Delta, DD-X and T-MAX developer

[Jeff L]

Hi,
When I shoot Ilford Delta I normally develop in DD-X and like the results. I noticed that the T-MAX developer is far less money (I think $20 ish for the DD-X and $12 ish for the T-MAX).
Are DD-X and T-MAX similar developers?
Thanks for any info.
Jeff

 

[Mahler_one]

I can't comment on the chemical make-up of both, but I do NOT believe they are the same developers However, I use DDX ( which I consider to be a wonderful developer and a well kept secret ) in Jobo expert tanks at a considerably greater dilution ( 1 plus 9 ) then suggested by Ilford. At such dilution the cost is diminshed considerably without any sacrifice at all in the quality of the results. I have not tested TMax at the same dilution.

If you've the inclination, you might find that you can also save money by using your developer at a greater dilution. Inexpensive film testing by Fred Newman and others can give you the answer, or you can check the archives here and "construct" such film curves yourself.

Best of luck, and tell us how you made out Jeff!

Ed

 

[Larry.Manuel]

Ilford's PDF instructions [on their website] offer a way to develop 5 films with one liter of made-up DD-X [200ml from bottle]. I've done this several times, it works great. I've done 12 films with 200 ml diluted to 2 liters. A mix of 120 and 135.

 

[Jeff L]

I have never tried it at 1-9, always 1-4. Cost isn't really a problem, I just wondered if they were the same family of developers like Delta and T-Max are the same type of film. If they were, the $12. vs. $20 sounds OK to me. I started learning on Ilford in the late seventies (wow), and have pretty much remained loyal with the the exception of HC-110 and a rare Tri-X or Plus-X here and there.
Thanks for the info
Jeff

 

[jeroldharter]

I use TMAX RS developer and it works fine. I did the film tests with Fred Newman at the View Camera Store. I use TMAX RS at 1:9 for ~N-2 to N development and 1:4 for N+ development.

I have not tried it, but Kentmere (owned by Ilford) makes a knock off of TMAX called KMAX for a bit less. I don't think Kentmere makes an "RS" version which is intended for rotary development.

 

[kodachrome64]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry 8300: BlackBerry8300/4.5.0.55 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I use TMAX at 1+9 as well. Kodak says 1+4 but I like 1+7 and 1+9. I get good results from it. IMO, it is a very underrated developer. It really shines as a push-processing developer and it is made for T-grain films. It sounds like it may be similar to DDX. You can also get it in 1 gallon containers for a small price break. At higher dilutions it is definitely very economic.

Nick

 

[VinceBinder]

T-MAX RS vs T-MAX developer??

it's been a while (years?) since I developed any t-max sheets and I picked up t-max developer (let it sit for a long time) and finally got around to checking my notes from Sexton workshop - says use the RS (replenisher) developer -

Can anyone explain the difference? - using D-76 for now but I have a bunch of negs that need N-3 and my notes say use the t-max RS 1:15 with minimal agitation I sort of remember doing that right after the workshop but it's been so long it's all just kinda fuzzy

 

[André E.C.]

I've used TMax for a while and honestly, I don't like the bloody thing, it's a great developer no question, but quite sensitive to slight temperature variations, it´s a developer with a personality.

I use DD-X as my standard developer, both at 1:4 and 1:7 with all kinds of film, tabular or traditional base and I just love the thing, it's expensive and becomes even more as it is a one shot developer, but my negs look as I want, that's enough to stick with it.




André

 

[Jeff L]

I appreciate all the advice.
Thanks to everyone who answered.
Jeff

 

[jeroldharter]

I have assumed that Ilford's DDX is just a mimic of TMAX. Is that not so? Why is it more forgiving than TMAX developer?

 

[Mahler_one]

Hi Jerold: How can we find the chemicals ingredients and compare the two?

Ed

 

[André E.C.]

TMax and DD-X are inded similar, both are PQ type developers, but they behave quite differently, for what I experimented for a while, the Ilford developer keep a tighter control on the highlights than the Kodak counterpart, with Tmax if the user isn't careful enough, the developer can build too much density due to a higher activity.

The speed is similar, with both products giving an extra stop of speed, to my eyes, DD-X is sharper but TMax deliver a much finer grain, the developing times are also longer for the Ilford product.

I really like DD-X, gives full-speed and a rich negative range, but again, this is my experience, yours may vary.


Cheers



André