Tom A
RFF Sponsor
I have found that what is important is consistency in your developing tecniques. Wether you regard the tank as small or large. Set up a routine and stick to it. This way you remove one factor from the process.
The smaller tanks 1000 ml or less contains less developer and if you are doing 10 min or longer times, you get more bromide in it. By agitating more (I use 5 sec/30 sec intervals) and with the 1500 ml (Paterson - 5 reel) I agitate every 60 sec for 10 sec (three inversions).
Dip and dunk system/ nitrogen burst are great - but you really need to push a lot of film through them to make them worthwhile! For years I had one of these, but it was mainly used for color stuff.
As for timing, establish from the beginning wether timing starts when the tank is full - or when you start pouring the developer in. Again, if you are consistent - you then know wether changes in density of film is because your time/agitation.
With development times running 10 min. or more - 10-15 sec is not going to make much, if any, difference.
Only films that are sensitive to times by split seconds are extreme thin emulsion films like Tech Pan and Fuji's Minicopy and some of the Ortho films from Agfa/Efke. Here you drop the loaded reels in filled tanks - rather than filling/dumping.
Conservatively I have probably done 20 000+ rolls, most of it medium speed (200-400) and the standard is the 5 reel tank and 10 sec/60 sec cycle. At least, if there is a screw-up, it is not due to that part of the process.
The smaller tanks 1000 ml or less contains less developer and if you are doing 10 min or longer times, you get more bromide in it. By agitating more (I use 5 sec/30 sec intervals) and with the 1500 ml (Paterson - 5 reel) I agitate every 60 sec for 10 sec (three inversions).
Dip and dunk system/ nitrogen burst are great - but you really need to push a lot of film through them to make them worthwhile! For years I had one of these, but it was mainly used for color stuff.
As for timing, establish from the beginning wether timing starts when the tank is full - or when you start pouring the developer in. Again, if you are consistent - you then know wether changes in density of film is because your time/agitation.
With development times running 10 min. or more - 10-15 sec is not going to make much, if any, difference.
Only films that are sensitive to times by split seconds are extreme thin emulsion films like Tech Pan and Fuji's Minicopy and some of the Ortho films from Agfa/Efke. Here you drop the loaded reels in filled tanks - rather than filling/dumping.
Conservatively I have probably done 20 000+ rolls, most of it medium speed (200-400) and the standard is the 5 reel tank and 10 sec/60 sec cycle. At least, if there is a screw-up, it is not due to that part of the process.
jjanek
Member
Thanks, Tom, that is really important point of view for me. I think you are right the consistency in process is finally more important than trying to find some "logical" or "rational" reasons for this or that (typically your quote about starting timer at beginning of pouring dev. or than tank is full - I can imagine whole worthless thread full of pros and cons for one or another method). I will remember this.
Janek
P.S.: mixing topics, I´ve posted thread about Bessa R4 28 mm frame and I know you use it and also wear glasses, so your opinion would be welcomed. Thank you
Janek
P.S.: mixing topics, I´ve posted thread about Bessa R4 28 mm frame and I know you use it and also wear glasses, so your opinion would be welcomed. Thank you