PLUS-X 125 for portraits: what developer?

[doitashimash1te]

Yesterday I bought a 5-pack PLUX-X 125 (125PX) 120. A film I never used before.
I am going to use it for portrait photography with my Rolleiflex. (Studio setup, much attention to composition & (ambient + flash) lighting.)

I'm looking for deep blacks, yet rich tonality, and the finest grain possible. I have HC110 and Rodinal in stock. I know HC110 will deliver finer grain but is it the best developer for my purpose, or would some other developer (like xtol, d76) suit me better?

In short, what would be the best recipe for me? (I will shoot it at 100 ASA.)

(Needless to say that I will shoot some test rolls, just to get to know the emulsion, before doing some "real" stuff.)

Your suggestions please........

 

[sepiareverb]

I always ran Plus-X in D-76 1:1 Haven't shot it in a long time, but my film order for the summer included 5 rolls for a trip down memory lane. I will likely try ID-11 on it, the developer I've been liking alot lately- and interestingly, Ilfords version of D-76. Everything comes back around. That's why my current project is called 'Round Trip'!

 

[John Bragg]

You could do a lot worse than trying HC-110 Dilution H. Half the strength of dilution B and double the time as a starting point. Kodak,s reccomended time in Dil B is 3.5 mins @ 20c so simply double this at half the strength, as per the link below. Time is more manageable for consistent results and some compensating effect can be expected if you dont shake the tank too much.

http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/

Regards, John.

 

[rich815]

D-76, HC-110 and Rodinal all potentially can give great results with Plus-X. I personally lean towards Rodinal as I like the crispness gotten with it and Plus-X. HC-110, while a very good developer, will give finer grain but also can sometimes look "mushy" in my opinion. D-76 1:1 will be a compromise in between, but a very nice "compromise"!

It'll really come down to personal opinion at that point as to how much grain you find acceptable vs. how smooth or fine grained you want your images, and of course the tonality will have subtle differences only you can choose which you find best. Have fun.

 

[charjohncarter]

I came up with a 10 minute HC-110 (H) 20 degrees development time for (New) Plus-X when shooting at 125ISO. So, I shoot at 64ISO and develop at 20 degrees, 8 minutes, HC-110 (H). I found the Covington times for Plus-X to be off (HC-110). the real time is more like the (Old) Plus-X times. As for as 'mushy' goes, I like it because that mushiness is long mid tones and plenty of shadow detail. Printing with the right paper contrast filters takes care of that to your own taste. Here is another confusing website: http://www.mironchuk.com/hc-110.html Unfortunately, he does not discuss Plus-X, but there are some other tips in his discussion section.

 

[John Bragg]

I came up with a 10 minute HC-110 (H) 20 degrees development time for (New) Plus-X when shooting at 125ISO. So, I shoot at 64ISO and develop at 20 degrees, 8 minutes, HC-110 (H). I found the Covington times for Plus-X to be off (HC-110). the real time is more like the (Old) Plus-X times. As for as 'mushy' goes, I like it because that mushiness is long midtones and plenty of shadow detail. Printing with the right paper contrast filters takes care of that to your own taste. Here is another confusing website: http://www.mironchuk.com/hc-110.html

I too found the new variants of Kodak films to benefit from longer times than Kodak say. I now use 9 mins at 20c for Tri-X in Dil H, (rated at Ei200), with gentle agitation, as per Greg Mironchuk,s suggestion. My negs now print on Grade 2.5 with very little burning or dodging needed. I use the same time and dilution for Neopan 400, also at Ei200.

Regards, John.

 

[Trius]

I have a suspicion that the new Kodak times are geared toward negs that are going to be scanned, not enlarged. If printing in a wet darkroom, the type of enlarger head (point source vs. condensor vs. diffusion/cold light) also makes a difference.

I am on the Mironchuk page when it comes to HC-110. His view on agitation, reducing wet time, etc., were helpful.

 

[Michael I.]

I like tetenal ultrafin

 

[drewbarb]

The older version of Plus-X was one of my all time favorite films. Since Kodak changed the base when they opened the new plant a few years ago, Plus-X, like Tri-X, has changed somewhat in nature, so I can't vouch for specific results and times, but I used to get great results out of it from ID-11, and HC-110. I would try the Dilution H so many others are recommending. HC-110 is a great dev and H is a great strength for it.

For your shoot, I would suggest you shoot a roll at the ISO you want to use (I'd say 80 or 100 is right) and test in the chem you decide to to go with, to be sure of your results and dev times before you run the important stuff. Process a test roll or two before you shoot the studio work you want to do, just to be sure you'll get what you want from it.

 

[doitashimash1te]

Thanks guys, for your valuable input so far!