Ilford chemicals: choosing developer for Delta 400

[Radost]

I did DDX with TMAX400 “because I was out of XTOL” and while the negatives turned fine the sharpness and detail was dull. The difference was so big that I referred using it and waisting a nice panoramic film

 

[Law251]

I used to have a love affair with Delta 400. Had been bulk loading and shooting it non-stop for 3 years.
My favorite general purpose developers for Delta 400, sorted by awesomeness:

• Xtol
• ID-11

And the following two will give you a crisp & sharp image with well-defined but also tightly packed grain. Again: the grain is actually fine, but it's well-defined and therefore more visible. Sometimes I crave this look vs Xtol smoothness, it's a personal preference thing

• Ilfosol 3
• Rodinal

Developers to avoid:

• Ilfotec HC
• DD-X

Delta 400's grain loses its charm with both. It starts to look rough and irregular. The weirdest thing about Delta 400 is how its grain looks completely different in different developers. In fact, the grain character changes quickly with exposure too. But if you don't scan at high resolution or don't wet print large this shouldn't be a concern.

Very interesting. Just started to shoot D400 and looking for best choice of dev. Seems Xtol is a universal favourite so will try Adox XT-3, an excellent clone.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

XTol is excellent with D400. 1+1 or replenished. My new favourite now is PC-512 1+50.

 

[Law251]

XTol is excellent with D400. 1+1 or replenished. My new favourite now is PC-512 1+50.

Interesting but it's ages since mixed my own, however, the idea's been hovering around for a while so I'll definitely give it a go when I do. Thanks.

 

[Augustus Caesar]

How do you select the right developer for Delta 400 when just about everything you find online using search engines for "Delta 400 developed in" are all leading to the same heavily photo shopped and edited images?

Start with D-76 (ID-11) 1:1 for 8 minutes @68F/20C and go from there.