rodinal (and R09) is it's hard to get here in New York. B&H Photo doesn't carry it. Ebay has one listing but its an overseas seller.
Click to expand...

I got mine from Freestyle in California.

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That's Tri-X in Rodinal 1+50 12min. with very low agitation. Once every 4 minutes.
Fixer: Any.
Stop-bath: No, I use two water changes.
 
I prefer HC-110 because it's a liquid concentrate, I only mix up as much as I'll use in an evening, and the concentrate lasts a long time. (D76 I believe one mixes a batch from a powder.) Rodinol is also a liquid concentrate developer that lasts a long time, but I find it too grainy with 35mm 400 speed film. It works fine for me with 35mm 100 speed film or with 120 format 400 speed film.

One does not need a stop bath for film, other than water.

Fixer can be Kodak or Ilford.

Good luck!
 
Rodinal gives good tonality and sharpness but is grainy and gives low film speed. Most developers work as advertised (more speed but bigger grain, smaller grain but lower speed, higher sharpness, whatever) but you need to be suspicious of any dev that promises everything. Personally I like Ilford DD-X (high true speed, good shaprness, grainier than ID-11/D76 or Xtol, excellent shelf life) but it's far from the only rational choice: you might care to look at http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/ps neg development 1.html, which is about choosing developers.

Short stop is a good idea (less risk of blotchiness in areas of even tone and longer fixer life) but far from essential, and the only big differences in fixer are between rapid and slow (most today are rapid) and hardening and non-hardening (there is very, very rarely any need today to use hardening fixers).

Cheers,

R.
 
Thank you all - I think I am going to go with D76...easy to get anywhere online, cheap, and seems versatile for my needs. Going to also get the Ilford Fixer and photo-flo. I see that some use a stop solution, some don't. Hmmm. I suppose I'll save a few bucks a do without. B&H here I come.
 
I think Roger Hicks has a primer, if not anyone at B&H should be able to point you at one..BTW regular white vinegar works as a stop bath too.
 
Late to the party. You know all you need to know. Until you come back with horror stories.
One thing: Support USA companies. You never know when currency & overseas transport may spoil your whole day.
One thing: Kodak Rapid Fix without adding the hardener works fine. Keeps for over a year in airtight containers. Cheap.
One thing: Mix Photo-Flo on the light side. Try using half as much as Kodak says. Then cut back some more. A very little goes a long way. Mix in distilled water. Dump after use.
One thing: Xtol 1:3. It works.
One thing: Rodinal. 1:50. For when you want some True Grit.
One thing: Have fun.
 
One more thing: for the final minute of wash in water and photoflo, use demineralized water for no drying marks on your film. You can reuse this solution for many rolls of film for that final minute of wash.
 
venchka said:
Late to the party. You know all you need to know. Until you come back with horror stories.
One thing: Support USA companies. You never know when currency & overseas transport may spoil your whole day.
One thing: Kodak Rapid Fix without adding the hardener works fine. Keeps for over a year in airtight containers. Cheap.
One thing: Mix Photo-Flo on the light side. Try using half as much as Kodak says. Then cut back some more. A very little goes a long way. Mix in distilled water. Dump after use.
One thing: Xtol 1:3. It works.
One thing: Rodinal. 1:50. For when you want some True Grit.
One thing: Have fun.
Click to expand...

Assuming, of course, you're in the USA.

While I wholeheartedly agree with halving quantities of Photo-Flo, I'd not go much further than that. Sooner or later it becomes homeopathic.

My own wash sequence:

Tap water, within 5 degrees F of fixer temp:5 inversions. Dump & replace, worrying less about temperature: 10 inversions. Dump & replace: 20 inversions (Ilford sequence). Then distilled/de-ionized water, 20 inversions (removes tap water minerals -- but tap water washes fixer out better than distilled water). Final rinse: 30 sec. minimal agitation, in distilled/de-ionized water with wetting agent 1+400 or so. The last can be re-used sequentially for all the films in one processing batch.

Cheers,

R.
 
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Steinberg2010 said:
Personally I use Rodinal (RO9 a rodinal clone), Ilford rapid fixer, no stop and Kodak photo-flo (I assume by detergent you mean a wetting agent) That works for me!

I like RO9 because it's easy to find (I bought mine on ebay) and it's one shot which makes it easier to use when you don't develop much film and you're living in student accommodation.
Click to expand...


Just to nitpick :) R 09 (R-zero-9) is not a clone of the Rodinal. A clone suggests an object copied or based after something which existed ahead of it; R09 was the lab/formulary designation used by Agfa, retained by ORWO, for Rodinal.

ORWO was probably not allowed to use the original Agfa tradenames so they reverted to the lab name of Rodinal. The same developer, picked up by other makers like Foma or EfKe, retained the same lab name in their labelling.

If there is any that can be called as the clone, it would be the current Rodinal made by Agfa when they were around, and now by those who have inherited Agfa's name and formulae. This Rodinal is R 09 revised several times over.

BTW, I recommend Rodinal. One advantage aside from its image and grain qualities is it is a long life durable concentrate. No need to worry about stock solutions (like D76) going bad during storage. Since a one-shot working solution is made from the concentrate, the developer solution used in every developing session can be trusted to be fully potent.
 
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My order should be arriving on on Friday...very excited to experiment. One more question that I have: I ordered d76 and i downloaded kodak's PDF on developing times. How do I know how long to develop my non-Kodak films (i also use Ilford HP5 and Neopan 400). I'm going to try to stick to one film for developing consistency but I have about a dozen or so various brand rolls to burn through first. Thanks.
 
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