diafine, now in the Netherlands!

[onnovisser]

Dear Beneluxians, Europeans:

I received my first package of Diafine from Robert Vonk yesterday, owner of
fotohuis Rovo, who now imports diafine. Take a look at www.fotohuisrovo.nl
, it's a treasury of unknow and interesting chemicals and films. diafine can be found in the news section.

can't wait to try the stuff!

Cheers!

Onno

 

[jorisbens]

I've ordered it from fotohuis ROVO a few days ago and I expect it to arrive on monday. It costs 14€ for 2x1liter.

Joris bens 😎

 

[onnovisser]

the word is spreading 🙂

 

[Roman]

I know Robert from a German photolab/darkroom forum - seems to be a nice guy; BTW, I think you can also get the (excellent) Foma papers from him.

Roman

 

[iDude]

Cool. I will also definitely give it a try.

 

[T_om]

I've ordered it from fotohuis ROVO a few days ago and I expect it to arrive on monday. It costs 14€ for 2x1liter.

Joris bens 😎

Joris,

That is EXTREMELY expensive. Did you ever consider buying in the US and having it sent over?

Several people here have done just that and it is a no-hassle procedure.

The easiest place to online order is through Huron Camera and they send via the postal system which is very cheap (and there are usually fewer customs problems that way too). Note the price of US$16.50 is for the GALLON kit, not the MUCH smaller liter kit.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Diafine as much as I have over the many years I have used it.

Tom

 

[onnovisser]

Wow, didn't know it was that cheap... But hey, it's here, I have it and I want to try it!
If I like it I'll get the supersized pack sent over! Need to find to litre bottles first, sigh...

cheers!

Onno

 

[jorisbens]

If I wan't to send it from the US it would cost me 30 to 40$ 😛 So that will be a much more expensive alternative.

And I don't really mind the higher price compared to other developers, because of the very long shelf life, so in the long term it might be cheaper then the other developers.

Joris Bens 😎

 

[T_om]

If I wan't to send it from the US it would cost me 30 to 40$ 😛 So that will be a much more expensive alternative.

And I don't really mind the higher price compared to other developers, because of the very long shelf life, so in the long term it might be cheaper then the other developers.

Joris Bens 😎

Joris,

The math works out this way as nearly as I can figure it:

I believe the Air Parcel Post postage to Belgium would have been about US$17.50

$17.50 postage + $16.50 Gallon Diafine = US$34.00 total

There are 3.79 liters per US gallon. If you bought 3.79 liters locally, it would cost you Euro 53.06, or US$63.33, and I assume you are also paying postage on top of that.

Looks like you paid nearly twice what it would have cost to order from the US.

You are correct about the life of Diafine, it will last a LONG time. I have never had the quart kit (liter kits) but the gallon will last through hundreds of rolls.

Tom

 

[Doug]

I just ordered the gallon kit from RFF sponsor Adorama for $14.95. (The quart kit is priced at $9.95) Shipping from one corner of the US to the other is $10.45 but that also covers the 10 rolls of film I ordered too. 🙂

 

[jorisbens]

I only checked the most known e-shops for photography: B&H, adorama,... And with those shipping was very expensive, but if I run out of diafine, I'll buy from Huron camera 🙂

Joris Bens

 

[Poptart]

A great and almost foolproof high-speed developer . . . but if you just want a 2-part normal speed soup you can mix yourself, try "SPLIT D-76" from Photographer's Formulary. Cheaper and all the same benefits except the speed. Now if they'd just package Diafine as a two-part one-shot concentrate . . . .

 

[T_om]

I just ordered the gallon kit from RFF sponsor Adorama for $14.95. (The quart kit is priced at $9.95) Shipping from one corner of the US to the other is $10.45 but that also covers the 10 rolls of film I ordered too. 🙂

The problem with Adorama is that their international shipping costs are ridiculous. Sponsor or not.

They will not ship via the US mail and insist on using expensive (and subject to customs hassles) couriers. Unnecessary expense and bother and a disservice to their customers.

Huron charges a couple of bucks more for the Diafine but saves international customers LOADS of money over Adorama when the total price including shipping is taken into consideration.

I have used Adorama for years and had no problems, being located in the US. But they are not the best source in this case.

Tom

 

[T_om]

A great and almost foolproof high-speed developer . . . but if you just want a 2-part normal speed soup you can mix yourself, try "SPLIT D-76" from Photographer's Formulary. Cheaper and all the same benefits except the speed. Now if they'd just package Diafine as a two-part one-shot concentrate . . . .

Why in the world would there ever be any necessity for a "one shot" version of Diafine? What would the advantage be? 😕

By the way, split D-76 and Diafine are very different developers. Split D-76 does NOT offer the "same benefits" and speed is not nearly the only difference.

Diafine lasts almost forever. That is one of the major benefits of using Diafine. It even gets better as it ages a bit... then it stays at that level for a LONG time, producing very consistent results.

The only reason to have one shot developers is that most do not keep after being mixed. That (and consistency) are the only reasons to have one-shots and Diafine is not lacking in those areas.

Tom

 

[Doug]

The problem with Adorama is that their international shipping costs are ridiculous. Sponsor or not.

Thanks, Tom; I didn't know their international shipping issue! 🙁

 

[Poptart]

Why in the world would there ever be any necessity for a "one shot" version of Diafine? What would the advantage be? 😕

By the way, split D-76 and Diafine are very different developers. Split D-76 does NOT offer the "same benefits" and speed is not nearly the only difference.

Diafine lasts almost forever. That is one of the major benefits of using Diafine. It even gets better as it ages a bit... then it stays at that level for a LONG time, producing very consistent results.

The only reason to have one shot developers is that most do not keep after being mixed. That (and consistency) are the only reasons to have one-shots and Diafine is not lacking in those areas.

Tom

The advantage of one-shot developers is that they can be mixed fresh from concentrate, which unlike stock formulas-- including Diafine, despite your assertion-- do not last long on the shelf. The advantages of a two-part developer are that they even-out exposure errors, especially overexposure, within a roll. That's the only reason to use them; high speed is available cheaper via, say, Acufine.
I once filtered the sludge out of a half-inch of Rodinal that had been sitting in a bottle for nine years and it worked great. Try that with stock and get back to me.

 

[Doug]

Last night I souped 6 rolls of mixed 35mm and 120/220 films in Diafine mixed up last August. It's fine, no apparent change from before. What time-frame do you have in mind with "do not last long on the shelf"? 🙂 I agree with Tom that in practice there's no need for one-shot Diafine. Otherwise, though, I'll choose one-shot use every time over replenishment!

 

[P C Headland]

The advantage of one-shot developers is that they can be mixed fresh from concentrate, which unlike stock formulas-- including Diafine, despite your assertion-- do not last long on the shelf. The advantages of a two-part developer are that they even-out exposure errors, especially overexposure, within a roll. That's the only reason to use them; high speed is available cheaper via, say, Acufine.
I once filtered the sludge out of a half-inch of Rodinal that had been sitting in a bottle for nine years and it worked great. Try that with stock and get back to me.

Hi

I've read a few things here and there regarding Diafine, and in nearly all cases the longevity of the mixed (& used) solution has always been a point of note. It may not be in the same league as Rodinal's legendary keeping properties 🙂

Can someone who actually uses Diafine comment on its shelf life? How many rolls can you do before it goes "off"?

While I am happy with Rodinal, it would be nice to have one other, non-finicky developer that can offer a bit of a speed boost. Since I'm not likely to use it all the time, shelf life of the mixed developer would probably be of more concern to me than volume of film.

Paul