Film/developer combos other than Tri-x/D-76?

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jja

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Other than Tri-x and D-76, what are some good film/developer combinations that you've had good experiences with? I'm looking for something unfinicky, and pefer 400 speed, but have been really impressed w/ some of the Fuji Acros 100 shots (by Todd H) that I've seen. Thanks all.
 
jja said:
Other than Tri-x and D-76, what are some good film/developer combinations that you've had good experiences with? I'm looking for something unfinicky, and pefer 400 speed, but have been really impressed w/ some of the Fuji Acros 100 shots (by Todd H) that I've seen. Thanks all.
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Ask 10 photographers, you'll get 11 opinions on this subject!

I prefer D-76 as being very forgiving and use it for just about everything.

However...

I have recently experimented with Freestyle Photo's generic liquid developer:

Arista Liquid Film Developer

The instructions for this stuff seem to say that as long as you're not pushing film development, you can use this for the same processing times for just about anything. That would mean you could process unlike rolls of film in the same tank - a useful trick if true. My experiments have been limited, but promising. Seems to work as advertised.

I have also purchased some Accufine and intend to use it for push-processing some HP5+ in the near future. I'm told that's a good - if ancient - combination. No personal experience, though.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
Neopan 400/XTOL

Neopan 400/XTOL

I have been trying out a few labs with different film/dev combos and there are a lot of variables, but my favorite combo by far is Fuji Neopan 400/XTOL that I get done at A&I Labs in LA. Low grain, great tonality, good blacks & whites. Just what I want! :D
 
Peter, I have used A&I in the past (sent T-Max) and was very satisfied with the quality of their prints. Is Xtol their default developer or can one specify a developer when sending them film? My question is about home developing, obviously, but your suggestion reminds me that this is a good stand-by lab.
 
You can try Ilford HP5+ with D-76 diluted 1:1 if you dont like grain, or full strength with some.
 
My favorite combos:

Fomapan 100 (at EI80) or Agfa APX 100 (at 100) in Rodinal 1+50
Fuji Neopan 400 (at 250) in Rodinal 1+50
Neopan 400 (at 400) in Calbe A49 1+1
TriX (at 250) in Rodinal 1+50
TMax 3200 (at 3200) in A49 1+1

Roman
 
My local lab uses Xtol. I got nice results with Tri-X so far.
 
It may not sound very creative but for fast film, TMAX 3200 in T-Max developer is a great combo.

Sean
 
jja said:
Peter, I have used A&I in the past (sent T-Max) and was very satisfied with the quality of their prints. Is Xtol their default developer or can one specify a developer when sending them film? My question is about home developing, obviously, but your suggestion reminds me that this is a good stand-by lab.
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XTOL is their default developer.
 
Tmax 400 seems to be one of the less-loved films out there, but the results I get with it in Ilfotec-HC (supposedly equal to HC-110) - 6 min @ 20d @ 1:31 are some of the nicest looking negs I've ever made. Lots of highlight detail (the thing this film is notorious for squashing), and nice long smooth tones. Tmax 3200 (shot at 1600, developed for 7 min.) have the same look, but man are they grainy.
 
Thanks all, as usual this place is a wealth of varied opinions, which I rather like! Looks like Rodinal is popular w/ diff. films. I think I'll try that.
 
I've stuck with diluted HC-110 and Tri X @ asa 320.
The old Zone VI drill... if you're just "getting into" B&W
you might want to pick up a copy of Fred Picker's ZONE VI WORKSHOP
Amazon.com has used copies in stock. Not gospel, but interesting.

At the paper we use Tri X @400 and D 76 diluted 1:1 for B&W (duh.. of course!)
and Kodak Portra 400 for color print.
 
Why not go for something different and try a very, very fine grained film/developer combo? You might find that you are willing to put up with the slight speed loss in order to gain picture quality. I would go for delta 100 or FP4 in HC110 or Xtol. You might also try FP4 in Diafine, and you can shoot it at 250 without any loss in quality.

I guess I am the guy who gives two opinions for one person! Just making sure you have 11 opinions for each 10 photogs...
 
Rick Beckrich said:
I've stuck with diluted HC-110 and Tri X @ asa 320.
The old Zone VI drill... if you're just "getting into" B&W
you might want to pick up a copy of Fred Picker's ZONE VI WORKSHOP
Amazon.com has used copies in stock. Not gospel, but interesting.

At the paper we use Tri X @400 and D 76 diluted 1:1 for B&W (duh.. of course!)
and Kodak Portra 400 for color print.
Click to expand...

It's surprising how many folks ask about developement times with X film and Y developer over at APUG when a few hours of proper testing will give them what they need. Even if one doesn't intend on using the Zone System, Picker's method of testing will nail the personal film speed and developement time. Meters can vary as much as a stop either way and shutter speeds can vary by as much as + - 25%.
I went to one of the Zone VI workshops over twenty years ago & one of Fred's stock answers to the "what if" questions was "Try it." When students told him that they had better film-developer combos or better techniques, his other answer was "Show me a print." Of course no one ever did.
The book is small and the tests are presented in a straightforward manner. All that remains is for the reader to "try it".
 
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