srtiwari
Daktari
The GAS to buy/Store and use B&W film is quickly building. And I am only now ramping up to relearning and doing the developing-at-home thing. Of the multitude of Film/Developer combos available, I am interested in drilling down to a couple of them, trying them out, and then hopefully stockpiling a bit. Although ideally one should test all oneself, I'm trying to make a 'short list' and go from there.
I shoot 35mm and 120, prefer Low light shooting, and some tripod held landscapes. I own some F1.4 and F2 lenses.
I like Low to medium contrast, and as-best-as-possible sharpness and grain balance.
My preference would be to match with developers that store and last a long time, eg. Diafine and Rodinal.
I have looked at some Combos on Flickr, but most do not have any attached comments. Your personal opinions and samples would be great. HELP !!
Subhash
I shoot 35mm and 120, prefer Low light shooting, and some tripod held landscapes. I own some F1.4 and F2 lenses.
I like Low to medium contrast, and as-best-as-possible sharpness and grain balance.
My preference would be to match with developers that store and last a long time, eg. Diafine and Rodinal.
I have looked at some Combos on Flickr, but most do not have any attached comments. Your personal opinions and samples would be great. HELP !!
Subhash
Mike Richards
Well-known
I like Rodinal
I like Rodinal
I like Ilford Delta 100 or Kodak T-Max 100 in Rodinal. The example is the pals on the left, although mis-named.
Now for the black sheep/non-conformist recommendation. I like Scala (a positive B&W film) developed as a negative in Rodinal. Shoot at ISO 200, Rodinal 1:25, 8.5 min @ 18C (65F). Example on the right -- orthodox priests.
I like Rodinal
I like Ilford Delta 100 or Kodak T-Max 100 in Rodinal. The example is the pals on the left, although mis-named.
Now for the black sheep/non-conformist recommendation. I like Scala (a positive B&W film) developed as a negative in Rodinal. Shoot at ISO 200, Rodinal 1:25, 8.5 min @ 18C (65F). Example on the right -- orthodox priests.
Attachments
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sleepyhead
Well-known
I really like DIAFINE because it's easy to use (time and temperature-wise) and stores well, and it's sort of self-compensating in terms of holding highlight detail.
Here's an example on Neopan 400:
Here's an example on Tri-X at 1000 ASA:
Here's an example on Neopan 400:
Here's an example on Tri-X at 1000 ASA:
sleepyhead
Well-known
Mike, I also use Rodinal - your suggestion of using Scala is very interesting! THANKS
RF-Addict
Well-known
Sleepyhead, that 2nd shot with the sidelight is absolutely beautiful. It is astonishing how well Diafine handled all the nuances and how fine the grain is, despite the fact that you pushed that "poor" T-Max to ISO1000. Amazing shot - you should frame it and hang it on the wall.
srtiwari
Daktari
Mike, I like the pic on the left. Is that TMax or Delta 100 ? The idea of using Scala is a new one to me. It is interesting. Someone had also recently written here about using XP2 in B&W chemistry. Seems to work great.
Sleepyhead, I really Love the Diafine with, both, the Neopan 400 and the Tri-x. I am definitely going to try this. What ISO did you shoot the Neopan as ? Doesn't the ISO go up with Diafine ?
Thank you guys.
Sleepyhead, I really Love the Diafine with, both, the Neopan 400 and the Tri-x. I am definitely going to try this. What ISO did you shoot the Neopan as ? Doesn't the ISO go up with Diafine ?
Thank you guys.
whitecat
Lone Range(find)er
I have to agree. Excellent shot.
John Bragg
Well-known
HC-110 @ dilution H is my developer of choice. It lasts at least half way to forever, if handled right. Dilute the syrup using a syringe to measure accurately and enjoy !
Regards, John.
Regards, John.
srtiwari
Daktari
Thanks, John. I have heard great things about it. I am sure you are familiar with this- http://www.mironchuk.com/hc-110.html
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I don't have a huge amount of experience here as I've only been developing my own film for a few months but my best results so far have come with Xtol. Very nice with most films so far and when I get the exposure right with Neopan 400 it's superb. Neopan's whites with the right combination are beautiful and the film has a unique look to me!
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mervynyan
Mervyn Yan
i use ilfosol s, fast or slow
srtiwari
Daktari
Keith,
I have used TMax 100 in XTol 1:1. My issue is that it is not inexpensive, and once made, does not last long AFAIK.
BTW, Still love the IIIf I bought fro you.
I have used TMax 100 in XTol 1:1. My issue is that it is not inexpensive, and once made, does not last long AFAIK.
BTW, Still love the IIIf I bought fro you.
John Bragg
Well-known
srtiwari said:
I sure am familiar with this info and it largely encouraged me to try dilution H. My negatives improved and became easier and more predictable in printing.
Regards, John.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Hi Subhash,
Five litres of Xtol was just over $9.00 which is a little more than the same amount of D76 ... but for me I thought it was more versatile. I used the five litres in around ten weeks and had no problems but was careful to store it in containers that allowed no air space at the top.
I've just ordered some Fuji Super Prodol from Megapearls in Japan and will be very interested to see how good that is with Neopan. It was very cheap ... half the price of Xtol!
Glad that you are enjoying the IIIf.
Cheers ... Keith
Five litres of Xtol was just over $9.00 which is a little more than the same amount of D76 ... but for me I thought it was more versatile. I used the five litres in around ten weeks and had no problems but was careful to store it in containers that allowed no air space at the top.
I've just ordered some Fuji Super Prodol from Megapearls in Japan and will be very interested to see how good that is with Neopan. It was very cheap ... half the price of Xtol!
Glad that you are enjoying the IIIf.
Cheers ... Keith
sleepyhead
Well-known
srtiwari said:
Hi, I checked my notes and I didn't write anything, so I suspect it was at ISO 400 - generally DIAFINE allows shooting at higher than "box rated" ISO, but this is not true for all films.
I agree with Keith - Fuji Neopan 400 is a special film - as soon as my large Tri-X supply runs out I plan to shoot more of it. It reminds my a bit of the discontinued Agfa APX films - seems rich in Silver if that makes any sense...
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
sleepyhead said:
It was interesting to note in the poll thread that's running about 'your favourite black and white 400 film' that the Fuli really didn't rate that highly. HP5 and TRI-X stomped all over it in usage here. HP5 for my tastes is a little generic looking and really had nothing to distinguish it from the bunch whereas the Neopan, though a little fussy with developer and agitation, really shines in the right environments and has a signature all it's own!
fbf
Well-known
Sleepyhead, the pictures look stunning. I love the highlight, especially the sidelight of the portrait. Absolutely amazing.
I started my own develop not long ago. So far, I really like HC110 both dilu B and H. It's very easy to handle
I started my own develop not long ago. So far, I really like HC110 both dilu B and H. It's very easy to handle
srtiwari
Daktari
Sleepyhead and Keith,
I found this re: Neopan and Diafine. Interessting at 800 ISO-
http://flickr.com/photos/ericxi/1055178743/
I found this re: Neopan and Diafine. Interessting at 800 ISO-
http://flickr.com/photos/ericxi/1055178743/
LeicaM3
Well-known
After 30 yrs of developing my own film, I only use 4 combos with two developers:
real FAST TriX @ 1000 in DIAFINE
FAST Neopan 400 @ 640 in DIAFINE or @400 in RODINOL
DAYLIGHT APX100 in RODINOL 1:100, 1 hour, 20C stand, agitate 15 sec at start and at 30 min
real FAST TriX @ 1000 in DIAFINE
FAST Neopan 400 @ 640 in DIAFINE or @400 in RODINOL
DAYLIGHT APX100 in RODINOL 1:100, 1 hour, 20C stand, agitate 15 sec at start and at 30 min
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bmattock
Veteran
My personal favorite still remains Kodak Tri-X in D-76 1:1. It is a versatile standard and a classic. It is well-understood and if you run into problems, there are a million guys out there with experience in that combo who can help you. I would not recommend anything else for a newbie.
For those who expressed amazement at Diafine - it truly is a wonder, but it has drawbacks.
First - it is a two-part developer. You mix up a bottle of Part A and Part B and keep them separate. Because they do not act on each other, they last, as some say, a ridiculously long time. And you reuse Diafine over and over - just pour it back in the (correct) bottle. The only loss is through what is actually absorbed into the emulsion. I've been running the same Diafine for a couple years now.
Second - it is a compensating developer, and it develops to exhaustion. What that means is two-fold. First, you almost always keep all shadow detail - it is really hard to lose your shadows and blow out your highlights in Diafine. Because it develops to exhaustion, you can leave it in the soup for however long you wish - time becomes more-or-less irrelevant. Part A is poured in and left at least three minutes - but all it is doing is absorbing into the geletin layer of the film. If you leave it in there longer, it can't absorb any more - a full sponge, so to speak. So no harm, no foul. When you put in Part B, it begins to act on the developer that is present in the film's emulsion now (Part A) and it continues to work until there is nothing left to react with. This also takes three minutes, but again, you can leave it in the soup for much longer with no harm, no foul. It can't develop what isn't there anymore. Unlike D-76, Rodinal, et al, it stops developing.
Third - it is pan-thermic within certain limits. So you can pretty much ignore the thermometer and just plunk the stuff in the soup. Three minutes in A, three minutes in B, and happy days.
Now - the downside. Almost every film gets a speed boost in Diafine. You might think this a boon - and sometimes it is - but the downside of a developer that develops to exhaustion is that you cannot 'push' or 'pull' the film by varying developing time, developer concentration, or temperature. Tri-X is the most amazing film in Diafine - it becomes a true ISO 1200 film. Some people like it better at ISO 1000, some take it to the (advertised) speed of ISO 1600. Personally, I feel it is best at ISO 1200 - but your milage may vary.
Other films gets less of a speed boost, but they almost all get one. And some films are just horrible in Diafine - no idea why.
Diafine is a wonderful developer - and I use it quite a bit, especially when I want to shoot low-light and push my film to ISO 1200, but I still want nice shadow detail - Diafine is the best for that, bar none.
But if you shoot Tri-X, you won't be shooting it at ISO 400 if you intend to soup in Diafine. Before anyone says anything, I should mention that some people attempt to cut Diafine processing off mid-stream by removing it from the Part B soup early, thus bringing the film speed back down. I feel this is a mistake. Three-minute processing is a VERY short time - a small mistake one way or another can have a huge effect. You'd almost need to use a stop bath - and Diafine advises against stop baths. So I recommend against using Diafine in any manner other than the standard use.
Sorry for the lecture. I love Diafine - it is nearly a miracle developer - but the resulting necessary film speed increase may not make it ideal for all uses.
For those who expressed amazement at Diafine - it truly is a wonder, but it has drawbacks.
First - it is a two-part developer. You mix up a bottle of Part A and Part B and keep them separate. Because they do not act on each other, they last, as some say, a ridiculously long time. And you reuse Diafine over and over - just pour it back in the (correct) bottle. The only loss is through what is actually absorbed into the emulsion. I've been running the same Diafine for a couple years now.
Second - it is a compensating developer, and it develops to exhaustion. What that means is two-fold. First, you almost always keep all shadow detail - it is really hard to lose your shadows and blow out your highlights in Diafine. Because it develops to exhaustion, you can leave it in the soup for however long you wish - time becomes more-or-less irrelevant. Part A is poured in and left at least three minutes - but all it is doing is absorbing into the geletin layer of the film. If you leave it in there longer, it can't absorb any more - a full sponge, so to speak. So no harm, no foul. When you put in Part B, it begins to act on the developer that is present in the film's emulsion now (Part A) and it continues to work until there is nothing left to react with. This also takes three minutes, but again, you can leave it in the soup for much longer with no harm, no foul. It can't develop what isn't there anymore. Unlike D-76, Rodinal, et al, it stops developing.
Third - it is pan-thermic within certain limits. So you can pretty much ignore the thermometer and just plunk the stuff in the soup. Three minutes in A, three minutes in B, and happy days.
Now - the downside. Almost every film gets a speed boost in Diafine. You might think this a boon - and sometimes it is - but the downside of a developer that develops to exhaustion is that you cannot 'push' or 'pull' the film by varying developing time, developer concentration, or temperature. Tri-X is the most amazing film in Diafine - it becomes a true ISO 1200 film. Some people like it better at ISO 1000, some take it to the (advertised) speed of ISO 1600. Personally, I feel it is best at ISO 1200 - but your milage may vary.
Other films gets less of a speed boost, but they almost all get one. And some films are just horrible in Diafine - no idea why.
Diafine is a wonderful developer - and I use it quite a bit, especially when I want to shoot low-light and push my film to ISO 1200, but I still want nice shadow detail - Diafine is the best for that, bar none.
But if you shoot Tri-X, you won't be shooting it at ISO 400 if you intend to soup in Diafine. Before anyone says anything, I should mention that some people attempt to cut Diafine processing off mid-stream by removing it from the Part B soup early, thus bringing the film speed back down. I feel this is a mistake. Three-minute processing is a VERY short time - a small mistake one way or another can have a huge effect. You'd almost need to use a stop bath - and Diafine advises against stop baths. So I recommend against using Diafine in any manner other than the standard use.
Sorry for the lecture. I love Diafine - it is nearly a miracle developer - but the resulting necessary film speed increase may not make it ideal for all uses.