D76 Dilution?

[Fellipe de Paula]

I'm buying Kodak D76 and would like to know what is the recommended dilution for developing films like delta 100 and hp5+

And just to make something clear in my mind complete this sentence:
The more diluted the developer.....


And, btw, is a pre-wash necessary?

 

[fschifano]

I like it diluted with an equal part of water for both these films. Follow the directions that Ilford gives for ID-11, and you're good to go.

 

[Ian Grant]

The more diluted the developer..... the more water you add

Personally I'd use it full strength and replenish it. That's what we did for years in commercial use and I do the same now with Xtol, once ripened you have a far better developer.

Ian

 

[AlanC]

When I tried ID11 (the same as D76 I believe) at 1+3 as opposed to 1+1 with HP5+ I got noticably more sharpness with hardly any increase in grain. I wouldnt go back to 1+1 for 35mm, where I want all the sharpness I can get.
Alan Clark

 

[Ian Grant]

Used replenished ID-11/D76 gives quite similar results once seasoned to the same developer used 1+3 in terms of sharpness, finer garin but the main difference is no marked compression of tones.

Ian

 

[dancqu]

Sharper Still

When I tried ID11 (the same as D76 I believe) at 1+3 as opposed
to 1+1 with HP5+ I got noticably more sharpness with hardly any
increase in grain. Alan Clark

I'm quite sure D-76 will work just fine at 1:7. I've worked with
D-23 at that dilution and like the results. D-76 and D-23 are
similar in their working.

At 1:7 D-76 development times are off the charts. I suggest
16 minutes for starts with some agitation every other minute.
With D-23 my solution volume runs 500ml. Dan

 

[bdial]

At any dilution, and especially when you go greater than 1:1 you need to make sure you have sufficient stock solution in the mix. According to Kodak the minimum volume is 250 ml per 36 exp roll.

 

[Anon Ymous]

I've developed with 160ml of stock (diluted 1+1) and the negatives were fine. I guess these are very pessimistic figures that any manufacturer would suggest.

 

[Neal]

Dear Fellipe,

When using a new film, I like to bracket around "box speed" and develop using the recommendations on the manufacturer's data sheet.

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/2007321132461251.pdf
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/20061301938422338.pdf

Good luck!

Neal Wydra

 

[Harry v. Loon]

Dear Fellipe,

I use 1+1 150ml D76+150ml water
example 150ml D76@22 °C + 150ml water @18°C = 300ml developer

well that's my trick

Harry

g

 

[dancqu]

At any dilution, and especially when you go greater than
1:1 you need to make sure you have sufficient stock solution
in the mix. According to Kodak the minimum volume is
250 ml per 36 exp roll.

Kodak may be factoring in the time needed for development;
keeping it short. The minimum volume, is that of stock or 1:1?
The 1:7 dilution I've suggested would use 62.5 milliliters of
stock strength in the 500 milliliters volume needed. Dan

 

[bvy]

I'm bumping this since some of my questions stem from the previous discussion.

It started with me trying to figure out how to develop a roll of Tri-X 400 that I shot this past week. The whole roll is indoor candids, many (but not all) taken with the on camera flash. My camera is a Yashica T5.

I was trying to decide if I wanted to develop in stock, 1:1, or some greater dilution, for best results given the artificial lighting and inferior flash.

But the more I read, the more I'm questioning my understanding of these things.

What is meant by solution volume (mentioned above)? If I dilute at 1:3 do I need some minimum amount of stock strength solution? This would imply that I need more working solution and a larger tank for these weaker dilutions.

And what is the difference between 1:1 and 1+1? I sometimes see them used interchangeably. (It's hard to search on these.)

And finally, any suggestions as to how to deal with this particular roll of film would be great.

Thank you.

 

[2F/2F]

You can dilute it a dozen different ways, as with many developers. If you want to use it one shot, then I would dilute it at least 1:1 to get the most out of it.

But you can replenish it and use it straight, which may be a better option in some cases. In that case, you make an initial stock solution from the regular D-76 pouch, or make it yourself with powders. You also mix up a separate bottle of replenisher, which uses a different recipe. I am pretty sure you can still buy it from Kodak, though if not, you can make it yourself. For every so may rolls (others can give you the details, as I am not sure) you add a certain amount of replenisher, after dumping enough of the stock solution to make room for it.

Some people swear by replenishment. I am sure this thread will get into it, but if not, you can search the archives for information.

I used to use it mostly at 1:1 and 1:3 one shot, and sometimes straight reused, adding time for every so many rolls, as Kodak recommends.

One more thing. IME, whenever a manufacturer states a minimum amount of developer stock or concentrate per roll for the working solution, it can be halved and still allow completely normal development. For instance, Rodinal minimum is 10 mL. 5 mL works fine. HC-110 is 6 mL syrup. 3 mL works fine. D-76 is 4 oz. 2 oz. works fine. And so on and so forth with most other run-of-the-mill developers.

 

[Wade D]

I find that using D-76 1:1 tames a high contrast scene to some extent. That is good where you have harsh lighting such as from your on camera flash. Using it 1:1 in a single roll tank works just fine. There is plenty of developer strength. Also if you use a condenser enlarger you want slightly less contrast in your negatives.