I want finer grain than DDX gives with rotary processing. Reccs?

[Tom Stanworth]

I have been lazy and using DDX for rotary processing. I have not been making big prints but I now want a developer that will give substantially finer grain and smoother tonality than DDX does. DDX seems to produce rather coarse negs when used with constant agitation compared to intermittent agitation in small tanks.

Xtol 1+1 is a good bet and I am familiar with this developer in small tanks, but have never used it with constant agitation. Comments?

What other options might there be that would be compatible with a Paterson orbital, i.e. I will be using only about 300ml of dev in total for 2 x 5x7 sheets so concentrations and total amount of concentrate in the 300ml could be relevant. Thoughts?

 

[MaximusM3]

I've used DDX with TMY, and TMX with BTZS tubes and 4x5. Finer grain? How don't know if that's possible. A properly exposed and processed 4x5 or 5x7 negative in DDX should be as flawless at it could possibly get. I personally don't think you'd gain anything with XTOL doing large format.

 

[Tom Stanworth]

Thanks. I might persevere, but I'm not sure the tonality is to my liking with Fp4+ but I will see what some tinkering or a change of film does. I should add that my expectations relate to prints that will likely go up to 40-60". I generally don't like Fp4+ and DDX as a combo in other formats and due to the limited number of emulsions available in 5x7 it made more sense to try another developer than change film. I will try Xtol, changes in DDX concentration and dev time and if all else fails, try another film. I agree that the grain has a bit more crispness with DDX than Xtol (with my smaller formats this is noticeable) but for scenes with very smooth and creamy tonality I was not that pleased with the DDX FP4+ look. I guess I will need to experiment.

I would ideally like to try to find Foma 100 in 5x7 as this film, IMO, has more pleasing tonality than Fp4+. I've only seen it in 5x4 and 10x8.

 

[Tom Stanworth]

TMY-2 has very noticeably finer grain than Fp4+! It is actually smoother than Delta 100 in the tests I have done with 120 films and Xtol 1+2. D100 has appreciably more bite and sharper grain but it is more visible than TMY-2... D400 also beats FP4 in terms of fine grain in the devs I use. TMY-2 is a remarkable film, but does not have a look overall that I care for. Will see if Foma 100 can be found, or ordered in 5x7, Beautiful stuff....

 

[Neal]

Dear Tom,

I would actually suggest trying Xtol stock. The tones are really smooth that way. With 5x7 you have no issues with resolution.

Good luck,

Neal Wydra

 

[ic-racer]

I should add the contrast you develop for makes a very big difference.

+1

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Try Prescysol EF.

 

[polyglot]

Not sure why you need finer grain from 5x7, but I would suggest trying a finer film. TMX, Acros and PL-25 are all available at least in 4x5 and are exceedingly fine-grained. If you want an even smoother look at the cost of resolution, use a more-concentrated solvent developer, e.g. Xtol or D76 stock, i.e. no dilution. Or go for TMY2 if you need speed; it's finer than most traditional ISO-100 emulsions like FP4 and Fomapan.