How do you choose a film developer to use ?

[thinkbrown]

Honestly, my developer choices have mostly gotten lazy. I keep a bottle of D96 working solution and replenisher in the fridge and almost every film goes into that. It's cheap, stores well, and bulk rolled double x looks best in it.

I only tend to branch out if I'm looking for a specific attribute (e.g. better pushing) or know a specific combo I like (e.g. fomapan 100 in rodinal)

 

[Michael Howard]

I only use 3 developers for film: Rodinal <100, HC110>100, and D76 home made(rarely) for anything. Keeps things simple. For printing, I tend to like higher contrast negatives, these choices fit well with that. I use Rodinal almost exclusively at 1:50, though. The availability of REAL HC110 worries me, though, as I haven't tried any of the "new" ones due to having a large stock of "old" HC100 which I have almost run out of now.

 

[loccdor]

@Michael Howard

These 3 are really a very versatile trio. The new HC-110 has lasted many years for me without problem, working like new, even though it has crystals/solids in the bottle. When I bought it, it was already expired and on discount. I don't take any special precautions.

 

[Augustus Caesar]

Hi all. How did you choose the best film developer for YOU and YOUR NEEDS ? Did it happen by chance and experimentation, or did you have a set of requirements and choose to satisfy those needs ? For me, economy is part of the equation, but I am not willing to sacrifice quality. I have never tried home brewed formulae, although I fancy a go at D23. My journey over the past 40 odd years has been mostly through the standard liquid developers like Rodinal and HC-110 and also ID:11 and Perceptol powder formulae. The very first bottle I ever bought was Ilfosol S and Ironically, its modern equivalent is one of my favourite brews for sharpness and overall image quality. Currently, I am trying Ilfotec HC and liking the results very much. At 18pence per roll it is also one of the cheapest which is nice, as I am [like everyone else in the UK] feeling the economic pinch. I like controlled grain, but not too smooth. A nice balance that emphasises micro contrast without being too gritty. Tonal qualities are also top of my list of priorities, especially the ability to accurately render skin tones and whites. Lastly consistency is vital and reliability over a long time, so the highly concentrated liquid formula appeals a lot.


Tickets Please ! by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

FX-39 is probably the best developer for the latest generation of Kodak, Ilford, And Fuji films. Rodinal is probably the worst. Dilute FX-39 about 25% more than the instructions advise, though. This is true for many developers. I have tried many films and developers over the last 60 years, and right now I am using T-Max 400 and Crawley FX-21 (was sold as Acuspecial). Nothing else comes close.