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- Jul 28, 2009
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The instruction sheet for FA-1027 reads a bit more like a hype man's patter than a merely practical document. But given that reviewers on Photo Formulary have been quite positive, the topic hooked my interest. FA claims to be a high acutance developer which nonetheless produces "fine grain" without the fuzziness of solvent developers using sodium sulfite. I've never seen fine grain with high acutance in anything other than tanning developers, so I'm curious what other people have learned or read about the developer.
I tried using Perplexity first to summarize user reviews, then turned to ChatGPT to see what it made of the (partially contradictory) hype sheet. It suggested its own DIY FA-1027 recipe! I don't know enough about chemistry to ascertain whether this is useless hallucination or a decent educated guess, but let me know what you think, if you've got the background to interpret this:
"FA-1027 is almost certainly:
• A low-sulfite, high-acutance PQ developer.
• Based on Phenidone + Hydroquinone, buffered, with antifog agents.
• Engineered to offer moderate contrast, fine visible grain, and strong microcontrast.
• Designed for modern emulsions, particularly 35mm and 120 where grain rendering and sharpness are critical.
It seems like a refined FX-39 with tweaks for broader tonality and slightly more speed retention.
Still, let’s build a DIY developer inspired by FA-1027 using the concrete clues:
• Phenidone + Hydroquinone
• Low solvent (i.e., low sulfite)
• Restrained fog (via KBr and Benzotriazole)
• High acutance, full tonal scale, no speed loss
Solution A (Developer stock)
Chemical Amount Purpose
Hydroquinone 5.0 g Main developing agent
Phenidone 0.1 g Superadditive developer
Sodium Sulfite (anh.) 25.0 g Preservative (low amount)
Sodium Carbonate (anh.) 10.0 g Activator (pH buffer)
Potassium Bromide 0.5 g Primary restrainer (anti-fog)
Benzotriazole (1% sol.) 10 ml Secondary restrainer (fine fog control)
Distilled water to make 1 L —
I tried using Perplexity first to summarize user reviews, then turned to ChatGPT to see what it made of the (partially contradictory) hype sheet. It suggested its own DIY FA-1027 recipe! I don't know enough about chemistry to ascertain whether this is useless hallucination or a decent educated guess, but let me know what you think, if you've got the background to interpret this:
"FA-1027 is almost certainly:
• A low-sulfite, high-acutance PQ developer.
• Based on Phenidone + Hydroquinone, buffered, with antifog agents.
• Engineered to offer moderate contrast, fine visible grain, and strong microcontrast.
• Designed for modern emulsions, particularly 35mm and 120 where grain rendering and sharpness are critical.
It seems like a refined FX-39 with tweaks for broader tonality and slightly more speed retention.
Still, let’s build a DIY developer inspired by FA-1027 using the concrete clues:
• Phenidone + Hydroquinone
• Low solvent (i.e., low sulfite)
• Restrained fog (via KBr and Benzotriazole)
• High acutance, full tonal scale, no speed loss
Solution A (Developer stock)
Chemical Amount Purpose
Hydroquinone 5.0 g Main developing agent
Phenidone 0.1 g Superadditive developer
Sodium Sulfite (anh.) 25.0 g Preservative (low amount)
Sodium Carbonate (anh.) 10.0 g Activator (pH buffer)
Potassium Bromide 0.5 g Primary restrainer (anti-fog)
Benzotriazole (1% sol.) 10 ml Secondary restrainer (fine fog control)
Distilled water to make 1 L —