First attempt at developing b/w

[Bille]

Here´s my first attempt at developing my own b/w film. This is Ilford FP4 in Rodinal 1+50 for 18 minutes (according to AGFAs own specs).

Do resolution / grain look right to you?

Grain at 100%

 

[jerrybro]

Looks better than my first roll did!

 

[mfogiel]

Dear Billie,
From the first look I'd say you have done a great job, however as far as grain/resolution goes, there are important factors during the scanning phase, that can affect the final image.
If you are after the best resolution, use Delta 100, place the camera on the tripod and close your lens down to the optimum f stop ( after having focused carefully). Not to mention, that if you do all that with a MF or LF camera, the results will be hugely superior at the same print output size.
To sum up: you are doing fine, just continue to enjoy making the photographs 🙂

 

[Sparrow]

... looks perfectly fine, now just keep in mind you can only understand one variable at once ... so look at the first 'contact' sheet and if you feel you can improve on it next time change just that one thing, if the result is better do it again ... if it's worse try something different

There are so many variables in this bit it's tempting to change lots of things at once, and one gets lost in no time that way

 

[bobby_novatron]

+1 what Sparrow said. Focus on one variable / issue at a time, and see if your results change or improve. As far as I can tell, your results look totally fine for the film and developer combo you chose.

 

[Bill Clark]

Nice job. I find photography is fun! I achieve satisfication from carrying out photography from making the photograph to developing and the final presentation to view.

Keep up the good work.

You're on your way!

 

[John Bragg]

Looks good. Well done for a first attempt. Enjoy your success and build on it !

 

[rfaspen]

Looks fine to me too. Its worth knowing that the developer/film combination you have is known for being more grainy that a lot of other combos. Actually, its the Rodinal that has that reputation. Regardless, I like FP4 in Rodinal 1:50 and used to run a lot of that. Lately I've been using TMax 400 in HC-110. Before that, it was Adox Silvermax. It goes on...

Be sure to try Caffenol some day, again just for the fun of it if nothing else.

 

[Bille]

Thank you all for the feedback. Here is what I got in Rodinal 1+50 / 15 minutes.

 

[Ljós]

Well done! You are putting us all to shame with your first attempt ;-) FP4plus in Rodinal 1:50 is a gorgeous combination.
If you have time to play around, you can look into using Rodinal at temperatures lower than 20 degrees Celsius. Though from what I gather, the differences in grain between 20 degrees and 18 or so are mininmal. Mainly it is all about not trying to use Rodinal at higher temps in order to reduce developing times.

Enjoy your lab work! You're right on track.

 

[Bille]

Delta 100 in Rodinal.

 

[rwintle]

Tasty. I like the tones in the last one particularly. I've also recently embarked on home dev (done half a dozen rolls or so - Arista Premium 400, T-Max 400, Fomapan 100 and 200) and am like you concentrating on just one developer (Adonal in my case, same thing as Rodinal really). Good work so far, keep going! 🙂

 

[crsantin]

Very nice. You are off to a much better start than I ever was. I struggled quite a bit with my first 10 rolls or so until I got a better understanding of everything. Shoot, it took me an hour to load my first actual roll of film onto the reel in the dark. Now its a piece of cake and I am still a beginner. I use Ilfosol 3, which is very easy to use and gives nice results but has a very short shelf life once opened. Developing times are very short with the Ilfosol. I actually find 120 easier to work with from beginning to end-from loading the film to the scanning phase-but I shoot both 120 and 35 and enjoy both equally. Have fun, it is so much more rewarding than shooting digital despite the pain in the butt that comes with developing at home.