Ilford XP2

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

What I recall from using Caffenol is that it was mixed to about four times drinking strength (i.e. four times as much instant coffee for the final solution volume as I'd use if I were mixing it to drink).

@jnantz uses a brew that he prepares from Sumatra beans IIRC. I should request him to share his notes if I take up the Caffenol route seriously. My interest in it comes mainly from the possibility of getting a speed of 400 with XP2 Super.

 

[Auer]

@jnantz uses a brew that he prepares from Sumatra beans IIRC. I should request him to share his notes if I take up the Caffenol route seriously. My interest in it comes mainly from the possibility of getting a speed of 400 with XP2 Super.

Unfortuantely the bean choice wont help with the very disagreeable odor

 

[JWMster]

Steve Schaub's comments on cross processing C41 film like Portra 400 in B&W. Very convincing btw. "For a hybrid workflow, Portra 400 in C41 pushes to ISO 6400 with usable results. XP2 really doesn't. And if you're scanning, you get Color and B&W from the same negative, and the ability to use Digital Ice."

Linked here: https://figitalrevolution.com/2014/08/03/color-negative-film-for-bw-hybrid-workflow/#comments

Be sure to scroll down to listen to the audio. Yes, you have to hear his "figital revolution" whatnot in the opening...but if you keep listening, it's worth while. As Arsenio used to say, "Hmmmmm... one of those things that makes you say....Hmmmm."

 

[fs999]

This is very useful, thanks! I was weary of using instant coffee because some of the brands available in India claim they're a blend of Arabica and Robusta and they also contain Chicory. OTOH I can get pure Robusta grounded coffee powder.

Search "Robusta Soluble Coffee Powder". I have found one on indiamart.com

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

Search "Robusta Soluble Coffee Powder". I have found one on indiamart.com

Thanks! I'll find some source don't worry.

In the mean while, I did an experiment with the more easily available roasted and grounded coffee. It's a blend of Arabica, Robusta and Chicory popularly known as Hotel Blend Premium by Cothas coffee. I took about 30g of the powder and boiled it in 250ml of water for 5 minutes. Filtered the coffee broth, cooled it, added 5g Sodium sulphite, 5g Ascorbic acid, 10g Sodium carbonate and 0.5g Potassium bromide and brought the volume to 500ml. I used this to develop Kentmere 400 semi-stand @20C and it produced usable negatives. This was just a test to see if brewed coffee (and one that contains Chicory) works and I didn't optimize the formula for image quality.

 

[fs999]

In the mean while, I did an experiment with the more easily available roasted and grounded coffee. It's a blend of Arabica, Robusta and Chicory popularly known as Hotel Blend Premium by Cothas coffee. I took about 30g of the powder and boiled it in 250ml of water for 5 minutes. Filtered the coffee broth, cooled it, added 5g Sodium sulphite, 5g Ascorbic acid, 10g Sodium carbonate and 0.5g Potassium bromide and brought the volume to 500ml. I used this to develop Kentmere 400 semi-stand @20C and it produced usable negatives. This was just a test to see if brewed coffee (and one that contains Chicory) works and I didn't optimize the formula for image quality.

The problem is that you maid 2 changes to the parameters (sodium sulphite and coffee), so you will not know what happened if something goes wrong. If you try full stand, change only one parameter or try directly with the right components...

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

The problem is that you maid 2 changes to the parameters (sodium sulphite and coffee), so you will not know what happened if something goes wrong. If you try full stand, change only one parameter or try directly with the right components...

There's a good reason why I included sulphite in the formula I used. Kentmere 400 requires much longer development time than XP2 Super. As I was going to do hour long semi-stand developing, the developer would need to remain active for so long. The brew started stinking so badly after adding carbonate due to oxidation that I feared it would die soon. Typical Caffenol formulas have significantly higher ascorbic acid than what I used plausibly for this reason. Sulphite did help - it reduced the stink and kept the developer active to give usable negatives.

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

Search "Robusta Soluble Coffee Powder". I have found one on indiamart.com

I found one. Will try your recipe on XP2 Super in the weekend.

 

[fs999]

There's a good reason why I included sulphite in the formula I used. Kentmere 400 requires much longer development time than XP2 Super.

Not with Caffenol CL stand. It take 10 minutes longer for XP2 than for 400 ISO films.

The brew started stinking so badly after adding carbonate due to oxidation that I feared it would die soon. Typical Caffenol formulas have significantly higher ascorbic acid than what I used plausibly for this reason. Sulphite did help - it reduced the stink and kept the developer active to give usable negatives.

My Caffenol never stink. Do you use soda ashes or crystals ?

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

Not with Caffenol CL stand. It take 10 minutes longer for XP2 than for 400 ISO films.

Noted.

My Caffenol never stink. Do you use soda ashes or crystals ?

Your caffenol used instant coffee whereas I used brewed coffee that also has chicory in it.

 

[drmoss_ca]

I've been, inexcusably, away from film (all cameras actually) for eleven months. But after a long saga involving three donors and an eventual bone marrow transplant I was finally discharged home a couple of days ago. I had got to the point of feeling perfectly comfortable with XP2 Super exposed at 25 - 1600 with varying development times in HC-110 (there are examples in the link in the signature). I had tried a few times with Diafine, but there was more grain than I liked when it was exposed at ISO 400, so I tried 200 and got much better results (as earlier in this thread). Finding myself home and with camera and film, I decided to jump back in and see if I could automate it a little. I have a home-made motorized base that will take a Rondinax 35u or a Rondinax 60, and it makes my life a lot easier. I've often felt Diafine was prone to increased grain with too much agitation, but it turns out that XP2 @ 200 loves continuous agitation! These are all from an F6, 85.1.4, SB600, and Nikon 9000 scans. My appearance has changed after the transplant, and the intense process and uncertainty it still engenders is written all over me, so they may not be conventional portraits. Never mind that. Judge the film and development. A couple are cropped square.







I'm not unhappy with the results.

 

[Old_Dick]

Doc, most wonderful to see you back. As always great to see your work and technical contributions. Regards to Pippa.

 

[drmoss_ca]

A fresh one today for you, Dick. XP2 in Diafine of course!

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

Keep them coming @drmoss_ca! That third self-portrait of yours is absolutely haunting - the facial expression, the tones and the somber mood of the whole thing. Do share the negatives if you can as we love to read the negatives in this thread.

EI:200 is what one can hope to get realistically without losing shadow details. Looks like Diafine is serving you right in this regard.

 

[drmoss_ca]

Thank you! I think this one, which is more cheerful, turned out to be the best of the bunch.

Post_BMT_7 by chrism229, on Flickr
If you click on the link you can get the full 3759px image on Flickr—there's more detail than I would have expected from 35mm film.

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

Cheerful you do look @drmoss_ca and I pray you remain so! Yes, the details are astounding and should be even more pronounced with 120 film. What a nice film XP2 is in B&W chemistry despite what naysayers say about it!

 

[dourbalistar]

Inspired by @drmoss_ca's results, I gave XP2 in black and white chemistry a try. I must have bungled something up somewhere along the way, because about 2/3 of my negatives come up very thin. Here's one of frames that I could salvage with some post-processing in Lightroom. I will probably need to experiment some more. Any thoughts, feedback, or criticism would be welcome.

Pentax 6x7, S-M-C Takumar 6x7 105mm f/2.4, Ilford XP2 Super (expired 2017), developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:49 for 10 minutes.


2021.03.06 Roll #272-05989-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr

 

[Auer]

Inspired by @drmoss_ca's results, I give XP2 in black and white chemistry a try. I must have bungled something up somewhere along the way, because about 2/3 of my negatives come up very thin. Here's one of frames that I could salvage with some post-processing in Lightroom. I will probably need to experiment some more. Any thoughts, feedback, or criticism would be welcome.

Pentax 6x7, S-M-C Takumar 6x7 105mm f/2.4, Ilford XP2 Super (expired 2017), developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:49 for 10 minutes.


2021.03.06 Roll #272-05989-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr

That's not bad at all Makes me want to try some with HC110 now..

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

I must have bungled something up somewhere along the way, because about 2/3 of my negatives come up very thin. Here's one of frames that I could salvage with some post-processing in Lightroom. I will probably need to experiment some more. Any thoughts, feedback, or criticism would be welcome.

You probably shot at box speed. In my experience, this film has a speed 150-200 in B&W chemistry and there's progressive loss of shadow details as you increase the speed. Next time you might want to bracket (e.g. 100, 200, 400) and find out what speed gives you the most satisfactory results.

 

[dourbalistar]

That's not bad at all Makes me want to try some with HC110 now..

Thanks, @Auer! LegacyPro L110 is a HC-110 clone, but take any of my results with a big grain of salt. Like I said, most of my first roll were duds, and not the tasty chocolate covered kind.

You probably shot at box speed. In my experience, this film has a speed 150-200 in B&W chemistry and there's progressive loss of shadow details as you increase the speed. Next time you might want to bracket (e.g. 100, 200, 400) and find out what speed gives you the most satisfactory results.

Thank you for the tip, @Raghu Kuvempunagar. Yes, I did shoot at box speed, and then followed @drmoss_ca's suggested dilution and times for EI 400. Maybe experimenting somewhat haphazardly with a roll of (slightly) expired 120 in the Pentax 6x7 was not the best idea. Do you have a suggested starting dilution and time using HC-110 for EI 200?

 

[Auer]

C41 Bleach bypass at stock speed.



Overpass by Eric Auer, on Flickr

 

[Steve@f8]

I’m in the need of education, what exactly does bleach bypass do to XP2 compared to the full development process?

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

Do you have a suggested starting dilution and time using HC-110 for EI 200?

Unfortunately, I've not had a chance to develop XP2 Super in HC-110. Maybe you can develop for 9-10 minutes @20C dilution 1+49 and see how it goes.

 

[Auer]

I’m in the need of education, what exactly does bleach bypass do to XP2 compared to the full development process?

Same as it does for color, more contrast and possibly blow out highlights.

 

[drmoss_ca]

Thanks, @Auer! LegacyPro L110 is a HC-110 clone, but take any of my results with a big grain of salt. Like I said, most of my first roll were duds, and not the tasty chocolate covered kind.


Thank you for the tip, @Raghu Kuvempunagar. Yes, I did shoot at box speed, and then followed @drmoss_ca's suggested dilution and times for EI 400. Maybe experimenting somewhat haphazardly with a roll of (slightly) expired 120 in the Pentax 6x7 was not the best idea. Do you have a suggested starting dilution and time using HC-110 for EI 200?

I use 6.5 to 7 minutes at 1+49. Doesn't seem to matter whether you use HC-110, Ilfotec HC or Legacy Pro 110. Same for 120 and 35mm.