Getting back into film developing - need suggestions

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jamesdfloyd

Film is cheap therapy!
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I am giving serious consideration to developing my own b&w film (both 35mm & 120) and I would like suggestions on reels, tanks and chemicals. I am going to try Diafine as the developer. I remember from high school that we used Kodak stop bath, fixer and photoflo.

After just a 2-minute search on B&H’s site, I see that there are an incredible amount of chemical options, so I would instead of just using Kodak by default (and memory), I would like suggestions.

Price is not my buying decision, so I am open to suggestions.

Thanks,

J.D.
 
I don't think I'd be using diafine as my sole developer ... D76 and Xtol are cheap and a lot more versatile IMO and the stories about Xtol not lasting are untrue for me. I had some mixed that was over six months old and it was fine! It can be used straight or diluted up to 1+3 for varying results ... it mixes easily and it's cheap!

Stops and fixers are not important IMO ... whatever is readily available. I use Ilford for both options.

Tanks and reels create mixed opinions ... the best 35mm tank I've used is a Jobo. I like my Paterson but it does leak a little. Cannot get on with stainless reels sorry ... I ruined a 120 film trying to load one and that was it for me ... the Paterson reels are foolproof provided you keep them clean!
 
I have a friend who has been using this neat stop / fix combination made by photographers formulary. I can't seem to find it right now. I'll keep looking.
 
I'm with Keith on developers. Diafine is a poor choice as a sole soup- in fact, I think it's a pretty poor developer all 'round. I use it as a go-to soup when I have no idea what's on a roll or what EI it was exposed at, since it'll always give you SOMETHING; but if I've been careful and know what speed a given film was exposed at, there is always a developer that will give better results.

My choice for a single soup would probably be HC-110, since it's easy to use, economical, and does a very nice job with a wide range of films and speeds; D76 (or one of it's equivalents, like Ilford ID-11 or Formulary TD-16) or Xtol would also be good choices. If you only shoot slow films and never push, I'd even choose Rodinal as an only developer- I use it more than any other normal dev on my own film.

As for tanks and reels, I'll always recommend stainless steel as the best- but really, as long as you learn to use whatever you get properly, it's hard to go wrong. Whether you choose SS or plastic, I will say- buy good quality gear and take good care of it. Cheap, flimsy reels and poor maintenance will give you grief and make your job harder, so don't skimp here. Good luck and have fun!
 
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Considering it's been a long time since you've done this work, I'd allow for some change of preference for developers. Experiment a bit, figure out what you want to do and how, and go from there...FWIW I recommend Rodinal, it's really cheap (lasts forever after opening), gives great results in terms of acutance/sharpness and tonality and can be used in a number of dilutions.

Drew gives good advice, above re: reels as well.

Get a system, get used to it and before you know it technique won't get in the way of your work! Good luck
 
Photographer's Formulary sells a divided version of D76. This, presumably, gives some of the ease-of-use advantages of Diafine but the quality of D76.... or so I hope, having just bought some. Any opinions out there, for me or for the OP?
 
Keep it simple at first. Use D76 (or ID11) 1:1 and dump it afterward (don't bother with replenishment). Just mix up more when you need it. After you get the hang of processing and using D76, you'll probably want to move on to other developers.

With regard to equipment (and since price is not a factor for you), buy the best you can afford, and keep it dedicated to processing (for example, don't use your mixing bucket when you wash your car as well). From my experience, glass and stainless steel clean up easiest, but are more pricey. Buy photo-grade utensils, beakers, and measuring cups. (Although, several years ago I bought some hard, clear plastic measuring cups and beakers from an industrial-grade kitchen supply warehouse. I still have them and they look brand new).

I recommend stainless steel reels, but some folks can't seem to make them work. YMMV, but you should try them out.

Anyway, try to have fun with it.












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These are what I started with.

Paterson tank
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/40336-REG/Paterson_PTP114_35mm_Tank_with_Reel.html

Ilford FP4 Plus
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/24661-USA/Ilford_1649651_FP4_Plus_135_36_Black.html

Ilfotec DD-X
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/188027-REG/Ilford_1155055.html

Ilfostop
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/169348-REG/Ilford_1893870_Ilfostop_Stop_Bath_Liquid.html

Ilford Rapid Fixer
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/253199-REG/Ilford_1984262_Rapid_Fixer_Liquid_1.html

But now I mostly use a hewes 2 reel tank, Efke 25, Arista Premium 400, TMY400, D76 or Rodinal or HC-110, same ilford stop and fixer, and I added kodak photoflo to get spot/streak free drying.
 
Rodinal is a good developer and I use it occasionally but it doesn't suit some films IMO! I have yet to use a film that doesn't like Xtol.

Tri-X, Neopan or HP5 pushed to 1600 in Xtol 1+1 all look excellent. Rodinal seems to provide rather harsh grain at times and the harshness seems to be exagerated by scanning.
 
jamesdfloyd said:
I am going to try Diafine as the developer. I remember from high school that we used Kodak stop bath, ....
J.D.
Click to expand...

Your memory might be a little hazy... if you use Diafine, you don't need stop bath.

For now, do yourself a favor... start with a liquid developer and stay away from tabular grain films (Kodak Tmax, Ilford Delta, Fuji Neopan).

The absolute EASIEST combo would be HP5+ and HC-110, Dilution B. If you mess that up, consider another hobby. 😉
 
sparrow6224 said:
Photographer's Formulary sells a divided version of D76. This, presumably, gives some of the ease-of-use advantages of Diafine but the quality of D76.... or so I hope, having just bought some. Any opinions out there, for me or for the OP?
Click to expand...

All divided developers run into some problems with compressed midtones, but non-speed enhancing ones are much better than Diafine in that regard. I like divided D76 for its ability to manage really high contrast and it does have some of the classic quality of D76, but it looks like D76 straight, not 1+1 or more dilute. It can be reused almost indefinitely, like Diafine, but gets mushy if you reuse it too long.

I can send you a formula to make it your self if you like.

Marty
 
My Paterson tank does not leak if the lid is put on correctly. Problem is, that's not always easy to do.

On the other hand, I just figured out how to load a steel reel, if clumsily. If you go to Youtube, you can find videos of people holding a steel reel, in one hand, in mid-air and feeding it film with the other hand. No way can I do that. If I rest the reel on something solid and rotate it carefully, then I can load film on the thing.

I see nothing wrong with trying any number of developers to see which suits you. While you're in that stage, probably better to buy developer in small quantities so you don't end up with a gallon of something you don't like.
 
Check out Freestyle if you haven't already done so. Also they have good prices on B&W film. The Arista premium 400 is Tri-X. Save you some dollars. As for developers I use HC-110. You can make it one shot & last forever & wont expire like most others. Rodinal is another good one shot developer, & when I say one shot you pull out just enough with a syrenge to mix enough to develop 1 or 2 rolls.
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/
 
1. Tanks: you need to decide whether you like plastic or steel tanks/reels. For plastic reels, the best are Paterson, for steel reels, Hewes only (do not bother with generic ones). The tank's maker is not that important.

Use steel or keep extra plastic reels if you expect to do rolls one after another; plastic reels won't work again until they are completely dry. That is the only difference in practice, the rest is a matter of taste.

2. IMO these days the most versatile developer is Xtol, but D76 is the classic option. If you want the convenience of a one-shot liquid (to avoid mixing powder), get Ilford DD-X or Kodak's HC-110. As a user of Rodinal, of course I have to mention that it is a nice addition at least as a second option; it is liquid and lasts for decades.

3. Fixer type doesn't matter, but I like Formulary TF-4/TF-5 because they do not require a clearing agent or prolonged washing of films.

4. Don't forget dunk the film in Photo-Flo (or FomaFlo, etc., whatever wetting agent you get).

5. Stop bath can be skipped altogether in most cases, just wash with water. The only situation where it matters (for film) is when you have very short and precise dev time (like 4.5 min Neopan 1600 @800 in DD-X); but these combinations I would avoid altogether because it is impossible to perform them consistently.
 
I think we have the makings of an internet Urban Legend. 🙂

I've heard several times here on RFF that Hewes makes the only good reels. To each their own, but I have to call BS on this one. I have plenty of non-Hewes made reels that work perfectly (Omega, Arista, unkown cheapies, with clips, without clips, etc.). Some of those reels I've had for over 25 years. I pick up reels at garage sales all the time. I don't think it's luck either. Someone just gave me a 16 oz. tank with two 35mm reels inside a couple of weeks ago (Omega Sammina (sp?)). He just handed it to me. I didn't even open the tank to inspect the reels. I got home washed them, dried them, and loaded film on them. I've already used them twice with no problems. The main thing with SS reels is they have to be square. Even a Hewes reel can get out of square if dropped or abused. To knock a reel out of square, you have to doing some serious manhandling and repeated fumbling.

The bigger PITA for me with SS tanks is leaking (especially the all-SS tanks). I tend to prefer the SS tanks with the plastic tops. If you have a lot of different types of SS processing tanks, it's important to keep the lids matched with the tanks.



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Use a big changing bag, Patterson tanks (or Jobo) are the easiest to use - curl the film off the spiral for drying, don't try to separate the spools every time, and you'll be fine). Remember to use dry spools when loading - moisture can linger in the grooves causing the film to jam. Metal pools are cool, but need much practice. At first standardise your Dev to D76, otherwise you'll be all over the place, it is cheap and versatile, HC-110 is similar. Good luck, practice with a gash film in daylight, take your time and you'll be o.k. p.s. use a small pair of scissers to cut the film off the spool.
 
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johnnygulliver said:
Metal pools are cool, but need much practice...
Click to expand...

Indeed. I fumbled around for months, off and on, trying to load a steel reel. Over on Youtube you can videos of savants holding a steel reel in one hand, film in the other, both hands well up in the air, as they load the film in about 5 seconds, while they simultaneously prepare their tax returns.

I can't do that.

What I can do, still a bit clumsily, is put the reel down on a firm surface, attach the film, hold the film with one hand and turn the reel with the other, all the while keeping it firmly grounded on that firm surface.

I don't see a particular advantage of steel reels over plastic, other than a possible savings in chemicals. But, I hate to be thwarted by a little tin can.

[BTW, I don't see anything wrong with trying a bunch of different developers as you learn. While it is true that varying one thing at a time -- the usual rational for sticking with one developer until you get results you like -- is rational, developing film entails a number of things you can vary or keep constant. Pay attention, do a little research, and you'll learn. That's what I'm doing. It ain't rocket science.]
 
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Keep it simple at first, one developer, liquid concentrate for easy mixing, I use T-Max
Developer for TMY2 and Tri-X and like the results
Jobo plastic reels work great in most cases.
I've posted this before but nikon rangefinder cameras put a severe reverse curl on the film and it always binds when loading 36 exp rolls onto the plastic reels
I just got Hewes metal reels to try - should work better for this case

I tried multiple films and developers on and off for a year, but unless you want to shoot and compare dozens of test rolls, this has limited utility.
 
keith,

thanks for the comments. I totally agree with you. I think Rodinal is best with Slow emulsions and an emergency backup. But the grains are huge compared to most developers.

raytoei
 
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