Rodinal Development Times for Tri-X

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surfnsnow

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Hi,

I just returned from Freestyle with everything I need to try developing my own film. I am going to give Rodinal a try using Arista Premium (i.e. - Tri-X) 400.

Here is my plan for a midday sun test:

1. Shoot 3 rolls of film, 1 each at 400, 800 and 1600
2. On each roll, find 5 different lighting conditions:
- Full Sun
- Half Sun
- Open Shade
- Darker Shade
- Darkest Shade
3. Bracket each scene with 7 stops (35 frames total each roll)
4. Develop in Rodinal at 1+50, 20C

I got this idea from a recent thread which pointed to these two articles:
- http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/train_your_brainto_guess_.html
- http://www.johnbrownlow.com/phb/techniques/exposure.html

Now, I've looked on Massive Dev Chart for the dev times and they are listed as:

400 1+50 20C = 13
800 1+50 20C = 16.5
1600 1+50 20C = 18.5

However, in the notes for each of these combos, it says "Data is taken from a previous version of this film. Starting point time remains the same."

My understanding is that Tri-X is now made differently than it used to be made. Has anyone tried these dev times with the newer film, and if so, do you know if the dev times have changed?

I am going out to shoot the test rolls now. I will look for the most boring scenes possible, so there's no chance of disappointment if I mess something up! :eek:

I will try the developing tonight when it cools down a bit.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Cheers!
 
Back when I used TX400 (the latest version of Tri-X) with Rodinal 1:50 I had good success with 12 min. @20 deg. C.
Inversions for the first 30 seconds, then 4 inversions every minute.

The 13 min. you got from the chart sound like a good starting point to me. You'll have to see how you like the results with Rodinal @1600. Pictorially, you'll probably do just fine. However, if you need the last smidgen of "true" speed, Rodinal is not the first choice.

Have fun experimenting!
All the best, Ljós
 
I shoot Arista Premium 400 daily. Rodinal 1+50 18ºC (Not higher...)

For direct sun (with yellow filter) I shoot at 1/250 f/8 1/2. That's the metering I get incident at ISO50. Without yellow filter 1/500 f/8 1/2 (incident at 100). In camera metering ISO200. Development 15 minutes to control the high contrast produced by harsh light..

For overcast or in the shadows (softer contrast scenes) I meter incident at 200 (No yellow filter). On luminous overcast days that can be 1/250 f/8 and f/5.6... On darker days f/4 and f/2.8. In camera metering ISO400. Development 22 minutes to increase the low contrast produced by soft, flat light.

When I push it to incident 800 or in camera 1600, I develop it for one hour with inversions every five minutes. But I think after 45 minutes there's no change...

Cheers,

Juan
 
surfnsnow said:
I will try the developing tonight when it cools down a bit.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
I was just about to add something about Rodinal and temperature, and now I see that Juan also mentions that he does not go above 18 deg. C. You can find some information about the pronounced correlation between grain and temperature with Rodinal in this http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80104 thread.

TX400 is so fine grained to begin with that you will be fine with 20 deg. But if you want to stick with Rodinal, it could be well worth while to experiment and see whether lower temperatures will give you results that you prefer. On the other end of the scale, if you ever want to concoct very pronounced grain, try Rodinal 1:25 @ 24 deg.

All the best, Ljós
 
Juan and Ljos,

Thanks for the input!

The chemicals and water at standing room temp are 22C / 75F. How would you recommend getting the temp down?

I have at my disposal:
- A refrigerator / freezer
- A couple dozen ice cubes
- 2 frozen reusable ice packs
- A double kitchen sink

Thanks!
 
I mix rodinal+water and put it in the freezer. When it's 17ºC I take it out, and inside a big bowl I mix water with a few ice cubes until it's 18ºC. I don't presoak. I pour the developer in, invert a few times (like every minute), an the tank is always inside the water, with water above film level... Every few minutes I check water temperature, and if it's going to 18.5 or 19 I add three ice cubes for a moment and take them out, and it comes back to 17.5 or 18... On winter the same, but with hot water... I don't use stop bath. I fix for 6-8 minutes, and use my 1+9 fixer only twice.

Cheers,

Juan
 
Thanks Juan,

That's really helpful. Do you also temp control the other chemicals (stop bath, fixer, etc.)? Or is that not important compared to the developer temp?

Cheers!
 
Developer temp will have the most effect but it's always a good idea to keep things consistent...you risk reticulation (correct me if I have the wrong term) by subjecting film to big swings in temperature during development.

A few degrees won't harm anything in stop or fix...more than that, you takes your chances.
 
I use trix 400 and rodinal almost exclusively. I find 20 C is fine and I prefer the look over other temperatures so you will need to determine this preference for yourself. To get the water at a stable temp, I just play with my tap and thermometer until I get to 20 C than I fill up my bottles and don't worry about slight temperature variances unless it is really cold or really hot; either way I will just compensate by making the tap water a degree colder or warmer accordingly. It is a good idea apparently to try to keep your liquids fairly close in temp...I don't recall why, but I recall being told I should....
 
surfnsnow said:
Thanks Juan,

That's really helpful. Do you also temp control the other chemicals (stop bath, fixer, etc.)? Or is that not important compared to the developer temp?

Cheers!
Click to expand...

I have never controlled more than developer temperature. Before fixer I wash for just ten seconds with ambient water, and use fixer at ambient temperature too... On summer and winter too: never saw my emulsion affected on any film in more than 20 years.

Cheers,

Juan
 
Thanks for your input Colin and Thomas,

thomasw_ said:
To get the water at a stable temp, I just play with my tap and thermometer until I get to 20 C than I fill up my bottles and don't worry about slight temperature variances unless it is really cold or really hot; either way I will just compensate by making the tap water a degree colder or warmer accordingly.
Click to expand...

Problem is it's hot in LA! Right now the coldest I can get the tap water to come out is 22C. I'll try Juan's method to cool down the chemicals and try to keep them at a relatively stable temp using the "water bath" during the processing.

Again, thanks to everyone for helping me out!

Cheers
 
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