FrankS
Registered User
It's true, I left my tried and true Ilfosol S that was faithful to me for many years, for a fling with Diafine. It was impossible to resist. Diafine was so fresh, sexy and seductive. It has come to an end however, as I've come to realize the error of my ways.
Diafine negatives may scan beautifully, but I don't have a film scanner, so the flat negs just haven't satisfied me over the long term. I guess I prefer the more shapely tones my old developer consistently gave me, while asking for little in return.
The initial allure of no time, temperature, and agitation worries have not worked out for me. Only the time insensitivity proved to be accurate in my case. Living in an old house in a cold climate, I've had to heat Diafine up from the typical 10 to 12 degree Celcius storage temperature anyway. Agitation caused me great worry. It's true very little is required, but if not enough is given, the negs will be ruined by bromide drag. Too much agiotation in solution B, and you wash away the developer added to the emulsion in solution A.
So please forgive me, Ilfosol S (and D-76). I"m coming back to you and will again use you as my daily, general purpose developer. I've missed your shapely tones and need for agressive and regular agitation. I've also missed the option of tweaking the degree of development.
I admit though, that there may be instances where I may slip back and use Diafine in certain specific situations, such as when pictures were taken in very contrasty light conditions such as night time, beach, and at the ski slopes.
Diafine negatives may scan beautifully, but I don't have a film scanner, so the flat negs just haven't satisfied me over the long term. I guess I prefer the more shapely tones my old developer consistently gave me, while asking for little in return.
The initial allure of no time, temperature, and agitation worries have not worked out for me. Only the time insensitivity proved to be accurate in my case. Living in an old house in a cold climate, I've had to heat Diafine up from the typical 10 to 12 degree Celcius storage temperature anyway. Agitation caused me great worry. It's true very little is required, but if not enough is given, the negs will be ruined by bromide drag. Too much agiotation in solution B, and you wash away the developer added to the emulsion in solution A.
So please forgive me, Ilfosol S (and D-76). I"m coming back to you and will again use you as my daily, general purpose developer. I've missed your shapely tones and need for agressive and regular agitation. I've also missed the option of tweaking the degree of development.
I admit though, that there may be instances where I may slip back and use Diafine in certain specific situations, such as when pictures were taken in very contrasty light conditions such as night time, beach, and at the ski slopes.
Last edited:
