Just what am I really doing?

[Doremus Scudder]

Question- If I am in danger of developer exhaustion, why is the use of the volume of developer that I am using mentioned favorably in the official Kodak literature, the only difference being that I am using it in a more concentrated form?

I was under the impression that you were using significantly less stock D-76 per roll than Kodak recommends. I see now that it is only slightly less.

However, using 8 oz. of D-76 1+1 for one roll already puts it into the exhaustion range. That's why Kodak recommends adding 10% more time to compensate. This compensation allows more time for the highlights to develop with the partially-exhausted developer, bringing the final result back to "normal." Note that this is not necessary if you develop that one roll in 16 oz of D-76 1+1; there's enough developer there to keep it from exhausting.

If you are using D-76 at less than the 4 oz of stock per roll that Kodak recommends for 1+1, you're diluting even more and the developer will exhaust even more. Since your dilution is only slightly different from 1+1 and you're adding the 10% more time, the deviation should be minimal, maybe even inconsequential. How your highlights print tells the tale.

The concentration may even make the developer in your case more active than the 1+1 dilution, so you may even be getting denser, contrastier highlights your way. You'd have to test to see.

Best,

Doremus

 

[Vaughn]

Thanks, Doremus. The difference would most likely be very difficult to judge...with printing process and personal style probably over-riding the difference. And then toss in all the other compensating methods -- water (or alkaline) baths to quickly exhaust the developer locally in the highlights and still work in the shadows, stand development, and so forth. In the end, one works with the light that is available, and makes it work.

 

[138S]

Yeah... general developer exhaustion will promote general underdevelopment, highlight active compensation comes when in the highlights we promote local exhaustion, or we allow highlight local bromide (by-product) accumulation from lower agitation.

Still D-76 has semi-compensating chemical nature yet, before starting with processing mods.