Developer with best tonality

[Shopingjs]

Hi, what developer have best tonality for 35mm ? DIY or from store, it doesn't matter.

 

[Shopingjs]

I mainly use films with ISO 100 or 400. I shoot people.

 

[bwrules]

This is impossible to answer (or you will just get a bazillion suggestions for favorite developers), as tonality is elusive and subjective. I think that light and subject, etc., have much more influence on the tonality than any developer. Better to choose the developer on practical merits - shelf life and economy, short development times, acutance and grain, etc.

 

[MaximusM3]

I personally think that "tonality" has little to do with your choice of developer. Legendary images have been developed with D76, HC110 and Rodinal over the decades so don't drive yourself too crazy over that. Light, exposure, composition are far more important aspects to convey a sense of "tone" and depth to your images.

Any one of those three developers will give you fine results, with Rodinal giving you more grain in emulsions such as Tri-X, or HP5, which is not necessarily a bad thing at all.

 

[Shopingjs]

I used Rodinal for roll film, but it's too grainy for 35mm. I like fine grain developers.

 

[MaximusM3]

I used Rodinal for roll film, but it's too grainy for 35mm. I like fine grain developers.

Not true. Use it 1:50 with TMax 100 or Fuji Acros and it will deliver sharp negatives with imperceptible grain. Fine grain, solvent developer, readily available = XTOL. Easy to use, economical, lasts forever (almost) = HC110.

 

[Juri]

Why would tonality even matter when deveoping film? It's all black and white anyway and it makes practically no difference when printing.

 

[michaelbsc]

... I shoot people.

WOW! Don't the police get upset?

 

[2F/2F]

Most general-purpose developers will provide whatever tonality you want most of the time. (No need worrying about "best." Just worry about "best for this look" or "best for that look.") But the most important thing is lighting. Then printing. Then exposure/development. All are important, but that is the order of how critical they are, IMHO. And by "development," I don't really mean which developer. I mean what you learn to do with whatever developer you pick, over time through trial and error.

I'd start with something standard, simple, cheap, and easy. Think about D-76, HC-110, Rodinal, X-Tol, T-Max, etc. T-Max is a stock solution from the bottle, so it is the easiest to use IMO. But it can get expensive. HC-110 and Rodinal are highly concentrated from the bottle, and relatively small amounts of the concentrate are used. (Rodinal is "runny" and HC-110 is "syrupy," but they are used similarly, due to their very high concentrations.) D-76 and X-Tol start as powders, and you mix them into a stock solution, which can be used as your working solution (with or without replenishment) or diluted to make a working solution.

I might be tempted to go for a pre-mixed D-76 clone, such as Clayton DC-76, if I were just starting and looking for a "one-size-fits-all" developer. You just cannot beat it's ease of use.

 

[jp498]

I'm not sure what the OP is looking for in terms of tonality. I use TMY2 film. Processing technique is the most important consideration, and TMY2 film is very demanding of consistent processing (e.g. responds well to processing adjustments)

I've found I like xtol 1+1 for general purpose uses, including 35mm.

For lots of tones in the highlights, I like PMK. So a high contrast scene with hard light, PMK makes nice results. Think concert, sunny day at the beach, etc... Gets you highlight tones that would get blown out in digital.

For lots of tones in the shadows, I am liking Pyrocat-HD, with PMK being a second place. Perhaps this is because pyrocat-hd gets you a faster film speed?

While printing, it is easy to fine tune the tones with dodging, contrast adjustment, etc... I find it easier to have a great negative I can just pop into the enlarger and make good prints. If you are scanning, a great negative is where you want to start as well, but it's not so critical.

 

[Jim Noel]

That's not necessarily true, although I would say fine tonality is mostly the result of fine printing. Printing, printing, printing.

Before looking at developers it is the choice of film that should be given consideration with respect to tonality as different types of films, and films of different speeds, can have different gradation and micro contrast characteristics.

The type of developer can have an effect on both macro and micro gradation. However, development technique has a profound effect on these characteristics with any developer/film combination, so what MaximusM3 says is true - ie it is how the photographer uses the materials that has most to do with the outcome.

But since OP is asking a question, considering everything I've said above, I'll answer by recommending XTOL (at 1+1 dilution for a starting point depending on the film) as perhaps the best overall general purpose developer for 35mm film. It is mildly speed enhancing (which can certainly help with shadow tonality, particularly if the film is a little underexposed), has good sharpness, good flexibility and very fine grain.

I would add -If the tonality is not in the negative it is not going to be in the print no matter what you do. One may think it is there, but there would be more with a properly exposed and developed negative.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I agree with 2F/2F that of all the variables in achieving good tonality lighting is the most important. If you wish to see examples of excellent tonality look at the Hollywood glamour photographs of the 1930's and 40's. These photographers were masters of lighting.

I would suggest that the choice of film is the second most important choice. Here is the sticking point. Films with good tonality like Tri-X are not going to give the best grain for 35mm. Conversely films with good grain are not going to give the best tonality. For creamy highlights and rich tonality you really need both. The choice of format is important. A small format like 35mm is going to be working against you.

The choice of developer is of lesser importance than the two variables mentioned. This is probably not what you wish to hear. So, trying to make the best of the situation I would suggest Tri-X and either HC-110 or D-23. One last point, avoid over-exposure.

Then there is question of printing and the choice of paper...

 

[alanrockwood]

A naive question: What is tonality?

 

[Brian Legge]

Perhaps this discussion could be reframed as 'what developer/film combinations provide the greatest dynamic range with film speeds close to the films iso'? Or something along those lines?

For example, from what I've heard, traditional development with Rodinal results in less speed relative to some other developers. I've seen DD-X and XTOL listed as developers where you are more likely able to shoot at box speed or higher and still have good shadow detail.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

A naive question: What is tonality?

Actually this is a very good question. The problem may lie in getting a good answer. Ansel Adams uses the term but never defines it. Some texts on the zone system confuse it with gradation. They are not the same. You can have good gradation and poor tonality. I wasn't able to find a good definition.

I'm sure this thread will get a hundred definitions of this term. So let me start. Tonality means to me the luminousity of the highlights in a print, the smoothness of the intermediate tones and the richness of the blacks. It is easier to visualize than to describe in words. For this I mentioned the work of the great Hollywood photographers. Sadly I see very few examples of good tonality in photographs produced today. Certainly you won't see it in digital prints. The very nature of the medium limits the number of gradations that can be produced.

 

[removed account4]

caffenol c ( with or without ansco 130 ), ansco 130

 

[marco.taje]

Why would tonality even matter when deveoping film? It's all black and white anyway and it makes practically no difference when printing.

You are kidding, right?

 

[markbarendt]

A naive question: What is tonality?

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Juri]

You are kidding, right?

For me tonality means the TONE, just the colour of blacks and grays. So no, I'm not kidding.

 

[removed account4]

juri,

it IS tone, the blacks+whites +grays, but usually the middle tones
are referred to as tonality ... people use different developers
to bring out different mid tones which in turn when printed
give a different look+feel to their images. i like using ansco 130 as a film developer
for the same reasons people like it as a print developer, a long tonal scale,
same with the coffee ...

have fun !
john

 

[Ian Grant]

Getting prints with a good long range of tones regardless of colour of those tones is not totally dependent on the developer it's a combination of factors which include the film, the developer the exposure and the degree of development. With smaller formats 35mm & 120 a fine grain film in a fine grain developer exposed carefully for the shadows and not over developed will give images with a smoother longer tonal scale than a fast film in a standard developer poorly exposed. etc.

Finer grain helps with apparent tonality, increased grain leads to harsher looking prints, it's a balance you choose for yourself.

Any of the well known developers are capable of offering negatives with great tonality, Xtol, Rodinal, Pyrocat HD even D76/ID-11, the secret is finding your own optimum film speed and development times for n average lighting situation (Normal) and learning how to control higher and lower contrast situations by slight variations in exposure & development times.

Ian

 

[Tom Stanworth]

Practice and experience will give you the best tonality. IMHO the place to start is with a dev that is a good jack of all trades, readily available and cheap enough that you can afford to use lots of it, with lots of film to figure out you technique. IMHO Xtol, diluted 1+1 or 1+2 is the place to start because it meets all requirements as well as being quite fine grained. At 1+1 and 1+2 is has reasonable acutance (esp at the latter dilution) and once mixed (which is easy) it lasts for a very long time.

Diluted Xtol has the added benefit of having a bit of a shoulder with most films and so more forgiving in harsh light than some other developers with normal agitation. Sure, dilute rodinal semi-stand or HC110 diluted heavily with reduced development will do this too, but Xtol makes a full range neg easier than with any dev I have ever used. Just my 2c

 

[Ian Grant]

Tom, I have to agree with that 1+2 dilution, and it works well with other developers like ID-11/D76 and Perceptol as well.

Some of the best 35mm negatives in terms of excellent tonality (plenty of detail across a long tonal scale) I've printed were made with FP4 and the photographer asked specially for his negatives to be developed in ID-11 at 1+2.

It's an ideal dilution with Xtol, I have used it and it's on a par with replenished Xtol in terms of the best overall balance of fine grain, sharpness (acutance) and an excellent tonal range. Kodak's own comparison chart of their B&W developers puts it way ahead of the rest for general use.

Ian

 

[2F/2F]

X-Tol is a great developer, and very easy to mix. No hot plate required. Just a beaker for measurement, a mixing container that can hold over 5 L, and a stirring spoon.

 

[mr.datsun]

For me tonality means the TONE, just the colour of blacks and grays. So no, I'm not kidding.

On the face of it you are right - tone refers to hue and as grey is a total lack of colour it shouldn't be called a tone. But tone can also refer to degrees of intensity of hue/colour so it's only one step to think about degrees of intensity of blackness (or greyness), assuming you decide to think that grey is another colour – and whilst not actually true, many do.