Help with developing Adox CMS 20 film

Hello to all forum members,

I am new to this forum and this is my first posting. Not only am i new here but i am totally new to film! I have shoot digital all my life and suddenly wanted to go back to the simple things in life and bought an M3. Little did i know that majority of labs do not develop B&W film and that was when i felt i dug myself a big hole. I found out that if i need to continue on my dream i need to develop my own film.

After much reading and watching You Tube i actually am starting to appreciate film even more which is surprising. Things are happening so slowly as compared to digital. I like it and i hope i can get as much help as i can from all of you and pardon my long introduction.

I have decided to use Adox CMS 20 film because i like the fact that it is high resolution and also i could shoot at bigger aperture on bright days. I will be purchasing the Adox Adotech developer fluid as well for this.

My first question is which brand of stop bath, fixer and washer should i use for this film? Can i just use any brand?

Secondly, is there anything in particular i need to pay attention to when using the Adotech developer as compared to other brand?

Thirdly the water temperature in my house is about 27C. Can i use the chart to compensate and develop at this temperature so everything stays constant or do i need to cool it down? If i need to cool it down to 20C, how is it done? Using ice? But how do i mantain the low temperature as i foresee it to rise after a while.

These questions might be silly but please help a newbie here.

Thank you
Mark

Hello, and welcome to Apug.

The answers to your questions are, yes you can use any brand of stop, fix, and wash aid.

I haven't any experience with that film and developer, so follow the instructions carefully. Adotech developer is specific to that film, so I wouldn't use it for anything else. I recommend Kodak D-76 or Ilford ID-11(nearly ident.)for all other films you choose.

As to Temperture, you may want to cool down your chems to 20c-22c range. Some people develope at higher temps, but I have found it risky. Higher temps make for shorter developing times, which could cause uneven development. If the temps are too high, could cause emulsion to become soft and possibly damage it.

cheers

Hello Mark , and welcome to APUG .
First of all, congratulations to entering the world of film photography. The film you have choosen, Adox CMS 20 , is exelent but perhaps not the easiest to handle when you are a beginner. Exposed and developed in the right way it will give you wonderfull results. I agree with Rick A that you should try to keep the temperature at 20 deg c. The datasheet for for the Adotech developer states 4,5 - 5,5 minutes at ISO 20 and 6 - 7 minutes at ISO 25 when diluted at 1 + 24 and 20 deg c . No other temperatures are listed but judging from other films, 27 deg c and even 24 deg c , which sometimes is listed, would cause developing times to short for an even result. One more thing to take into consideration is that this is a film with an extremely thin emulsion and therefore requires shorter fixing time and/or more diluted fixer.
Sometimes it also has a tendency to curle after drying.
When it comes to adjusting developer temperature, prepare plain water at 20 deg c , with ice if necesary. If the developer concentrate is kept at room temperature it's influence on the temperature on the mix will be neglectable ( unless you live in the Arabian desert or Death Valey , then use 19 deg c ). Then just add the concentrate to the water.
I am enclosing a link to the datasheet for Adotech, taken from the web-page for Fotoimpex in Berlin. It is written in German but I hope you can find an English translation if this is a problem.

Good luck and enjoy your new way of life

Karl-Gustaf

http://www.fotoimpex.de/shop_system/images/artikel/media/30945_1_CMS20_Datenblatt.pdf

Thanks Karl and Rick for your help. Certainly appreciate it. Now i have more confidence to proceed. In fact i just ordered all the necessary chemicals online and hope for the best. A lot of anxiety at the moment but trust if i hit any snag you guys can help me out

Kind regards
Mark

Hello Michael,

Thanks for the information. I will certainly keep in my mind your observations and findings. I am starting to feel maybe this film is not suitable for a beginner. I think I have been strongly influenced by the Adox website and Ervin's Leica site. Well I have no turning back, my order for the film and developer has been shipped today. I will need all the beginners luck I can get. But at this moment I am starting to enjoy film more than digital. Go figure.

Mark

Go ahead and try it... What the hell? If you don't like it you don't have to buy it again. Right?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.