my 1st. diafine experience

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back alley

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very easy to use.

i liked the tri-x@1600 but the hp5@1600 was way too grainy for me.

too bad i used the 'new' 28 with the hp5 - too many variables...
the tri-x was shot with the 35/2 in very contrasty light. (the bar)

whatcha think?

joe

1,2,3, tri-x

4,5, hp5
 
Good looking shots, Joe. I, too, like the Tri-X shots better. I may need to get some Diafine, too. :) Too bad B&H refuses to ship it.
 
I like the Tri-X, especially the bloke drinking a pint (wish I was doing that right now). Ray, Adorama has Diafine cheaper than B&H and will ship it and if you click to Adorama through RFF Jorge gets a little cut too! :)

 
Maybe you're seeing something in your scans that I'm not but the HP-5 looks pretty darned good to me!

Walker
 
walker,
i just think the tri-x is better and it's at 1600 while the hp5 isn't as good at 1600.
i'm guessing it would be better at 800 as prescribed.

joe
 
Of course the lighting is a bit different between the two, hard to say which is better, nice pics Joe, 35mm in the first 3? You were in real close eh?
 
Really like the look of the tri-x compared to the hp-5. I hope it's the lens or the speed or the lighting 'cause I just ordered a 100' roll of hp-5 and my favorite developer is Diafine.
 
Nick R. said:
Really like the look of the tri-x compared to the hp-5. I hope it's the lens or the speed or the lighting 'cause I just ordered a 100' roll of hp-5 and my favorite developer is Diafine.
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HP5+ is one of my favorites too. I love the look in Diafine. You can only get about 800 out of it though, it needs more exposure than Tri-X to do well.

Tom
 
I processed 5 rolls in Diafine today and have posted some shots from the two I have gotten to scan in my gallery and a couple threads.

It is just an easy developer to use and with the summer coming I know that it will keep me going without having to worry about the temp of the soup.
 
no more hp5@1600 for me.

i have 100 feet of tri-x soon to be in the bulk loader.

and apparently enough diafine to last for years...

:)joe
 
peter_n said:
Ray, Adorama has Diafine cheaper than B&H and will ship it and if you click to Adorama through RFF Jorge gets a little cut too! :)
Click to expand...

I wasn't planning to jump into the home processing thing but reading all that stuff about Diafine makes me believe it mght be a perfect tool for me as most of my shoots are in very dark and extremely contrasty conditions (if you've seen my gallery, you know what I mean).

I visited Adorama's site. Unfortunately, they say the small size packages are B.O. They only have the gallon size. My (probably very newbie) question is can I use only a part of the package to make a small quantity and save the rest or do I have to make the full gallon. Since I only have a small tank (2 spirals Patterson), a gallon of that stuff is ridiculous.

Thanks.
 
It is generally not recommended to only mix part of a powder developer - you can never be sure that all the active ingredients are well distributed (e.g. due to differences in specific weight, chemical A might be more abundant at the bottom of the package, and chem. B at the top).

Roman
 
Marc Jutras said:
I wasn't planning to jump into the home processing thing but reading all that stuff about Diafine makes me believe it mght be a perfect tool for me as most of my shoots are in very dark and extremely contrasty conditions (if you've seen my gallery, you know what I mean).

I visited Adorama's site. Unfortunately, they say the small size packages are B.O. They only have the gallon size. My (probably very newbie) question is can I use only a part of the package to make a small quantity and save the rest or do I have to make the full gallon. Since I only have a small tank (2 spirals Patterson), a gallon of that stuff is ridiculous.

Thanks.
Click to expand...



Please DO NOT try and 'evenly divide' the chemicals. In my experience, it just never works.

Huron Camera may have the smaller size, but really, the price difference is negligible and a gallon kit will last you a LONG time.

Tom
 
Looking good, Joe! I do like that first shot best. And T_om I think yours is great!

I certainly agree about dividing powdered chemicals. That's one of the advantages of liquid.
 
Marc Jutras said:
I wasn't planning to jump into the home processing thing but reading all that stuff about Diafine makes me believe it mght be a perfect tool for me as most of my shoots are in very dark and extremely contrasty conditions (if you've seen my gallery, you know what I mean).

I visited Adorama's site. Unfortunately, they say the small size packages are B.O. They only have the gallon size. My (probably very newbie) question is can I use only a part of the package to make a small quantity and save the rest or do I have to make the full gallon. Since I only have a small tank (2 spirals Patterson), a gallon of that stuff is ridiculous.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I asked the exact same question when starting, and got the same wise answer :)

I wouldn't worry about having it stored in liquid form, been using the same 1 litre batch for almost one year, and even if the thing is damned ugly by now, it just keep going and going strong and I have it in plain clear plastic coke bottles.

Those are some really good shots Joe ! I'm so happy you joined the Diafine train :) 2,3 and 4 are my favs. As for HP5, it was the first roll I processed with Diafine and must say it didn't convince me. To my taste, it had a sort of too uniform grain in all areas that gave me an overall sandpaper or grittyness feeling, I pretty much go with Tri-X or Neopan 400 nowadays.

But these are just my tastes...

PS: And btw, #2 is a nice homage picture ;)
 
Thanks for the help guys.

I thought it was a waste to have 4 times the quantity I need but I guess it'll only last longer.
 
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