Acutance

I am interested in using PanF or FP4 with a high accutance developer. Does anyone have any experience with both Rodinal and FX2? How do they compare to Ilfosol (S or 3), which Ilford recommends for these films? And then there's semi-stand - better still? Thanks.

KenR said:

I am interested in using PanF or FP4 with a high accutance developer. Does anyone have any experience with both Rodinal and FX2? How do they compare to Ilfosol (S or 3), which Ilford recommends for these films? And then there's semi-stand - better still? Thanks.

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I have not used Pan F in a long time, and have no experience with Ilfosol. However, FP4+ will definitely respond to acutance developers such as Rodinal, FX2, and I will also thrown in Pyrocat-HD or -MC since they are acutance developers that have been used with minimal agitation procedures.

With all of these developers you will get more acutance with minimal agitation methods than with continuous agitation. My personal method of developing FP4+ calls for an initial agitation of about one minutes, and quite vigorous, followed by ten seconds of agitation at the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 points of development. This method is something of a compromise between the even development but reduced acutance you get with rotary development, and the potential for uneven development but very enhanced acutance you get with stand development. My own opinion is that FX-2 and Pyrocat-HD give slightly sharper results than Rodinal, though in some cases the large grain of Rodinal may add some apparent sharpness.

Sandy King

Over the years I've used a lot of Acutance developers, Ilford Hyfin, FX2, Acutol, Acutol-S etc you lose a little tonality and fine grain to get the acutance. For many years I used Rodinal it is superb developer and with APX25 or APX100 and Tmax films gives exceptionally fine grain.

However I switched to Sandy King's Pyrocat after some quick trials a few years ago and it really is a good developer it just adds something hard to describe, due to the exceptional tonality and acutance, alongside fine grain.

Ian

Perhaps the part that is hard to describe is the color of the negative image. It has different effects with different printing materials.

does acutance developer make any difference for large format film?

cotdt said:

does acutance developer make any difference for large format film?

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Yes, of course particularly if you make enlargements.

Ian

However, the acutance does not change to suit a scale factor. If you use the same developer on 8x10 and 35 mm, the acutance may be overdone on the 35.

I regularly use PanF in 120 format exposed at 50 iso and developed with Ilfosol 3 at 1-9.
The prints I've made from a Hasselblad go up to 50x60cm, which is the largest I can print
with excellent sharpness and not a trace of visible grain.
The only problem is the extremely short development times of around 4 minutes and coupled
with the inherited contrast of PanF is always a concern for uneven development.

Ari, interestingly Ilford suggest Ilfosol 3 times for 1+14 of 4mins 30 secs.
Iwonder what happens if you use Ilfosol 3 at 1+19 although not listed it may work a little better reducing contrast slightly while giving more manageable development times.

gainer said:

However, the acutance does not change to suit a scale factor. If you use the same developer on 8x10 and 35 mm, the acutance may be overdone on the 35.

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Most acutance developers were designed with 35mm in mind, particularly Crawley's FX-1/FX-2 etc, and their commercial cousins Acutol and Acutol S. Pyrocat or similar developers are fine with 35mm and the balance of acutance, tonality and fine grain produces excellent prints. However if you use stand development to increase the degree of acutance this will can give very much greater adjacency effects which would usually be totally inappropriately for 35mm or 120 films.

Ian Grant said:

Ari, interestingly Ilford suggest Ilfosol 3 times for 1+14 of 4mins 30 secs.
Iwonder what happens if you use Ilfosol 3 at 1+19 although not listed it may work a little better reducing contrast slightly while giving more manageable development times.

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When Ilfosol 3 comes to Greece, maybe in a year or so, I will give it a try.