Foma 100, rotary processing sheet sizes?

[hamradio]

I'm halfway through 50 sheets of 4x5 Arista Edu 100, and have started to get it to look OK. I use it with Rodinal 1:50 in 35mm and 120, but haven't gotten it to look as nice as I'd like in 4x5.

Previously I was using HC110 dil. H in a print drum on a motor base with my 4x5, and didn't like it very much...my negs all came out too flat. I switched to Rodinal, first trying 1:50, then going to 1:100 at 20ºC and playing with times on a backlog of negs shot at 100. After 6 or 7 negs at a variety of times, I settled upon 9 minutes. Internet wisdom would tell me that Rodinal in a rotary processing scenario is a recipe for garbage. I've been pretty happy with it on scenes that were not terribly contrasty. However, it's lacking nice shadow detail in bright, contrasty situations.

What should one do? Rate it at 50 for contrasty scenes? Give Xtol a whirl?

 

[miha]

I'm using Ilfotec HC (very similar to HC-110) at 1+31 (dil. B for HC-110). I rate it between 50 and 64 and develop it between 4' 30'' and 5 minutes, rotary. I'm getting great looking negatives this way.

 

[rjbuzzclick]

I do what you do-develop 4x5 AristaEDU 100 in a print drum (up to four sheets at a time) and motor base with Rodinal 1+50. I rate it at 50 with a base time of 7:00 at 68F (time adjusted based on Ilford's time/temp chart). I'll shorten or extend development depending on the contrast range of what I've shot. I try and keep important shadow detail around zone III, and/or important highlights around zone VII. I've been happy with my results.

One thing to consider, I seem to remember reading that you want to have a minimum of 5ml of Rodinal concentrate when you develop. My print drum can use a minimum of 100ml of mixed developer, but I put in 250ml of mixed developer (1+50) in order to have 5ml of Rodinal concentrate in the drum (it actually works out to 4.9ml, but I put in 5ml). Maybe you're putting in less concentrate and the developer is getting exhausted?

 

[karl]

I shot a 50 sheet box of Fomapan 100 earlier this year. I tried it in Xtol but I liked it best rated at 50, developed in Rodinal 1+25 for 5.5 min at 20C. This is constant agitation, loaded in a Jobo 3005 drum. You do lose some of the special characteristics of Rodinal with constant agitation, because of the loss of the rest periods with intermittent agitation. Still, I think it works very well in rotary processors.