wjlapier
Well-known
Rodinal is what I've been using. I have D76 powder that I'll mix eventually. Tetenal for color.
:: Mark
Well-known
The marbles are an interesting idea! I keep meaning to try Tetenal's "Protectan" spray (basically butane/propane gas that you can squirt in to the bottle to make an gaseous seal at the top). But I am not sure that anything would have helped the last Ilfosol I had, which died after two weeks in a 40c flat in August...
I really like Delta 100 in Ilfosol, but HC110 diluted to 1+63 is no slouch either and is also seems to work better for push processing HP5.
Fotohuis
Well-known
Ilfosol-S had a bad reputation. It sometimes went out of activity on the shelf of a dusty photo shop .... In summer 40C in a flat is a worst condition for chemicals you can get. Maybe time for a chemical fridge on 5-8C. However in Holland we do not have those high temperatures. I have a freezer for my professional C-41 and E-6 , bulk B&W and some I.R. films only (-10C).
bobby_novatron
Photon Collector
FWIW I'm a big fan of ascorbic acid developers, such as Kodak XTOL or generic equivalents like the Arista product.
Historically I've used many developers like HC-110, D-76, ID-11, Ilfosol-3, Diafine, even home-brewed Caffenol. They all have their good points, but for excellent tonality and fine grain I find XTOL is my bread-and-butter developer. It's ridiculously simple to use and very predictable. Can you tell I'm a big fan of XTOL?
Historically I've used many developers like HC-110, D-76, ID-11, Ilfosol-3, Diafine, even home-brewed Caffenol. They all have their good points, but for excellent tonality and fine grain I find XTOL is my bread-and-butter developer. It's ridiculously simple to use and very predictable. Can you tell I'm a big fan of XTOL?
venchka
Veteran
FWIW I'm a big fan of ascorbic acid developers, such as Kodak XTOL or generic equivalents like the Arista product.
Historically I've used many developers like HC-110, D-76, ID-11, Ilfosol-3, Diafine, even home-brewed Caffenol. They all have their good points, but for excellent tonality and fine grain I find XTOL is my bread-and-butter developer. It's ridiculously simple to use and very predictable. Can you tell I'm a big fan of XTOL?
You will love XTOL diluted 1:3. Try it. Slightly longer time than 1:1.
Have fun!
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
gfeucht
Member
FWIW I'm a big fan of ascorbic acid developers, such as Kodak XTOL or generic equivalents like the Arista product.
Historically I've used many developers like HC-110, D-76, ID-11, Ilfosol-3, Diafine, even home-brewed Caffenol. They all have their good points, but for excellent tonality and fine grain I find XTOL is my bread-and-butter developer. It's ridiculously simple to use and very predictable. Can you tell I'm a big fan of XTOL?
I'm an XTOL guy too. Very easy and nice fine grain.
gfeucht
Member
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't home-processing C41 almost a wash as far as cost goes? I do all of my own black and white processing because it is pennies per roll, but I always send out my C41 because my calculations a while ago made it clear that it just wasn't worth it.
:: Mark
Well-known
It works out at about $2 per film here - half the cost of the local development here (if you can find it - our last photoshop with their own developing facility closed a few months ago, and the post here in Spain is not reliable enough to risk films!)
Fotohuis
Well-known
If you buy the chemicals at Fuji Hunt in Belgium the cost of a C-41 development is also like B&W a few eurocts.
Even using a Rollei Digibase C-41 kit, a stripped C-41 minilab kit from Fuji Hunt in a 2,5 ltr. or 5 ltr. packing is still cheap.
Even using a Rollei Digibase C-41 kit, a stripped C-41 minilab kit from Fuji Hunt in a 2,5 ltr. or 5 ltr. packing is still cheap.
mwoenv
Well-known
I think D76 and XTOL are good b&w developers. I prefer to use stock solutions with reuse for development instead of diluted stock solutions for one-time use. Download the data sheets from Kodak as they contain a lot of good information, including the difference in using stock and diluted solutions, storage times, and developing capacities. Stock D76 with reuse develops 4 rolls per liter, so the $6 bag to make 1 gallon (3.8 liters) develops 15 rolls (4 per liter x 3 liters + 3 rolls per 0.8 liter), or $0.40 per roll.
For C41 I like the Unicolor 1-liter powder kits (now $22 at Freestyle). I develop 16 rolls with it by saving up the rolls and developing all rolls within a week. So the chemical cost is $1.40 a roll. Just add 1/2 tsp PhotoFlo concentrate to the 1 liter stabilizer, and repeat every 8 rolls, to prevent water drying marks.
Other good practices:
For C41 I like the Unicolor 1-liter powder kits (now $22 at Freestyle). I develop 16 rolls with it by saving up the rolls and developing all rolls within a week. So the chemical cost is $1.40 a roll. Just add 1/2 tsp PhotoFlo concentrate to the 1 liter stabilizer, and repeat every 8 rolls, to prevent water drying marks.
Other good practices:
- Filter chemicals between reuses using a funnel and a coffee filter
- For solution storage, use 1-liter plain seltzer bottles as the PET plastic is an excellent oxygen barrier, the bottle can be squeezed to eliminate air in the headspace, the caps are strong, and they're free. Use a label covered with clear shipping tape and mark the cap with a Sharpie pen. Keep solutions in a plastic tote which keeps them in the dark and provides containment if something spills or breaks.
- Practice good temperature control, even for b&w (it has to be done with C41). I use a small 6-pack cooler, a digital thermometer with a wire probe (calibrated to a color thermometer), and pots of hot and cool water to bring the tank/reels/film to the development temperature prior to development and to maintain it. This way, the solutions brought to the proper temperature won't change when added to the tank due to the tank/reels/film temperature being different.
