Cinestill DF96 monobath

Brownie_Holiday

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Huss said:
Chinon Bellami, Ilford HP5, Cinestill DF96 Monobath
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You're getting some really nice results with the Monobath. I haven't developed B&W since late winter. I have the bottle of DF-96 I mixed up back in January, never threw it out. I was going to get rid of it the other day, but did a cup test with an old tail from some T-Max 100 just for the helluvit. I used the normal time based on the number of rolls (only 4) I had developed. I'll be darned if it didn't work. I've decided to risk a roll of Arista 200 EDU laying around to see what happens.
 
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Huss

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Roll #17 from bottle opened on July 12th

Leica M3, Summicron 50 v1, Arista 100, Cinestill DF96 Monobath

 

RalphLambrecht

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NortheastPhotographic said:
Ugh monobaths. Why give up the creative freedom of developers for B&W films? If you want to simplify B&W shoot XP2 Super.
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XP2 shines in high-contrast scenes but leaves much to be desired in normal or low-contrast scenes; only so much can be corrected with paper contrast.
 
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Huss

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From roll #19 in DF96 opened July 12.
My other bottles lasted 16 rolls max. Not sure why this one has given me 3 extra rolls so far!

Konica C35 EF3, Arista 100, Cinestill DF96 Monobath.

 

Moose22

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You going to keep going until you get a roll that comes out bad? Or...

Some people like to live dangerously! I'd be nervous by now.
 
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Huss

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Moose22 said:
You going to keep going until you get a roll that comes out bad? Or...

Some people like to live dangerously! I'd be nervous by now.
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No, every roll after roll #14 I test the developer with a little strip of film cut from the leader to make sure it is still good.
If it comes out solid black (because the leader has been exposed to light when loading the film), the DF96 is still good.

I wouldn't just develop a roll and risk it!
 
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Huss

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From roll #20 in DF96. The DF is now yellow, but the test strip showed it still good.

Nikon F2, Nikkor 55 1.2, Ilford HP5+, CInestill DF96 Monobath

 

Donald Qualls

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Getting toward 20 rolls, I'd be getting concerned about the capacity of the fixer component...
 
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Huss

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Auer said:
16 is where I bail out haha.
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I have to admit this is most unusual. My other bottles have not lasted this long, but the test strips show as good, so I'm using it.

I have had one bottle quit at 15 rolls.

Cinestill itself give guidance as to when it is expired, and I have been following that.
 

MattKing

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I would be tempted to follow up with an extra fixing bath after that many rolls.
 
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Huss

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MattKing said:
I would be tempted to follow up with an extra fixing bath after that many rolls.
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I rarely give in to temptation.

Previous jobs - bubble wrap packer, Team Hawaiian Tropic oil applier, Tootsie pop tester (we'll never know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop)
 

drmoss_ca

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I'm rather late to this party, but have had an enjoyable 21 page read! With respect to XP2 in a monobath, I haven't tried the Cinestill product, but in our own Mr Qualls' homebrew monobath, I have had some success with XP2.
F6, ISO 400, Rondinax tank:





I can get finer grain with other developers, notably HC-110 (and even Diafine if exposed at 200), but this was a fun experiemnt.
 

George Mann

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If I buy this stuff in powdered form for use in my day tank (7 fluid ounces), how many one-shot mixtures will it provide?
 
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Auer

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George Mann said:
If I buy this stuff in powdered form for use in my day tank (7 fluid ounces), how many one-shot mixtures will it provide?
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https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0339/5113/files/DF96_instructions.pdf?10407520513295392991

CHEMICAL REUSE: Can process 16+ rolls of film. Simply recombine used chemistry and add +15sec. for each roll previously processed until you reach 8 min.
If a film does not appear fully cleared, process for longer in Df96. It will not affect development.

Chemistry Lifespan: Expected shelf life is 1 year from purchase, and once opened should be used within 2 months. Film will still finish processing as chemicals age but will eventually produce thin negatives when developer is exhausted. Exhaustion Indication: As chemicals exhaust they will start to yellow and turn dark amber when perished. Oxygen and contaminants cause developing agents to perish. Depending on silver and dye content of film types, you should be able to continue reusing until you reach an unacceptable processing time.

Simple Quality Control: Before reusing opened chemicals it is a best practice to do a daylight snip test. Snip off light-struck film from a 35mm leader tongue and process in a cup with a small amount of Df96. The test should come out opaque black (D-max of the film) to guarantee quality. You can save the snippet to compare to future tests. If the test comes out thin, you can increase temperature and retest, or retire chemistry if transparent.
 
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