Acros and Rodinal

I use acros and develop in rodinal at 1:100 for 18 minutes and am very happy with the results for 120 film
The massive dev chart does not list a time or agitation timing for Acros 35mm in Rodinal 1:100 only 1:50 could I use the same timing I use for 120?
Also what difference does it make to the final image using a more dilute developer?

may thanks and happy new year

I haven't been able to substantiate the difference between 1:100 and 1:50 during normal agitation. You do run the risk of exhausting your developer at 1:100 though and have to make sure to put plenty in there.
If you decide to use less agitation, say every three minutes, or every five minutes, or even just agitate once or twice during the entire developing cycle, 1:100 or even 1:200 becomes advantageous.
Jokingly, you will use twice the developer at 1:50... BUT, less of your time. And Rodinal is so cheap to use, I'd just go 1:50 all the time like I did when I got sick of agitating for 18 minutes.

I would use the same dilution for 35mm as 120, perhaps just a smidgeon less due to the heavier base of 35mm. I don't think it'll matter much.

Have fun.

- Thomas

I've found that extended development in highly dilute developer with intermittent agitation, (2 inversions per minute) lets me build the shadow densities without risking blocked highlights. 'The Film Developing Cookbook' gives an explanation of this which makes eminent sense to me. As a starting point I'd run the Acros 35 the same way as the 120 which has been successful for you.

You might see some slight increase in shadow density by using dilute developers, but what you're referring to is any compensating developer, such as Rodinal or Pyrocat. Your shadow density is based on exposure mainly, what you alter in development of your negatives is the highlights.

- Thomas

BobNewYork said:

I've found that extended development in highly dilute developer with intermittent agitation, (2 inversions per minute) lets me build the shadow densities without risking blocked highlights. 'The Film Developing Cookbook' gives an explanation of this which makes eminent sense to me. As a starting point I'd run the Acros 35 the same way as the 120 which has been successful for you.

Click to expand...

Thomas, you're right of course - film speed, (shadow density) is essentially inherent in the film, not in the developer. In fact I've used Rodinal at 1+150, (20 deg. C, 7 min) for 4x5 Tech Pan. It's just that I find my prints appear, (and it may be just appear) sharper with higher dilutions and longer dev. times - even in the same developer.

Thanks for the useful and interesting information. I have tried some 35mm at 1:50 for 11.5 minutes and felt had more grain and was less sharp than I would expect from Acros but I did wonder If I was just expecting too much from 35mm having been used to 120.
I will try 35mm at 1:100 for 18 minutes at 20 deg C) as I do for 120 and see how that goes.

I think 35mm is definitely capable of sharp beautiful prints, but you have to be a lot more careful with everything from focusing to developing and printing. It will never be as sharp as medium format, and you shouldn't expect that. What you should expect is a very handy tool to capture moments that were perhaps difficult at best with a medium or large format camera.
- Thomas

Fair point Thomas I didn't expect to achieve the same results but was surprised at the degree of difference. I think I may have fallen foul of your point that "you have to be more careful with everything.." I need to get out there and shoot and develop more carefully and then see how it looks.
Thanks for your help

I almost always develop Acros is 1:200 Rodinal semistand for about 1 hour. I almost always happy with the results. They results are very easy to print in the darkroom or scan depending upon what I am doing.

Gary

Thanks. I have seen several references to semi stand development in these forums before but I must admit I don't understand what it is or what the advantage is. I assume it is development in dilute developer for a long period with little agitation what agitation would you use and what would be the advantage of this technique?
Richard

RIchardn said:

Thanks. I have seen several references to semi stand development in these forums before but I must admit I don't understand what it is or what the advantage is. I assume it is development in dilute developer for a long period with little agitation what agitation would you use and what would be the advantage of this technique?
Richard

Click to expand...

Take a look at this thread:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Cheers

C

I use the same time, agitation and dilution for Acros 120 and 35mm in Rodinal. That works out to 6ml of Rodinal for the 120 tank, and about 4ml for the 35mm tank.

Richard, as mentioned in the thread above, semi-stand development can have a nice effect on film. Some films react with "edge effects" or the halo-like edge seen between shadow and light. Most films will show an increase in apparent sharpness, sometimes with more pronounced grain.

Increased dilution with decreased agitation will allow high values to build more slowly, while the shadow values seem to gain density at a more constant rate. This type of development can work well in contrasty light, or with flat light. While this may seem to be somewhat contradictory, it holds up in the real world. In flat light, a long, slow development can help with added contrast in shadows and better separation in the tonal scale. The variable here can be simply with agitation cycles.

I use Pyrocat-hd with a 1:1:150 dilution for most things now, as I'm not too concerned with longer development times (strictly an amateur). The variation I use between minimal agitation and semi-stand is simply the frequency between agitation cycles. Minimal agitation uses 3 minutes between cycles, semi-stand is usually at 1/3's of total development time. Initial agitation is critical for this technique. You must have an even wetting of the film and initial agitation, or streaking and uneven development will be the result. Check some of the threads on APUG for more information. My gallery has a few examples in the recent uploads. Best, tim