Developers for B&W film

[Ko.Fe.]

To be honest, it is next to irrelevant which one. Believing what some developer will magically made your photos better is blind religion.
If I want it grainy I use Rodinal, if I want it normal HC110.

 

[AAlfano]

To be honest, it is next to irrelevant which one. Believing what some developer will magically made your photos better is blind religion.
If I want it grainy I use Rodinal, if I want it normal HC110.

Yes but what would we do without blind religious arguments over what developer is best? Don't go ruining all the fun with practical advice!

 

[skahde]

People are easily spending money for film and developers to find the the "right" combination but would hardly ever spend the same money on a used densitometer and a book which would enable them to make about any combination work as desired.

 

[Bingley]

Absolutely wonderful shots! Each and every one of them!!

Thank you, Huub! Much appreciated!

 

[Ricoh]

To be honest, it is next to irrelevant which one. Believing what some developer will magically made your photos better is blind religion.
If I want it grainy I use Rodinal, if I want it normal HC110.

Grainy as buggery, for preference. I’m thinking of using paper developer.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Grainy as buggery, for preference. I’m thinking of using paper developer.

Dektol is common trick for laziness. Or just a TMAX 3200
But real grain comes with lith developer on darkroom print.
Untitled by Kostya Fedot, on Flickr

 

[telenous]

To be honest, it is next to irrelevant which one. Believing what some developer will magically made your photos better is blind religion.
If I want it grainy I use Rodinal, if I want it normal HC110.

It's not about that.

Finding a film+Dev combo is an exhilarating process, esp. when you first start with film. It takes you out to shoot and the more you shoot the more you bring good things back home.

Seeing what others use and what they've ended up with, tells a little of their story. Maybe it inspires even a bit.

Your Lith photo does that too. That's what it's about, eh?

 

[Freakscene]

Dektol is common trick for laziness. Or just a TMAX 3200
But real grain comes with lith developer on darkroom print.
Untitled by Kostya Fedot, on Flickr

The trick is making grain while retaining tonality. This one, Kostya, is just gorgeous.

Back in the day I shot TMZ at 1000 and slightly over-developed it in Rodinal 1+25. Lith printed on Sterling paper, and with the highlights slightly bleached, it looked amazing. A lot of people liked it toned in polysulfide and then gold to give the mid tones a slightly pink blush. I learned the TMZ in Rodinal trick from a course where the Australian photographer Peter Eastway provided a presentation and folio critique. People *loved* it. I stopped showing it as a style option to clients after 6 months or so because everyone wanted it and it got boring, and all I was ever buying was bricks of TMZ and gallons of Rodinal. The approach was also very darkroom time intensive.

Marty

 

[elmarman]

Been Experimenting with 'Stainers' lately -- I mixed up 510-Pyro and Pyrocat HD from the chemicals -- I had to order some Pyrocatchecol and the TEA and Propylenene Glycol . I got good results ---
The New KENTMERE 120 in a ROLLEIFLEX T with Pyrocat HD
Pyrocat HD 01 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
Pyrocat HD 02 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
Old FP4 bulk in LEICA IIIc 50mm f2 Summitar. 510-Pyro
LEICA IIIc after CLA Test by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

 

[Ricoh]

Dektol is common trick for laziness. Or just a TMAX 3200
But real grain comes with lith developer on darkroom print.
Untitled by Kostya Fedot, on Flickr

Superb, love it. 👍

 

[Bingley]

On the topic of grain, in post 42 above I showed some examples, taken in Lisbon ten years ago, using Tri-X shot at iso 250 and developed in HC 110 dil. h for 11:30 mins. I liked the smoothness and tonality of those photos, w/ very little of the grain I associate w/ Tri-X developed at box speed (or higher). I decided to try this approach again several weeks ago, this time using Legacy Pro 110 dil. h instead of HC 110. Here are two of the results. I may use Tri-X in this way more often…

Winter by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr

Winter II by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr

 

[Bingley]

Compare the results above w/ the photo below, using Cinestill XX film and D96 Monobath developer. The photo is definitely grainier, yet I like the tones. If you like Cinestill XX (or Eastman XX), but want a less grainier look, try developing in Ilfotec DDX.

Viewpoint by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr

 

[agentlossing]

I developed a roll of (probably expired) Tri-X in Rodinal yesterday and the results reminded me that I need to get a different developer for ISO 400 film. I like the way HP5 looks pushed in Rodinal, but not particularly at box speed, and I didn't care for the way Tri-X looked either. I'm willing to give LegacyPro L110 a try, it's inexpensive and shippable. Does the bottle hold up well over time once opened?

 

[Freakscene]

I'm willing to give LegacyPro L110 a try, it's inexpensive and shippable. Does the bottle hold up well over time once opened?

Legacy Pro L110 has water in it, and theoretically won’t last as long as the old glycol only Kodak HC-110. But the new Kodak HC-110 is similar (identical?) to Legacy Pro. I am curious about L110, but have 5L of the old HC-110, so I am not so curious as to set up an experiment to assess its stability. Maybe try some and let us know. You can buy some of these: Ilford FP4 Plus 125 ISO 35mm x 100 ft. Process Control Strips | Freestyle Photo & Imaging and use them with a densitometer (or a flatbed scanner works just fine) to very finely assess the performance of the developer.

Marty

 

[markjwyatt]

Rollei sell R09. I have a bottle. It is over a year old and looks kind of dirty. I heard that unlike ADOX Rodinal, they use a a less pure form of a key chemical. While it was new I used it and it worked fine.

Possible but I doubt it. If someone could say which chemical, and what contaminant, I might start to be interested, but the original Agfa product can oxidise too....

Marty

Accorind to Adox it is paraminophenol (link) . Interested?

 

[Freakscene]

Accorind to Adox it is paraminophenol (link) . Interested?

What Mirko says (and he should know, he owns and runs Adox) in the attached link, is that the used Adox Rodinal developer goes black when discarded after use, but the R09 did not. This is because of differences in the purity and type of p-aminophenol. This doesn’t say anything about shelf life or changes in storage. Developing film oxidises the developer, because its job is to reduce light sensitive silver salts to metallic silver. The reactions with oxygen in storage differ.

Marty