In search of grain

[Gary Holliday]

I work in medium format and will only be printing to a maximum size of 11x11". I need some very grainy looking negs and intend using Rodinal, however whilst typing this it appears Fuji Neopan 1600 and TMAX 3200 is not available in 120 format aarrgggh

Plan B: Can Neopan 400 be pushed a few stops in Rodinal?

Will Lithing the results give sufficient grain? (I've yet to try the process)

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Use Tri-X, push it to 800-1000, and try souping it in Dektol. It will develop FAST ( 3 mins +/- in Dektol 1:3 @ 75F), have golfball-like grain, and be very sharp.

 

[Stephen Frizza]

have u considered getting delta 3200 and developing some unexposed film in dektol with continuous agitation so u get a grain base you can sandwich with other film types to get the grain your after? p.s the Tri-X Dektol combo works wonders! grain stands out like dogs balls!

 

[dpurdy]

I just spent yesterday printing 120 delta 3200 shot at 1600 and processed in XTOL. I was hoping for not much grain but at 7x7" the grain is very evident. Actually looks pretty interesting though with nice tones. I would shoot delta 3200 and process it out in your Rodinal and it should give you plentiful grain.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

If you're going to stick to Rodinal, run it 1:25 or maybe even try it 1:12.5, and run it hot.

 

[lee]

trix in dektol

lee\c

 

[DarkroomExperimente]

with Tri-X in Dektol....what's the contrast like?

sounds like fun

does the Ilford Multigrade Paper Developer have a similar effect on grain?

 

[lee]

trix in dektol 1:2 the contrast can be considerable. I never fooled with it too much I would imagine changing the dilution to something like 1:4 and some exposure compensation the contrast might be a little less.

lee\c

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Anything in Dektol can be punchy, even at 1:3. I've never tried the Ilford paper developer - I don't know that MG would be as good for film as Dektol, which was originally developed to be a "universal" developer, much like Ansco 130.

 

[srs5694]

I have experience with two very grainy combinations in 35mm:

• Svema FN64 in XTOL. This seems counter-intuitive; Svema FN64 is an ISO 64 film, and XTOL is normally a fine-grained developer; however, the result was hideous -- huge grain and uneven development. I suspect this isn't what you're looking for, and Svema has been out of production for quite a while, so finding it (particularly in MF) could be tricky.
• Fuji Neopan 1600 in PC-Glycol 1+1+48 (with 15% sodium carbonate as the "B" solution) -- This produced very big and very crisp grain. This was a rather surprising result for me, since PC-Glycol doesn't normally exaggerate grain in this way. I personally didn't like the result, but it might work for some subjects, and it could be just what you want.

I realize you said that Neopan 1600 isn't available in MF, but it's conceivable that Fuji Neopan 400 would react similarly to PC-Glycol (I've never tried that combination). It might therefore be worth trying this combination. PC-Glycol is easy to make; you need phenidone, ascorbic acid, sodium carbonate, propylene glycol, and water.

 

[thefizz]

I used Ilford Multi Grade developer on Plus-X film and got a good increase in grain size.

 

[nicolai]

Ilford Delta 3200 in Diafine is grainy as f***! There's a sample here. It's a crop out of a 35mm frame, but still, the grain is plainly visible to the naked eye on the negs. Grainiest combo I've ever seen.

 

[Gary Holliday]

After reading many good reviews on Delta 3200 and the comments on this thread,

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
I've decided on the Ilford film.

So many films have gone creamy and every photograph has this smooth digital feel. As film users, we should exploit some of the great characteristics of film and achieve a look which differs from the norm.

I will use this for my next project...now need to decide on a suitable EI in Rodinal...