Picking a Developer

[Sam N]

I've been using mostly TMax 400 with TMax developer and I'm not unhappy with the results, but I'd like to try something new. I've been using some FP4, HP5, and TriX as well. I often push 400 speed film to 800 and sometimes to 1600. Fine grain isn't the the highest priority for me, but I'd like to avoid extreme graininess. I don't have an enlarger, so the film will probably just be scanned if that makes any difference.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Why do you want to try something new, if you are not unhappy?

If you like T-Max, try Delta 400. Any other conventional 400 film WILL be grainier than either. Otherwise, consider XP2 Super, the perfect scanner film.

EDIT: DUH! Sorry. You were asking about devs.

Fine grain devs give finer grain. Speed increasing devs give coarser grain. Rodinal gives coarse grain AND low speed with many films.

Personally I'd try a 2-bath but most dev differences are pretty trivial next to film differences.

Cheers,

R.

 

[bmattock]

I've been using mostly TMax 400 with TMax developer and I'm not unhappy with the results, but I'd like to try something new. I've been using some FP4, HP5, and TriX as well. I often push 400 speed film to 800 and sometimes to 1600. Fine grain isn't the the highest priority for me, but I'd like to avoid extreme graininess. I don't have an enlarger, so the film will probably just be scanned if that makes any difference.

Different developers have a different signature, and some have a film they like better than others.

For pushing, I like Diafine, although technically it isn't a push. Also easy to use and dead cheap, since it lasts so long you begin to get annoyed with it.

D76 is a tried and true developer with lots of data behind it and lots of people who can give advice if something goes wrong. Not for the tabular (tmax) films.

HC110 is popular, and so is Rodinal.

I like to experiment too. I guess my favorites to date are D76, Diafine, Rodinal in that order. But I shoot a lot of cheap Fomapan film and Tri-X when I want speed - some Ilford Delta.

 

[bmattock]

Why do you want to try something new, if you are not unhappy?

You live in France and you don't know the answer to that? 😉

 

[Roger Hicks]

You live in France and you don't know the answer to that? 😉

Dear Bill,

Hmmmm.....

Roast fillet of donkey . . . a different cheese for every day of the century (after allowing for ageing) . . . likewise wine....

But then again, a meal is a one-off. Negatives aren't just for Christmas. In photography, increasingly, I prefer to stick with what little I know.

Cheers,

R.

 

[bmattock]

In photography, increasingly, I prefer to stick with what little I know.

Whilst I, on the other hand, am thoroughly enjoying living in the declining days of film, when I can afford to own one of just about all the fine cameras I once lusted after in my youth but could not afford even one of them.

And given a shrinking base of films and developers to soup them in, I am enjoying trying each and every one of them in turn, perhaps looking for the Grail, but more likely just figuring out what there is to like about each one - what makes or made them special.

If it were not so cheap, I could not afford to play. But it is, and so I do...

 

[Mike Richards]

Tmax "finest grain" is generally achieved with the Tmax developer. For the other films, Xtol is my favorite for pushing. It's the best for maintaining tonality and sharpness for push processing. But if you've never tried Rodinal, that would be a good "something new" experience. It's considered grainy, but I like the sharp look. I say "considered grainy" since the individual grains don't actually move around or get larger or smaller. "Fine grain" usually means softer, or "unfocused" grain elements that blend into each other giving the impression of finer grain. With Rodinal, the individual grains are sharper and edgy. All this is microscopic. You need to try it to actually see the look.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Whilst I, on the other hand, am thoroughly enjoying living in the declining days of film, when I can afford to own one of just about all the fine cameras I once lusted after in my youth but could not afford even one of them.

And given a shrinking base of films and developers to soup them in, I am enjoying trying each and every one of them in turn, perhaps looking for the Grail, but more likely just figuring out what there is to like about each one - what makes or made them special.

If it were not so cheap, I could not afford to play. But it is, and so I do...

Dear Bill,

I'll drink to that...

The only thing is, I reckon that EITHER I can see the 'magic' from roll one OR I have to shoot 10 rolls to home in on what I like. As I am by nature lazy, I am very fond of the ones that start out 'magic', as I miss fewer pics that way.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Sam N]

Ok, what's a good online retailer to get this stuff from?

 

[bmattock]

Ok, what's a good online retailer to get this stuff from?

Some things you can't get sent to you (in the USA) due to post 9/11 restrictions on transport of hazardous chemicals. You must buy them in the stores. How they get them in the stores is another of life's little mysteries.

I like Freestyle Photo (http://www.freestylephoto.biz/)

However, they have a $25 minimum order.

Adorama and B&H are also good.

http://www.adorama.com/

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

I'm sure there are others. Try locally first if you have that option.

If you want to really get creative, you can give the Photographer's Formulary or DigitalTruth a go - mixing your own chemicals from bulk.

 

[venchka]

For the real avant garde, what the heck, let's have fun and try something REALLY different...mix up some Xtol and add a dash of Rodinal. Search these pages for more information.

 

[Sam N]

Thanks for the guidance.

Forunately my local Samy's had one box of Diafine left, so I picked that up with some Ilford Fixer.

I'm a little confused as to how to proceed.

I previously used Tmax Dev and a Kodak Fixer, both of which had expiration dates. I don't see expiration dates on the Diafine or the Ilford Fixer. I assume the Diafine is ok since it is powder in cans and should have a very high shelf life.

I have a 2-reel ~20oz tank and the Diafine powder is enough to make 1 gallon of each solution. That is about 6 times more than I can use at once. Should I just get 2 1-gallon jugs and mix it all up at once and then only pour the amount I need out of and back into the jugs, or should I try to measure out a specific amount of the powder? The powder comes in tin cans, so it's not resealable and I don't have a scale to weigh it out with. Yes I probably should have gotten the smaller box of Diafine, but it isn't carried locally and costs just as much or more online after shipping.

 

[cmedin]

I have a 2-reel ~20oz tank and the Diafine powder is enough to make 1 gallon of each solution. That is about 6 times more than I can use at once. Should I just get 2 1-gallon jugs and mix it all up at once and then only pour the amount I need out of and back into the jugs, or should I try to measure out a specific amount of the powder? The powder comes in tin cans, so it's not resealable and I don't have a scale to weigh it out with. Yes I probably should have gotten the smaller box of Diafine, but it isn't carried locally and costs just as much or more online after shipping.

Make the gallons -- the stuff will last almost forever. Trying to divide up the powder is not a good idea since you can't guarantee the contents are evenly distributed.

 

[moonwire]

for push processing.... ilfotec DD-X (ilford) hands down. though i do love the look of pushed tri-x in D-76.

 

[kmack]

Make the gallons -- the stuff will last almost forever. Trying to divide up the powder is not a good idea since you can't guarantee the contents are evenly distributed.

Yep, I have a gallon of Diafine A&B that is over a year old and still going strong, If anything it seems to age well.

 

[MikeL]

D76 is a tried and true developer with lots of data behind it and lots of people who can give advice if something goes wrong. Not for the tabular (tmax) films.

I've been happy with D76 and Delta 100, haven't tried tmax. DDX for Delta 400.

 

[Sam N]

Yep, I have a gallon of Diafine A&B that is over a year old and still going strong, If anything it seems to age well.

Ok. Should I just pour it from the gallon containers straight into the tank, or should I seperate out about 20 ounces into seperate containers and use those a few times before going back to the gallon?

 

[bmattock]

Ok. Should I just pour it from the gallon containers straight into the tank, or should I seperate out about 20 ounces into seperate containers and use those a few times before going back to the gallon?

I decant 450 ml of Diafine Solution A into a graduated cylinder, then pour that into the tank. Hard to control pouring from a gallon jug into a small tank such as I use, plus, you'd always be overflowing it, not knowing how much you had poured already. Then I wait the proper time, agitate as indicated, and pour the Solution A back into the graduated cylinder and from there back into the gallon jug.

I repeat the procedure for Solution B.

If I wanted to, I suppose I could leave Solution A and Solution B in graduated cylinders until I had done several rolls in this manner, but I don't - mainly because I have only one big graduated cylinder (1000 ml). I rinse it between Solution A and B, and I also use it in the same manner as above for my fixer.

 

[kmack]

Ok. Should I just pour it from the gallon containers straight into the tank, or should I seperate out about 20 ounces into seperate containers and use those a few times before going back to the gallon?

Like Bill I pour separate containers (flasks marked 'A' and 'B' so I don't get confused) and then dump it back into the gallon jugs between uses.

 

[Sam N]

I just developed my first two rolls of HP5+ with the Diafine (about 4 minutes in each bath). I know it's not the best film to use with Diafine, but I had these two rolls to develop before trying some Tri-X.

It's still drying, but it looks like it worked pretty well. Not too contrasty. I'll try to post some scans soon.

The washed HP5+ felt much more slippery than the T-Max. Is that just due to the fact that I didn't use an acid stop-bath?