My first film development

p.giannakis

Pan Giannakis
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Jul 8, 2008
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Location
Stafford - UK
Hi everyone,

I've just bought my first kit for developing films at home. Now i need to buy the chemicals but i have no idea what's out there.
What chemicals do you use/suggest. I don't have great expectations about sharpness/grain etc.. anything will do.
 
Most people will recommend the classic and infallible Kodak D76. That's the one I used in the beginning...

I didn't like it. Not because of the results. It's just a matter of convenience. One has to mix it, then use it within two months after mixing it. I'm not a frequent lab guy, so I switched to fluid concentrate developer called T-Max (another Kodak product): I only dilute it at 1:4 when I am going to use it, and it has a very long shelf life.

By the same token, I also switched from using the Kodak fixer to a liquid concentrate Ilford fixer. Now I know that the few and infrequent times that I can develop, my chemistry will be OK and ready. And I don't need large, dark plastic storage bottles.

I'm sure others will mention Rodinal and other combos, so you'll have enough information to make an informed decision. Take care and enjoy developing! 🙂
 
Depending on how much volume you develop... Small batches every once in a while? Use Rodinal or HC-110 or TMax Dev (mentioned above) in a once through manner: mix some of the chemical with water (distilled preferable) and only use it once.

For stop? Use water.

For fix? Use a concentrated liquid fixer. Ilford or Sprint come to mind (I use sprint: it is cheap, and works). You are probably going to reuse that, if only because of disposal issues. Do a search of the forum for fixer and drain.

You don't need anything else. I would recommend a surficant like photoflo. I understand that you can use dish soap, but have not tried it. One bottle of photoflo lasts practically forever. Use less than half the recommended amount.

Whatever developer you try, stick with it for a while. You want to learn to use it with your film in the best possible way.

Now: if you have an iphone, get the massive dev chart app. It is the best developing timer on the market, and comes pre-loaded with times for a whole bunch of chemical / film combinations. You need to change some of the times for fix and washing, maybe, but the developing times themselves are pretty good.

If you don't have the phone, use the web interface to look up developing times.
http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php
 
LC29 and Ilford Rapid fixer work for me. Started with them because available locally (no hassle with shipping chemicals) and so far they are better than me. Supposed to last well over time; I don't develop each other day.
 
I'm also a newbie...
I get good result with Ilford Microphen/Water stop bath/Ilford Rapid Fixer

F90X + 50 1.8 + Kentmere 100 iso

5b800usm.jpg
 
LC29 and Ilford Rapid fixer work for me. Started with them because available locally (no hassle with shipping chemicals) and so far they are better than me. Supposed to last well over time; I don't develop each other day.

Same here, and I'm happy with the results. I bought some ID-11 too because I liked the results I've seen on Flickr, but haven't tried it yet. It will be my first attempt from powder rather than liquid.
 
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