Diafine for beginners?

[Pherdinand]

Hi.
Is it a good idea for a beginner to use Diafine as his first developer ever? I thought about it for its convenience (temperature, time, storage).

Second Q: I understand Diafine increases film speed alot. What could be a good complementing developer for Diafine, to use with lower EI's once in a while?

I plan to develop mostly for scanning, I think.

I know the "what developer" is a somewhat subjective issue but maybe I still can get a consistent answer from you guys🙂 so thanks in advance

 

[markinlondon]

Personally, Pherdinand, while Diafine gives instant gratification, I'd get to know a more controllable developer. D76/ID-11 gives wonderful results with almost anything as does Ilford's DD-X or LC29. Kodak HC110 is easy to use too.

 

[vodid]

I tried a bunch of developers, and settled on Diafine. That was long ago. I used to love the combination with the slow Kodak Panatomic X, a wonderful film that sadly, was discontinued. If you want to check out a mess o' Diafine scans, check out this group on flickr...

http://www.flickr.com/groups/diafine/

Coincidentally, I'm the top contributor to the Diafine group.

 

[sbug]

Diafine is really, really easy to use. A, B, optional rinse, fix, rinse. That said, D76 is also a great starting point as well and not all that difficult either. Temp and agitation probably have more effect no matter which developer you use (temp somewhat less so with Diafine unless it's too cold).

 

[davidbivins]

I would recommend getting to know another developer first. You may feel more satisfied learning how to control the development process with a more traditional developer first. A parallel might be learning a manual camera system before using an autofocus digital camera.
When I'm not using Diafine, I use XTOL. I would also recommend D-76 as a first developer.
Good luck!

 

[RicardoD]

I am the "newbie" who published my Diafine process earlier this year:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23166

The reason I chose diafine as a newbie was that I felt I was juggling so many variables in the film exposure that I didn't want to add even more in the developing process. So far Diafine has proven to be repeatable and consistent. I am not screwing up my negatives. When shots come out bad its usually due to my exposure choices. Now with the confidence in my developing process I am considering trying other developers. But when you are starting out you just want to keep things simple and get a good negative to scan into the computer.

 

[Jason Sprenger]

I started developing film with Diafine. The first thing is, beware of Diafine agitation recommendations. One mustn't be shy if using plastic tanks. Too little agitation with plastic tanks leaves nasty streaks, big time. Once figured out though, Diafine is very easy to use since timing isn't critical with it and it keeps a ridiculously long time.

 

[Pherdinand]

I am the "newbie" who published my Diafine process earlier this year:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23166

In fact, my question/half-decision is based on your description, between others. 🙂

Thanks for the answers folks.

 

[FilteredLight]

I used to use D76 long ago, and I now happily use Diafine, so yeah, for a newbie, it's great stuff. I will continue to use it, though now I want to get adventurous and am really looking forward to using pyro (pyrogallol) developer.

Diafine is great with Tri-X, since you can process it "normally" at about ASA 1250.

Some info on pyro here.
Buy pyro here.

Most importantly, I would buy Steve Anchell's "The Darkroom Cookbook," which is about $25 at Amazon.com. Inspiring stuff, and it's the source that got me excited about experimenting with pyro, not to mention other formulations in the future.

 

[dagabel]

I, too, am a newbie with Diafine. I've processed 5 rolls of Tri-X so far (and I'm working on a roll of Pan F+ now) and like the fact that my in-camera exposure is the main variable. Honestly, it might have taken me awhile to get started with developing my own film if it hadn't been for the forgiving nature of Diafine and the generous and knowledgeable folks on this forum.

I second Jason's point about agitation with plastic tanks. My first roll came out with all kinds of streaks. Now i agitate/invert part B every 30-60 seconds, and that problem has been eliminated.

I'm sure I'll try other developers in the future now that I have confidence with the process, but for now I'm very content with Diafine.

Duane