Thank you folks. But my good buddy is very undereducated and I thinks he's probably bipolar with little patience for learning. I just don't think he can handle this. I'm putting him back on D-76. With that, all you do is follow Kodak instructions, and you get what you get. Besides, I already know it's grainy stuff.
100% agree. Superb developer. Easy as pie. Great results. I'm a 1-50 guy. 1-2 agitations once per minute.
Albany roof garden macro SL66 80Planar(old) Neopan400 Rodinal 1-50 9min30sec 22C by rich8155 (Richard Sintchak), on Flickr
Rick's Sonoma place Rolleiflex2-8CXenotar Tmax100 Rodinal 12min 20C by rich8155 (Richard Sintchak), on Flickr
He could just stick to 1+50 at 20C, and it'd be fine. Or, if you are dead set against Rodinal but want something equally long lasting, then HC-110 is one to consider.
If he has little patience for learning, then maybe Diafine would be the better option. Temperature and time are largely irrelevant (3 minutes minimum), and you just need to stick to the agitation scheme suggested on the instructions. It too lasts a long time.
You are over-skeptical about Rodinal. It is very forgiving of highlights being over-exposed, and it produces negatives with beautiful mid-tones. The one thing it does not like is under-exposure, especially of the shadows. For most other developers I would say "expose normally develop normally", but for Rodinal it is "expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights". It benefits from a zone-oriented exposure approach, and I tend to use a hand spot meter for that purpose. If that is out of the question for your friend, then a good alternative is to lower the EI of the film by 2/3 to 1 stops and develop normally or slightly shorter. It would be good to experiment and see what works for him. Obviously, it would be wise to avoid films that aren't good mates with Rodinal, such as Kentmere 400.
..... Rodinal...character is very dependent on agitation and dilution, and it is possible to achieve a wide variety of effects, more so than most other developers. So for a beginner, it would be wise to stick with one technique. I would say 1:50 at 20 C, with one or two gentle inversions once per minute is a good place to start.
To lengthen the development times with HC-110 simply use a higher dilution. I use 1+14 (I think it is known as dilution H), which is twice the dilution of dilution B (1+7), with sheet film (Tri-X 320). At the beginning of my tests I doubled the dilution B times. My test results determined that 8:30 was my ideal development time for my set up and technique.So HC-110 has stock keeping qualities like several years, like I've heard about Rodinal? I've never used HC-110 because I never liked the short developing times in the Kodak literature. To me, roll film shouldn't be developed less than 8 minutes, lest you risk consistency and uniformity issues. Being a Microdol man at heart, I only settle for D-76. Nothing about the stuff ever grabbed me as something special. Plain Jane stuff.
To lengthen the development times with HC-110 simply use a higher dilution. I use 1+14 (I think it is known as dilution H), which is twice the dilution of dilution B (1+7), with sheet film (Tri-X 320). At the beginning of my tests I doubled the dilution B times. My test results determined that 8:30 was my ideal development time for my set up and technique.
Just a note - the dilutions referred to here are dilutions from an intermediate stock solution.
Kodak recommends two different approaches to using HC-110: either create the working solution by diluting directly from the concentrate, or create the working solution by first diluting to an intermediate stock solution, and then further diluting that stock solution to a working dilution.
Both approaches have their pros and cons.
I've had what you just wrote on my mind all day as I was on the printer today manufacturing welding supply labels for the customer. Just seems to me that boning up on how to draw whatever measurement was needed for a purpose from the Kodak HC 110 container , applying a dilution to it, and enjoying the Rodinal benefits of storage, without the Rodinal grain. I'll let those fans buy and use it; bless them and Adox for keeping up something that works. I've been spoiled by Microdol X. D-76 does not fill that void. And Rodinal's grain is just entirely unacceptable. So it would suit me to read some HC-110 stories. I've learned my lessons repeatedly from straying from the EK products. It never worked out. Re-inventing the wheel at my age is no longer an option.
The "European" version is/was less concentrated and therefore less viscous and therefore easier to dilute directly from concentrate to working solution.
The most recent information from Kodak indicates that they have changed packaging. It appears that the new packaging may be consistent worldwide - i.e. there may now be just one version.
Kodak, of course, no longer make any of their chemistry. They sold the manufacturing rights in 2007 (?) to Champion Photochemicals, who took over the Kodak chemistry manufacturing facilities in Rochester and France. Much of that manufacturing may have been moved by Champion to Malaysia. Champion is one of the largest unpaid creditors in the Kodak bankruptcy.
Indications on the new HC-110 packaging makes people think that HC-110 may actually now be manufactured in Germany by Tetenal.
OK, sorry for the newb question, but is ADOX "Adonal" the same chemistry as Rodinal?
I just bought a 500ml bottle of this ADOX "Adonal" and I'm really excited to try it with Acros 100. I've only used Xtol, which has been great, but I'm hoping for more contrast/"sharpness" than the Acros/Xtol recipe.
I used Rodinal extensively from 1986 until about 7 years ago.
Ian
Ian, you moved away from Rodinal to which developer?
Adonal, as is RO9 one shot, and other versions of Rodinal, is still made by Agfa, and sold in bulk to the sellers who re pack it and sell it under their own names, so yes, Adonal Ect is just the old rodinal we all love or hate by another name
Ian, interesting. The change to larger film format allows use of a more active developing agent without evidence of grain clumping. Staining developers and were used by large format photographers like Weston, Adams, and Strand.
Rodinal is a good match to medium format negatives. I have seen grain in blank skies at 8x + enlargement factors. Switching to a dichro head smoothed out the roughness and hid the grain.
I match Rodinal to landscape or Atget type images. I'll throw away film speed for sharpness and tonality. Rodinal's tonality is variable and subject to film type, dilution, and time. Tonality is normally brilliant at (1:50) but with a curious bend in the tonal scale. In addition the highlights print easier. But I still see it more as a special purpose developer. Rodinal can contribute to a slight look of surrealism without heavy print manipulation.
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