Paranol S or Ilfosol 3 for ease of use and shelf life

[lrochfort]

Hello,

I'm getting back into developing my own B&W film; it's been a long time.

In the UK I seem to be able to get hold of Paranol S and Ilfosol 3 easily.

I'll be processing a variety of 35mm, 120, and 4x5. Most likely Fomapan, Retropan, HP5 and Tri-X.

The most important qualities are ease of use and shelf life.

What do people reckon is the best bet?

Thanks

 

[Jhausler]

I believe Ilfosol 3 replaced Ilfosol S, which had terrible shelf life.

Dev times on Ilfosol 3 are on the short side.. so you're done quicker but more open to over or under development if you're clock is broken i suppose.

According to their spec sheet (last page), expect 4 month shelf life on a half empty bottle. 24 months on a full bottle.
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/201142795941192.pdf

If you want shelf life.. go for rodinal.