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caffenol vs commercial developer

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mehguy

mehguy

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Apr 26, 2015
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Hi. Im new to the site. But ive been enjoying film photography for about 2 years now. I want to try developing black and white film (mainly hp5 plus 35mm) myself since stores around my area charge 17 dollars just to get it developed and printed. No really, I had just payed 23 dollars to get colour film developed.

Im 14. I really dont have a lot of cash to spend so i wanna know if caffenol is a worth while developer compared to the real thing.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There's a book available on the subject that includes everything you probably need to know if it will meet your needs and desires. Google "caffenol cookbook".
 
Caffenol is a real developer, it's just not a commercial developer.
 
pdeeh said:
Caffenol is a real developer, it's just not a commercial developer.
Click to expand...

Yep.

To the OP. A commercial developer and fix can be very inexpensive. Most of what you are paying for at the lab is time and experience.
 
markbarendt said:
Yep.

To the OP. A commercial developer and fix can be very inexpensive. Most of what you are paying for at the lab is time and experience.
Click to expand...

Well my local camera shop sells 3litres of kodak d76 (powder) for 10 dollars and 500ml of the fixer for 10. Is that worth it compared to caffenol?
 
What you get from commercial developer is guaranteed consistency of product, so any weird or inconsistent results you get when developing are almost always going to be down to your own process and not the developer. So it takes one factor out of the equation when troubleshooting.

You have to buy fixer anyway really, unless you're going to make your own as well.

I say all this, as someone who started out with caffenol and sometimes still uses it. When I arrived at APUG as a new member and asked about using caffenol I was told "beginners shouldn't make their own developers" - advice which I blithely ignored, and I never had a problem with caffenol that wasn't my fault.

However, if you want to experiment with making caffenol, there's no reason why you shouldn't - but I'm simply suggesting you bear in mind what I say in my first paragraph above.
 
I was just about to post about proven consistency of both product and instructions with commercial products. A good thing to have when starting out. I'm with pdeeh entirely.
 
Where are you located? If there are members near you, I'm sure there's one who'd be happy to set you up with the stuff you need to get started.
 
There are a lot of variables to consider in photography. For someone just starting out this can be rather overwhelming. Using as commercial developer eliminates some of these and makes things simpler. Once you become confident in your method then you can explore other things.

I would suggest Kodak D-76 (Ilford ID-11) since it is cheap and readily available just about anywhere. Data for all the commonly used films is also available so these is no guesswork.
 
Gerald C Koch said:
There are a lot of variables to consider in photography. For someone just starting out this can be rather overwhelming. Using as commercial developer eliminates some of these and makes things simpler. Once you become confident in your method then you can explore other things.

I would suggest Kodak D-76 (Ilford ID-11) since it is cheap and readily available just about anywhere. Data for all the commonly used films is also available so these is no guesswork.
Click to expand...

My local camera shop has this powder stuff. Do i just mix with water and thats the developer?
 
mehguy said:
Well my local camera shop sells 3litres of kodak d76 (powder) for 10 dollars and 500ml of the fixer for 10. Is that worth it compared to caffenol?
Click to expand...

Yep.

You have to use fixer even with caffenol.
 
mehguy,

i am one of the folks who wrote the caffenol cookbook, i have been using caffenol c as my main developer for about 10 years now
and never really any problems. it is fun, easy and you can feel like a real mad scientist. that said, if you haven't ever processed film before
and you don't have the ingredients handy to make caffenol ( potency of the developer relies on using the right ingredients, some folks aren't able to find
the right-stuff so they use other stuff, and their film is ruined ) it might be better for you, to use something that at least as far as the developer is concerned
is fool proof. often times photo stores carry the line of sprint photochemical. it is what a lot of high schools and colleges use because it is reliable and easy to use
and they have starting times for nearly every film that is currently being made ...
i don't know of any table &c of starting point developing times for every film made with caffenol, maybe because consistency and potency depends on ingredients
and ingredients change no matter where you might be ... ...

i am not trying to push you away from using caffenol ( as i said, i have been using it for 10 years ) it might be better using something tried and true, rather than
( for some folks ) trial and error ...

good luck !
john
 
My local camera shop has this powder stuff. Do i just mix with water and thats the developer?
Click to expand...

Yes, nothing all too difficult. Powder developers usually contain a part A and a part B. Just heat water to about 40°C/104F, slowly pour in part A and stirr until it has dissolved, then poor in part B and do the same. Let it cool down. That´s it. Just be careful not to blow up the powder dust and not to breathe the stuff in!
 
How many rolls of film can i develop if i make 1 gallon of kodak d76.
 
So when i make the d76 powder stuff, do i still dilute the developer when im ready to develop film or when i make the d76?
 
this will probably answer lots of questions rather than your asking them one at a time as they occur to you:

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/j78/j78.pdf

Also this is a quite marvellous list of online resources for learning about film and development right through to some of the more esoteric areas of film photography

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
 
pdeeh said:
this will probably answer lots of questions rather than your asking them one at a time as they occur to you:

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/j78/j78.pdf

Also this is a quite marvellous list of online resources for learning about film and development right through to some of the more esoteric areas of film photography

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
Click to expand...

i just read the kodak pdf and the developer only lasts 6 MONTHS? I dont think ill be able to use all of it by 6 months.
 
mehguy said:
i just read the kodak pdf and the developer only lasts 6 MONTHS? I dont think ill be able to use all of it by 6 months.
Click to expand...
Stock solutions will last quite a bit longer if stored in full, brown bottles. I think Ilford ID-11 is available to make 1 liter, and there are liquid developers like HC-110 and Rodinal that last for years.
 
So just to be clear, i need the roll of film, developer, fixer and tank?
 
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