First Shots w/ Microdol-X. Any Ideas What Is Wrong?

[gone]

Yep, it was the real Mic-X. I really, really, like the developer now. It has done very well w/ the Arista EDU Ultra 100, and it will be my go-to developer for that film from now on. For the Shanghai GP3 Pan 100, wow is all I can say. The grain is unbelievably tight. If you click on those shots from the Isola 120 negs and use the little magnifier, there seems to be no grain at all. I bought some replenisher that was N.O.S. tonight, so I'm set for 30 rolls from my quart solution of Mic-X. Next I'll try the Freestyle clone version to compare the two. I agree, the tonal range is a little restricted from D76, but not too much, and it is sure sharp as heck.

It's funny about dilutions. D76/TD-16 are two of my favorite developers and I always use them full strength, and w/ Rodinal my best results come from 1:25, even w/ Tri-X and other 35mm films. Works for me.

Which island are you on RidingWaves? We lived many years on the Big Island.

 

[Christiaan Phleger]

I'm on Oahu the city isle HA. Its good you got the MD-X replenisher that stuff lasts almost as long as Rodinal! I got many packets years ago and I think I may be still on my first gallon I mixed up, I split in to 4 smaller glass bottles with rubber stoppers and its still as potent as day one; using MD-X replenished while not as long lasting as Xtol still is a great way to extend the life of the stock solution, in addition much like Xtol it seems to improve with age and as I stated before its one of my go-to's when needing to tame the intense light levels of Hawaiian light. I keep laughing at the digital sensors going up in sensitivity; what the wedding photographers need in a digital sensor is ISO 25. You quickly run out of useful combination of shutter speed f-stop and ISO on the white sand beach in pure sun at 2pm with a white (and I mean UV enhanced nuclear white) wedding gown. The other day I shot down there with Fuji Acros shot at 80 (to be processed in replenished Xtol) with a 3-stop ND filter at f-8, 1/250 blasting with an old Norman 200b at 1/2 power. With the same lens setup at 5 feet I was at almost full power on my Nikon SB-900 at base ISO of 200 and the flash barely could do it. High Speed Sync you say? Not without having slow recycling times, changing batteries all the time, over heating the flash or all three while the couple waits. With slow b7w film a big flash and an ND I could crank away at it.

 

[Sirius Glass]

riding waves what is 1:0 dilution??

Thats short for full strength

<<Grin>>