Ilford delta 3200@400 in Rodinal

[Laci Toth]

Hi all,

I usually shoot this film at 1600 and develop it in Rodinal as 3200 though I’m still thinking sometimes to dev it as 6400 as the negs are a bit thin though it can result in underexposed and overdeveloped negs as I tend to underexpose it even when shot at 1600.
But as this film is originally a 1000 film I’m wondering if I’d shoot it as 800 or 400 and use Rodinal which in case might be better as I wouldn’t push the film as Rodinal is not as great for pushing.
As there’s a speed loss with Rodinal what if I shoot this film at 400? Should I develop it as 800?
I want to use this film as my all rounder in every situation including summer sunny days with an nd and polarising filter.
I love grain and currently I only use this film after sunset or night time street and indoor photos.

 

[awty]

I always develop in straight Microphen and shoot at 3200. I like to use a red filter when using it when sunny. Intensifies the sky.

 

[pentaxuser]

Is Rodinal the only developer you can get? If not then I'd have thought that a genuine speed reducing developer like Perceptol might work well

If it is 1000 true speed or even say 1200 true speed then Perceptol as stock reduces speed by a stop so that 600 max

If Rodinal is what you like or the only one you can obtain then give it a try and let us know how it goes. In theory D3200 at 400 in Rodinal is better than the reverse which is D400 at 3200. Even in Microphen the video I referred to in which the presenter has shown what looked like some good exposures of D400 at 3200 was greeted with a good deal of scepticism by almost all here

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[NortheastPhotographic]

I think this is so far out of the 'normal usage' for both D3200 and Rodinal that you will have to run your own tests here. Not saying it won't work, just saying it's unlikely someone else knows!

Personally I think D3200 likes D76 or XTol. I rate it at 1000 usually and use the 3200 times. The D76 results I'm currently getting are very good!

 

[Lachlan Young]

@Laci Toth what method of metering are you using? That will define your optimal EI. I've used 120 Delta 3200 in Rodinal with good results on bright days, though I started from Agfa's suggested EI 1250, indexed my meter reading to where I wanted detailed shadows & went from there. I processed for 7 mins, 1+25, 24oC, in a Jobo.

 

[Laci Toth]

Many thanks for all your thoughts!
I’m on the cheap side so I use Rodinal.
I load a test roll and give it a go at 400. I’m still not sure about the dev time. I don’t want to overdevelop it after I overexposed it so maybe I just follow Ilford’s advice and bath it for 5,5min.
Will get back with the result.

 

[awty]

Why not just use delta 400 or HP5? If you commit to 400 iso you may as well use a film suited to that. Lots of good 400 iso film around.

 

[Pieter12]

 

[Patrick Robert James]

There really is no need to go lower than the nominal speed, although 400 is really only a bit more than a stop. I've always developed high speed film at one stop over the recommended time which it seems you are already doing. No need to change that now...

 

[Laci Toth]

So I've done the test.
The contrast is super low as I thought but this kind of creamy/silky tone I really like and also the coarse grain.
I've shot it at 400 and developed it in Rodinal 1+25 for 5 and a half minute. I was thinking to give it a bit more time but then I changed my mind and sticked to the datasheet so I can build from there. I might shoot the next roll as 400 and develop it as 800 just to boost it. I'm also playing with the idea to shoot it as 800 and develop it as 800 or 1600.
I'll also re-edit the photos I just gave them a go to see the outcome and I'm not a photo edit wizard anyway.

 

[Laci Toth]

Why not just use delta 400 or HP5? If you commit to 400 iso you may as well use a film suited to that. Lots of good 400 iso film around.

I've done both but none of them gave me this coarse and huge grain. Delta 400's grain is coarse also compared to HP5 which is rather soft. I liked both but I needed something noisy.

 

[baachitraka]

So I've done my test.
The contrast is super low as I thought but this kind of creamy/silky tone I really like and also the coarse grain.
I've shot it at 400 and developed it in Rodinal 1+25 for 5 and a half minute. I was thinking to give it a bit more time but then I changed my mind and sticked to the datasheet so I can build from there. I might shoot the next roll as 400 and develop it as 800 just to boost it. I'm also playing with the idea to shoot it as 800 and develop it as 800 or 1600.
I'll also re-edit the photos I just gave them a go to see the outcome and I'm not a photo edit wizard anyway.

what a beautiful grain...

 

[Laci Toth]

what a beautiful grain...

Thanks, I really like it too!

 

[baachitraka]

I have two question regarding grain signature and Rodinal concentration on grain.

1) Are there any films that have similar grain signature as above, with that concentration?

2) Do changing concentration of Rodinal have any influence on the grain?

 

[Laci Toth]

I have two question regarding grain signature and Rodinal concentration on grain.

1) Are there any films that have similar grain signature as above, with that concentration?

2) Do changing concentration of Rodinal have any influence on the grain?

1) I got the same coarse grain though less when used Delta 400 in Rodinal 1+25. Shot and developed as 400.
I’ve never tried Kodak 3200 but it can happen that it produces similar look.
I’ve checked photos of Fomapan 400 and when pushed it was also pretty grainy though I’ve never tried it myself.
2) I’m not sure if dilution would have influence on grain. Some say yes, some say no. I’ve always used 1+25 for fast films and used 1+50 only for the slow ones. But higher concentration has influence on contrast.
Lower concentration like 1+50 can compensate the highs and the lows.
Once I’ve tried Rollei RPX 25 (which is a higher contrast film anyway) in 1+25 and the outcome wasn’t as nice as with 1+50.

 

[pentaxuser]

. Delta 400's grain is coarse also compared to HP5 which is rather soft.

I am surprised that you found this. My experience was that D400 grain was finer than HP5 which is also what Ilford itself seems to believe

pentaxuser

 

[gone]

It would be nice to see some of the op's shots that were made in strong daylight (because I like more contrast), but the results show promise. Would also love to see this film/developer combination using a half frame camera. So far, I'm happy shooting Tri-X at 200 and developing in Rodinal at 1:25. The grain is different from these shots and not so closely packed together.

I'm assuming these are scans? Things will look a lot different in a darkroom print. In the early days I scanned my negs and did the inkjet thing, and believe me, going to a darkroom made a big difference in the grain. Things were smoother.

 

[Laci Toth]

It would be nice to see some of the op's shots that were made in strong daylight (because I like more contrast), but the results show promise. Would also love to see this film/developer combination using a half frame camera. So far, I'm happy shooting Tri-X at 200 and developing in Rodinal at 1:25. The grain is different from these shots and not so closely packed together.

I'm assuming these are scans? Things will look a lot different in a darkroom print. In the early days I scanned my negs and did the inkjet thing, and believe me, going to a darkroom made a big difference in the grain. Things were smoother.

Yes, these are scans. Nikon D3200 with Nikkor 55mm, f3.5.
The tram was shot under the full sun.
I've played around with the editing and since then I made a few versions of the other photos as well and will decide later on which one I like best.
As I had to reduce the size to be able to upload them here some of the sharpness is lost. Also I've checked the outcomes on a Macbook then a Windows laptop and an iphone as well and the results were different. It seems to me that the mac and iphone version give them more character and contrast.