Ilfosol 3 and HP5+

[logan2z]

Andy,
I forgot to tell you I just ordered some for you too. It'll take three or four days to get there from Michigan. It's a little less gloomy here right now, but still no orb. I'm heady out to snap in the next hour, orb or no orb.

We could use a bit of orb here as well. Or a canoe, whichever you've got.

 

[John Wiegerink]

The sunshine never came yesterday, but I shot a roll of GP3 anyway. Developed it in Ilfosol3 for 9.5 min. at 70F. Way overcooked it and I also slightly over exposed it. Sun is out today, so I'm going to try again. We'll see if the negatives look as good as my HP5+ negatives in Ilfosol 3?

 

[Tim Stapp]

The sunshine never came yesterday, but I shot a roll of GP3 anyway. Developed it in Ilfosol3 for 9.5 min. at 70F. Way overcooked it and I also slightly over exposed it. Sun is out today, so I'm going to try again. We'll see if the negatives look as good as my HP5+ negatives in Ilfosol 3?

John, what did you say that bright orb was?

Grand Rapids radio this morning said that we've had one one thousandth percent (0.0001%) of available sunshine so far this year.

 

[John Wiegerink]

John, what did you say that bright orb was?

Grand Rapids radio this morning said that we've had one one thousandth percent (0.0001%) of available sunshine so far this year.

They are 100% right. I did see that orb for a little while today. I'm in Sparta right now, so I can't say if you saw it up north or not. Don't know what tomorrow will bring, but time will tell. I got my old and trusty Kodak Reflex ia loaded with GP3 if that orb should show up.

 

[warden]

Somewhere on the net I saw a clever use of an o-ring, of the diameter of the bottle neck, to be inserted into the cap (at the level of the cardboard stopper).
This avoids air to diffuse the cardboard stopper and enter the bottle.
That way Ilfosol 3 remains crystal clear for over 6 months even in partial full bottles.

One day I hope Ilford figures out a better way. Those cardboard things don’t stay put for me and quickly deteriorate.

 

[Steven Lee]

Just pour the entire bottle into a black 500ml wine bag immediately after opening, and squeeze all air out before sealing. This way Ilfosol lasts seemingly indefinitely, because it never gets in contact with air.

Another option, and this is what I have switched to, is to use Ilford's one-shot "simplicity packs". This is great for those who uses Ilfosol 3 infrequently because it fully solves the longevity problem. Sure, it's not as economical as buying 500ml bottles, but that's not a concern for something you use 3-5 times per year.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

At school, we used to transfer Ilfosol-3 into a 500ml PET bottle. We were then able to squeeze the air out and cap it. Now that my photo program has grown considerably over the past couple of years (expecting even more students in the Fall!), we don't bother doing that. We go through one bottle per assignment per classs, so there's not enough time for the developer to really oxidise. (off topic: I'm hoping to take on a student teacher in the Fall, teaching them the ins and outs of the darkroom, hoping that he/she can take over for me.... if there's no one, then you can kiss the darkroom aspect good bye...)

 

[John Bragg]

I am delighted to report that two and a half years after starting my journey with Ilfosol 3, it is still producing the goods for me without any signs of failure. As suspected, proper storage is the key, and the 100ml Calpol bottles have worked for storage times in excess of a year with zero oxidation. I am still only using HP5+ as I see no reason to change.

High tide at Mevagissey by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Weather beaten Angel, Charlestown, Cornwall. by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Mevagissey anglers by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Graveyard Geometry by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

 

[foc]

I am delighted to report that two and a half years after starting my journey with Ilfosol 3, it is still producing the goods for me without any signs of failure. As suspected, proper storage is the key, and the 100ml Calpol bottles have worked for storage times in excess of a year with zero oxidation. I am still only using HP5+ as I see no reason to change.

High tide at Mevagissey by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Weather beaten Angel, Charlestown, Cornwall. by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Mevagissey anglers by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Graveyard Geometry by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Thanks for the update and your results speak for themselves.
Just out of interest, do you dilution 1+9 or 1+14?

 

[John Bragg]

Thanks for the update and your results speak for themselves.
Just out of interest, do you dilution 1+9 or 1+14?

Hi there. 1:9 dilution for 6 mins @20°C with ei200. Agitation first 30 seconds continuous, then 2 invertions at 2 minutes and 2 more at 4 minutes.

 

[John Bragg]

---

Still enjoying Ilfosol and HP5+. Just a few more examples of my recent work.

Anchors at Charlestown, Cornwall by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Untitled_252035GB by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Winching Gear, Charlestown, Cornwall. by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Wednesday by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Fixing Moorings in Mevagissey harbour. by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Barnacles by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Working Man by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

You have been warned ! by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

This is Me. by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

 

[Neil Grant]

a bit off base...think the car photo from the 'op' is a Triumph Mayflower. The stately home design didn't really work on a small car and proved to be unpopular.

 

[john_s]

a bit off base...think the car photo from the 'op' is a Triumph Mayflower. The stately home design didn't really work on a small car and proved to be unpopular.

From the days when cars didn't have to all look the same, as they do now.

 

[John Bragg]

From the days when cars didn't have to all look the same, as they do now.

Thanks Neil. I had been told that before and it was just mouldering away in a meadow near Bodmin Moor.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Really lovely, rich photos, John.

 

[John Bragg]

Really lovely, rich photos, John.

Thanks Andrew. I have been trying Ilfotec HC lately, as I have most of a litre at hand, but no matter what I do, it isnt as good as Ilfosol 3. I know you have great experience with Ilfosol, and from what I can discern, it is very kind to the highlights in an image. HC-110 and Ilfotec HC just seem to blow highlights and even in harsh light, Ilfosol delivers the goods. This photo was taken in Lanzarote sunlight which is harsh at the best of times.

Untitled_248025GB by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

 

[Steven Lee]

@John Bragg you definitely have a style, sir. I suspect some of this comes down to scanning too, you're very protective of both the shadows and the highlights. And speaking of Ilfotec HC, for some reason it works pretty well in combination with HP5+ in large format, see below. But for 35mm I seldom use it.

HP5+ in Ilfotec HC

HP5+ in Ilfotec HC

 

[john_s]

Thanks Andrew. I have been trying Ilfotec HC lately, as I have most of a litre at hand, but no matter what I do, it isnt as good as Ilfosol 3. I know you have great experience with Ilfosol, and from what I can discern, it is very kind to the highlights in an image. HC-110 and Ilfotec HC just seem to blow highlights and even in harsh light, Ilfosol delivers the goods. This photo was taken in Lanzarote sunlight which is harsh at the best of times.

HC-110 is reputed to give an upswept curve, so extra contrast in the highlights is not surprising.

 

[John Bragg]

@John Bragg you definitely have a style, sir. I suspect some of this comes down to scanning too, you're very protective of both the shadows and the highlights. And speaking of Ilfotec HC, for some reason it works pretty well in combination with HP5+ in large format, see below. But for 35mm I seldom use it.

HP5+ in Ilfotec HC
View attachment 367169

HP5+ in Ilfotec HC
View attachment 367170

Thankyou Steven. I like your photos with HP5+ in HC. What was your rated speed on these ? I rate HP5+ @ ei200.

 

[John Bragg]

HC-110 is reputed to give an upswept curve, so extra contrast in the highlights is not surprising.

Thanks John. I have tried dilution H with Ilfotec HC and that seems ok. I'm planning a test at 1:49 dilution for ease and was thinking that 6 mins @ 20°C might be a useful starting point for ei200.

 

[Steven Lee]

Thankyou Steven. I like your photos with HP5+ in HC. What was your rated speed on these ? I rate HP5+ @ ei200.

John, they are large format, so grainy appearance is not a problem. I was never 100% sure what do people mean when they say "shoot at" or "rate at" a certain ISO. This is the equivalent of saying +1EV exposure compensation, but that would be incomplete without knowing how metering was done. Those shots were spot-metered. The meter was set to ISO 400. Usually I'd sample the shadow where I need visible detail and add between 2 and 3EV based on what else is in the scene.

Having used large format for about a year, I am still a newbie. What I am noticing (gut feel, not a measurement) though is that LF negatives seem to hold a greater range of densities and I never had a problem with blown highlights with HC. I don't know whether its true or just a coincidence. The golden bridge shot had crazy contrast, and yet there's detail everywhere on the negative. The pure black appearance of the bushes in the foreground came from digital editing where I moved the black point to the right.

 

[loccdor]

Ilfosol-3 and HP5+ was the first developer/film combination I ever home developed. The tonality was very appealing from it. I switched to HC-110 immediately after my bottle ran out (old syrupy version) because I wanted something with better keeping properties that was more economical. HC-110 also gave nice results, the only time I felt let down by it was in push-processing. But I did slightly prefer the tones from Ilfosol-3. The quality of the grain was acceptable for me in both.