Ethol UFG? Any experience?

Christiaan Phleger · Mar 1, 2009

Howdy, found a few tins of Ethol UFG, I'm going to try to mix up a test batch. Anybody with any experience? Seems like a good low-light/pushing developer. I may try it with replenishment as well. Thanks

jim appleyard · Mar 1, 2009

Yes, but 15 years ago. My memory of it is good, an EI of 1000 or so with TX. I did some night shooting with it and got some pretty good results.

I'm sure there's at least one UFG nut out there who can tell you all you need to know about it.

fotch · Mar 2, 2009

Great developer, lots of latitude. When I lived in Chicago is was easy to get at Central Camera. When we moved out of the city I never found it in the local shops so I switched to D76 & Microdol-X.

Its been a long time (50 yrs) so it may give different results with today's film however, I liked the results. I should buy some mail order, be like old times.

greybeard · Mar 2, 2009

Well, with the Tri-X of the mid-sixties, it worked quite well for available-light photojournalism, anyway.

Not having had a light meter back then that would work at low levels, I couldn't tell you what the effective ASA was, but f/2 at 1/30 was OK for indoor candids, basketball games (!) and the like. If memory serves, there was a replenisher available for it, but I don't think that I ever tried it. If you do multiple rolls and re-use the base developer, be aware that in my recollection when it is exhausted, it dies very abruptly.

It would be interesting to try both of my "old standards", UFG and Edwal FG-7 with modern film just for the experience!

Christiaan Phleger · Mar 2, 2009

I have a couple of cans of Acufine and UFG, apparently they were formulated by the same chemist. I vaguely recall using Acufine a long time ago but I've never used UFG. It looks interesting replenished.

Christiaan Phleger · Mar 2, 2009

Wow, mixed up a batch in a tin marked 91, a bit dark but the snippet test showed activity (and how). Shot a test roll of Neopan SS bracketed, souped at 4 min at 68 degrees, agit first 30 sec then each 30 sec. Images at 100 look pretty good, but at 200 look better, bracketed shots show good density and probably printable down to 7 stops under! I shot normal at 100 at 1/500 at f4 and then bracketed down to 1/500 f32 and can still see detail in mid-tones and shadows. Very Very potent, what's in this stuff?!!

Anscojohn · Mar 2, 2009

I found my negs with Tri-X (back in the 1960s) souped in UFG were always better looking and with more shadow detail than with Acufine--both exposed at EI 1000.

Ethol UFG? Any experience?

Christiaan Phleger

jim appleyard

fotch

greybeard

Christiaan Phleger

Christiaan Phleger

Anscojohn

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