Ilford Pan F development suggestions?

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Wow those shots have great tonality and look to them. The second shot is great!

Did you use a red filter on the second? The sky looks like a red filter was ued. So much more dramatic.

Man these shots of PanF make me really want to use rodinal, etc.

I just wish that rodinal would have beter results with faster films such as hp5...

my main concern is that with tri-x or hp5+ rodinal will end up giving me the "unsharp mask" effect where edges of dark and light areas have halos or a "ghosting" like effect.

No filters used. Thats just the way the sky usually is in Santa Fe. Its so deep blue that a filter would distort it, really. Both shots were done in Santa Fe, both in the winter at the beginning of this year. The Rainbow snow one was done earliest...we got a lot of snow this year. The War protester was done as winter was ending, on a sunny blue sky day. Overcast days like the Rainbow Snow photo show are rare even in winter here.

I've used Rodinal for both HP5 and Tri-X and never saw an unsharp mask halo effect. Rodinal isn't that strong of an acutance developer....it improves sharpness nicely without distorting the tonality like extremely high acutance developers can.

You mentioned handholding slow films in another post. Both these were handheld. On sunny days, handholding Pan-F is easy. here I get exposures on sunny days in winter of around 1/60 at f8 or 11. That's enough for handholding most things that aren't moving. The snow scene was an overcast day and I think it was about 1/15 at f8. i'm good at handholding slow speeds.

Both shots were done with an Olympus OM-4T and Olympus Zuiko 35mm f2 lens. Both Pan-F at EI 50. The Rainbow Snow photo developed in Rodinal 1+50 for 12 minutes at 68 deg and the Protester was developed at a local pro lab that uses straight Xtol, undiluted. Don't know the dev time. I have processed film since I was a kid but I had a lab do some stuff for me when I went back to film after flirting with digital because I had left my developing tanks at my parents house in Indiana. I eventually got my family to round up my tanks and ship them to me so I could do my own. I like Rodinal a lot more than Xtol.

 

[MikeCassidy]

D76 and Pan F are very nice. In fact D76 with all film is nice. I know three very good photographers, all teaching at ICP, who use D76 on all their film.

I use Rodinal 1-50 agate every 2 minutes - gently. If your developing something like Pan F I'd use 1-50 or 1-100; get those tones. Rodinal reacts to agitation so you may need experiment with agitation to get the results you like.

As Michael Silverwise said to me Wednesday evening when we were talking about film and developer:

'Content, I'm concerned about content, after that the cheapest film and developer that will work.'

I was experimenting with Rodinal, Microdol-X, DK-50, and D-76 on Tri-X and Plus-X. I think I've the last eight cans of DK-50. I once used Rodinal exclusively; always 1-50 for varying times and with varying agitation to up or lower the contrast.

Michael's statement though is at the heart of what I'm hoping to do/think. Content.

 

[patrickhh]

Just FYI, here are some sample pics from me. I'm just starting to play with Rodinal. I like the gritty grain it gives to HP5+. With PANF+, I don't see noticeable grain (at least in 120 negs, didn't shoot PANF+ 35mm yet).

PANF+ 120 in rodinal 1+25

HP5+ 35mm in rodinal 1+25

 

[Trius]

Mike: Great comments about content, and about Rodinal & agitation. This is one reason when I start processing sheet film again I will use tanks rather than trays. Rodinal with constant agitation in a tray would leave me too little control.

And Rodinal is cheap!

jbf: For precise measurement, get a syringe. Since a syringe with sharps is a controlled device in most places, just go to the drug store and get a syringe made for dosing small quantities of liquid medicine to infants. Cheap and easy to use.

 

[jbf]

Just FYI, here are some sample pics from me. I'm just starting to play with Rodinal. I like the gritty grain it gives to HP5+. With PANF+, I don't see noticeable grain (at least in 120 negs, didn't shoot PANF+ 35mm yet).

PANF+ 120 in rodinal 1+25

HP5+ 35mm in rodinal 1+25

Wow, the HP5+ in rodinal looks so different from most shots i've ever seen.

How did you get this look with such rich darks, etc? Was it simply the lighting at th etime, or did you happen to push or pull any? It looks great!!


Trius: Thanks for the tip on the syringe, etc! I think I'll definately be checking out Rodinal after seeing the results a lot of you have gotten. Some are extremely surprising.

 

[patrickhh]

Wow, the HP5+ in rodinal looks so different from most shots i've ever seen.

How did you get this look with such rich darks, etc? Was it simply the lighting at th etime, or did you happen to push or pull any? It looks great!!

Thank you. It's pretty simple. I scan to 16 bit TIFF and set the black and white point in Lightroom, and then I play around with contrast etc. until I like it. No big deal.

 

[ray_g]

Second the Rodinal. Here's a past thread with sample photos.