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Chemistry for beginner home film development

Archimedes the Dog

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I haven't been able to find a thread or article speaking to this so please excuse any repetition. I am looking to develop and scan at home. I grew up in a darkroom but haven't done it in ages. I am looking for something reasonably stable and easy to use. I shoot 35 and 120, mostly 100 speed but some 400. I usually don't get too creative with speed, I sometimes pull a stop or two. I mostly stick with t-grain films and pan f, but I also have some rollei retro 80 and 400 and some rollei blackbird at the moment. I shoot a lot of landscape and architectural detail, sharpness is generally important to me aesthetically.

I was intending to use dd-x but wanted to see if that was a good starting point.
 
Try this: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

I'd recommend HC-110 developer, Ilfostop or Kodak Indicator stop bath, Ilford or Kodak Rapid Fixer or Ilford Hypam Fixer, Kodak HCA (to cut water use) and either Kodak Photo-flo or the equivalent Ilford product.

If the link doesn't work (because it refers to my own search) just do an advanced search in the Black & White forum on the terms "Chemicals for Beginner".

EDIT: Here are the search parameters: "Type: Posts; Keyword(s): Chemicals, for, beginner; Forum = B&W: Film, Paper, Chemistry and child forums"
 
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Archimedes the Dog said:
I was intending to use dd-x but wanted to see if that was a good starting point.
Click to expand...

Well, DD-X is a cracking developer with an awesome reputation, but it is probably one of the most expensive ones, too. Some swear there's nothing better. I think Xtol or D76 are perhaps better starting points, as they are well-rounded developers that produce an excellent balance of characteristics, including full box speed. I would use them 1:1, though, not as stock.

I should add that I love Acros developed in Rodinal, but after some initial learning pains I now understand how to develop it to give me what I want. It is not the film for every conceivable purpose under the sun - TMax 100 for many purposes is better. Those are the two I'd consider for fine grain work on 35 mm if you are using T-grain films for most other purposes too. More generally, I like HP5+ and FP4+ in medium format, as they are extremely tolerant of my lack of skill, and produce useable results seemingly without effort on my part. TriX is similar, but I use it sparingly in 35 mm. Pan F+ is the one I often don't know how to approach, as I just never feel the urge to load it into a camera. I don't know why, and maybe I need an education on that film and what it can do.
 
I would suggest same as above, HC110 or xtol. I use both and sometimes ddx too. If you don't mind the cost of ddx, stick to it. If you want fine grain, I will also second Acros as a great choice. For 400 speed I like Neopan better than tmax, but it's being discontinued. After I run out of it, I will most likely switch trix with a bit of tmax when I need the extra detail. But at that point I would normally use MF.
 
I'd recommend Rodinal/Adonal. 500ml of water, 5ml of developer (I use a baby-medicine syring from the chemist), pour it in, shake it a bit, leave it for an hour. Tip it out, bit of a rinse, then fixer. No thermometer or stopwatch needed, could not be easier nor cheaper.
You can always use it as a regular developer too, with agitations and all that.

Otherwise Xtol seems to get mentioned a lot as a 'my first developer' (it was my first too). Just be aware that if you don't use it all in 6 months, it goes off badly and one day you just get nothing.
 
Are you happy to make up your own developer from raw chemicals?

HC110 is okay but it's a compromise. It's nice, middle of the road, easy to use, lasts for years without losing its effectiveness, but if you want no-compromise sharpness to go with your preference for fine grain, HC110 is not really the developer for you.

There is a very sharp, long lasting developer that will preserve your fine grain, but you can't buy it. You make it yourself. The good news is that it is very, very easy to make up. It's called OBSIDIAN AQUA.

Here is the recipe I use: http://freepdfhosting.com/aa330a94ce.pdf

It was invented by Jay DeFehr, who has a number of excellent developers to his name and who is a very helpful man if you ever need to ask him about using his creations... http://hypercatacutancedeveloper.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/obsidian-aqua.html

You can see a few examples on Flickr of OBSIDIAN AQUA and Delta films here https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Obsidian%20Aqua%20Delta


RR
 
No developer is optimal for every film, but Kodak HC-110 is probably the all-around mix of quality and convenience out there
Rodinal is the magic elixir of life, and gives excellent sharpness but can accentuate the grain of films ISO 400 and above.
XTOL is amazing but the kit makes 5L of stock solution, which can be difficult to use up unless you're going with a replenishment regimen.
DD-X is also amazing, particularly with t-grained films, but is not the most economical,
HC-110 gives a nice balance of fine grain and sharpness, and comes in an easy to use concentrate with an indefinite shelf life.
 
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I've been looking into this too. The last batch of 4x5 sheets I sent in was $4 per sheet. I said "ouch" when I got that bill. I mostly shoot Efke 25, FP4, HP5. Also do some 35mm with my Leica, and 120 in my Rolleiflex and pre-war folders. I stick to FP4 and HP5 for that.


Kent in SD
 

I also recommend HC-110 as the best all-around developer and the easiest for the beginner. It is convenient especially for one who does not plan to develop large amounts of film. The concentrate lasts a very long time. The following site has lots of useful information.

http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/
 
I started with D-76, and I like it. However, I don't develop much or often. That said, a liquid concentrate like HC-110 (as already suggested) might be a good place to start, as it has a long life as a concentrate. Just draw out what you need, mix it, and develop.
 
It should be "chemical". I first thought you were seeking a tutorial/textbook.
 
I started b/w developing in 2012. Best and easy to use chemicals to me are XTOL, Kodak Fixer and Photo-Flo.
Using it for 100 and 400 ISO films.
I have HC-110, but it doesn't seems to be as easy as XTOL.
 
Several have suggested HC-110 as a developer, and it is the only film developer that I use, however, it has a couple of drawbacks:
1) If you are using fast films it is not the finest grain developer, which for 35mm may be an issue - I don't shoot 35mm so I don't worry.
2) You mix it as you use it - it comes as a very concentrated syrup and the easiest way to measure it is with a syringe (you can get them from feed stores). For ease of use, less syrupy liquid developers are probably easier to use such as Arista Liquid Premium which works like D-76.

For Stop, the easiest to use is water.

For fix, again, I like liquid since it is easy to mix and I tend to use the Ilford Rapid Fixer.

You are in a part of the world that doesn't have any shortage of water, so I would just wash with water rather than using HCA or equivalent, so all you really need is the developer and fixer.
 
The 2001 Kodak Professional Photographic Catalog contains a comparison chart.

Compared to D-76, this chart indicates that HC-110 (dilution B) produces:

• Slightly less shadow detail or true film speed;
• Slightly finer grain;
• Slightly lower acutance.

Kodak developed HC-110 to produce results as close to D-76 as possible.
 
Thanks. I tend to use Acros for lower contrast and Tmax 100 for higher contrast. I have some Tmax 400 that I haven't used yet, I have mostly used Delta 400 for high speed. Pan F is for I should try some delta 100 too, but haven't gotten there yet. I shoot 120 2:1 over 35mm.

DD-X doesn't seem terribly expensive, though, what am I not understanding?
 
Nuff said:
I guess it's more expensive in my part of the world. If you don't think it is, then use it. It's great stuff.
But it's not as cheap as xtol for example.
Click to expand...

Well, XTOL is cheap, certainly. Still, DD-X seems reasonably economical with the stability tradeoff for how much I would use it. HC seems like a good option as well and I am doing further research.
 
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Mix your own?

Archimedes the Dog said:
Well, XTOL is cheap, certainly. Still, DD-X seems reasonably economical with the stability tradeoff for how much I would use it. HC seems like a good option as well and I am doing further research.
Click to expand...

You save more money by mixing your own from raw chemicals. That developer I mentioned earlier in this thread is particularly economical and it produces stunningly sharp yet fine grained negatives, which is what you were hoping for in your original post. As for stability and long term storage... It's a two part developer, stock solution A and stock solution B. Neither of these stock solutions deteriorates when kept separate from each other. You mix them (1ml of A plus 12.5ml of B made up to 500l with water) just prior to use.

It isn't hard to do. Electronic scales can be had from eBay for very little money so accuracy is within the reach of anyone and you won't care if some proprietary developer is withdrawn from the market just as you were getting to like it...

RR
 
I acquired a gallon T-max developer when I empties someone's darkroom collection. I've been very happy about it.

For B&W, where is not really much to say. All the stuff is good and easy. The chemicals are so cheap. I won't buy the very expensive ones.
 

I'll take a look, thanks.
 
Sprint is a very forgiving system too. Many schools use it. Easy dilutions, lots of development times.
 
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