I've been experimenting with HC-110 Dilution A recently for the sole purpose of achieving really fine grain with a developer that has a very long shelf life. I simply wanted to see if it worked. Recently, I read that HC-110 acts as a solvent developer when used in higher concentrations, so I did some research on Dilution A, but to my surprise, I couldn't find any information on Dilution A, until I stumbled across a video by KingJvpes, who uses Dilution A as his concentration of choice. Besides that, I couldn't seek out anybody else who has made experiences using Dilution A. So I tried it out myself.
It worked wonderfully. No uneven development (at least I couldn't make out any.), nicely balanced contrast, and most importantly (for me at least) beautifully fine grain.
I used a roll of AGFA APX 400 (New), shot at box speed. I developed the roll at 20C for 2:30 minutes.
I poured the developer as fast as possible without spilling everything and then I agitated with the agitating stick (Paterson) for the first 30 seconds. I then put on the lid, and inverted the tank for 10 seconds at the 1:00 minute mark. I then let it sit for the remainder of the time, pouring the developer out quickly as soon as the timer hit zero. After that was done, I stopped and fixed as normal.
I then experimented further with agitation methods, just out of curiosity. (Mind you, all of this experimentation with Dilution A stems from pure curiosity.) I found that the "Figure 8 swirling" agitation method left me with terribly unevenly developed negatives. So that's of the table entirely.
Since then, I have developed HP5 Plus in Dilution A with the first method and have gotten beautiful results.
Now let's adress the elephant in the room. Consistency.
Analogue shooters and film developing enthusiasts have shunned any form of developing agent that requires a development time shorter than 5 minutes, some being even more strict, citing the lack of consistency as their main reason.
I simply can't imagine that consistency will suffer in any way with this method, if you really take care to execute everything as precisely as possible every time. And even it might sound like it, it's not difficult or a hassle at all.
I would very much appreciate any opinions on this topic.
Thank you.
Here are some sample photos, The pictures of the plants are from a roll of APX 400 (New) at box speed, the picture of the three guys is from a roll of HP5 Plus also at box speed.
It worked wonderfully. No uneven development (at least I couldn't make out any.), nicely balanced contrast, and most importantly (for me at least) beautifully fine grain.
I used a roll of AGFA APX 400 (New), shot at box speed. I developed the roll at 20C for 2:30 minutes.
I poured the developer as fast as possible without spilling everything and then I agitated with the agitating stick (Paterson) for the first 30 seconds. I then put on the lid, and inverted the tank for 10 seconds at the 1:00 minute mark. I then let it sit for the remainder of the time, pouring the developer out quickly as soon as the timer hit zero. After that was done, I stopped and fixed as normal.
I then experimented further with agitation methods, just out of curiosity. (Mind you, all of this experimentation with Dilution A stems from pure curiosity.) I found that the "Figure 8 swirling" agitation method left me with terribly unevenly developed negatives. So that's of the table entirely.
Since then, I have developed HP5 Plus in Dilution A with the first method and have gotten beautiful results.
Now let's adress the elephant in the room. Consistency.
Analogue shooters and film developing enthusiasts have shunned any form of developing agent that requires a development time shorter than 5 minutes, some being even more strict, citing the lack of consistency as their main reason.
I simply can't imagine that consistency will suffer in any way with this method, if you really take care to execute everything as precisely as possible every time. And even it might sound like it, it's not difficult or a hassle at all.
I would very much appreciate any opinions on this topic.
Thank you.
Here are some sample photos, The pictures of the plants are from a roll of APX 400 (New) at box speed, the picture of the three guys is from a roll of HP5 Plus also at box speed.