Laziness lead to success with Rodinal.

Steve Smith · Aug 13, 2007

As a change to my normal routine, I used some Ilford FP4+ last night and decided to develop it in Rodinal.

I was initially going to use the recommended 1+50 dilution for fifteen minutes but I decided that I couldn't be bothered to stand there that long agitating every minute.

Instead I extended the developing time to twenty minutes and only agitated every fifth minute.

I have yet to print anything but I am very pleased with the look of the negatives. I will print and post examples soon.

I have searched for some examples of semi-stand development times but most are for dilutions in the 1+100 to 1+200 range. Does anyone have any other examples of semi-stand using 1+50?

Steve.

jim appleyard · Aug 13, 2007

Welcome to the Church of Rodinal!

Shawn Dougherty · Aug 13, 2007

Never tried 1:50, I develop APX100 semi-stand at 1:100 for 50 minutes and Tmax100 semi-stand at 1:100 for 40 minutes. I agitate for the 1st minute and then for 30 seconds at the halfway point. Best. Shawn

jim appleyard · Aug 13, 2007

The cool thing about being a member of this Church is that you can use Rodinal any way you want, any day of the week, not just on Sundays!

I never use 1+25, rather I use the 1+50 for a bit more compensation, (if there really is such a thing) and a bit better economy. If I'm not in a hurry, I like 1+100.

OPTheory · Aug 13, 2007

Here here to the Church of Rodinal from which I am a member also!

I too like the 1:100 dilution on semi-stand development.

toadhall · Aug 13, 2007

From 'The Film Developing Cookbook', by Anchell & Troop, (pg. 33) on minimal agitation:

'To use minimal agitation, agitate continuously for the first 60 seconds, then for 10 seconds every third minute. Increase development time by about 50% over normal.'

It certainly works for me using the Formulary version of Rodinal.

argus · Aug 14, 2007

Steve,

you have just discovered the secret of the Holy Grail

Rodinal is the perfect developer for lazy people like me. I have posted my times on several occasions here.
The best part of Rodinal, is the ability to develop different types of film in the same batch.

G

P C Headland · Aug 14, 2007

I tend to stick to 1+100 for stand or reduced agitation (5 inversions at the start of each minute for three minutes, then one inversion every three minutes thereafter). Apart from being relaxing, it's pretty easy on the brain, as you can give most films 18-20 minutes like this and get pretty good results. Or 60 minutes stand - the oven timer is useful in this case

The other advantage is that your EI will work out much closer to box speed than other more energetic programs which have Rodinal as the lead actor.

Steve Smith · Aug 14, 2007

P C Headland said:
The other advantage is that your EI will work out much closer to box speed than other more energetic programs which have Rodinal as the lead actor.

That's interesting because although I have standardised on HP5+ at EI 200 with 75% of normal development time (with LC-29) as my main film and developer combination, in this case I used FP4+ at ISO 100/125 (close enough).

Is it the case that Rodinal in 1+50 and upwards dilutions used in stand or semi-stand development works more like a paper developer? i.e. develops more or less to completion.

Steve.

P C Headland · Aug 14, 2007

Steve Smith said:
...

Is it the case that Rodinal in 1+50 and upwards dilutions used in stand or semi-stand development works more like a paper developer? i.e. develops more or less to completion.

Steve.

So I am lead to believe, but I'm no technical expert - I just like the results I get! Even with films that have a reputation for easily blocked up highlights or overdevelopement - like Efke 25 & Acros for example - I've never ended up with a difficult to scan (sorry!) negative.

Rodinal is like a fine wine in some ways - too much, too quick, and the end results can be a bit off-putting, but take your time and the rewards are there

edtbjon · Aug 14, 2007

Steve Smith said:
...
Is it the case that Rodinal in 1+50 and upwards dilutions used in stand or semi-stand development works more like a paper developer? i.e. develops more or less to completion.
Steve.

Some of the experts may be able to give the proper explanation here, but IMO it's the developer which develops to exhaustion and not the film developing to completion. Then it's more of a convenient side effect (read: compensation effect) that you can stand/semi-stand develop a batch of different films the same time, even though the times for the films are very different in "normal" development.
Again, there are lots written on the subject of stand development in Rodinal, Pyrocat et al. in more or less homeopathic doses. Almost every article kind of ends with "Your milage may vary."

//Björn

MartinB · Aug 14, 2007

my "lazy" TV method

I have been experimenting with my own version of lazy developing after reading posts on dilute rodinal and stand/semi stand development:

It involves Rodinal and television

1) Prepare developer and load tank with film
2) scan the TV listing for a suitable TV show (60 min)
3) pour developer in the tank at the beginning of the show
4) one gentle inversion at each commercial break (the dev tank, not the TV!)
5) empty tank at end of show
6) water stop and fix as normal

Commercials are the key and the method has a mild health benefit - commercials provide the stimulus to agitate, you have to get up off the couch on a regular basis, and no trips to the fridge for snacks!

What seems to have worked best for me is high dilution (1:150) and for roll films more than the minimum fluid for the reel. ie a larger tank and 450ml per 35mm or 600ml for a 120 roll to make sure I have at least 3ml Rodinal per roll of film.

Try it on non-critical film before once in a lifetime photos

p.s. best shows are sit coms or reality TV (Canadian Idol) since they have scheduled commercial breaks - Hockey Night in Canada not so good.
p.p.s not responsible for brain rot!

Tom Hoskinson · Aug 15, 2007

A bit of Blasphemy - Rodinal is not the only ONE

P C Headland said:
So I am lead to believe, but I'm no technical expert - I just like the results I get! Even with films that have a reputation for easily blocked up highlights or overdevelopement - like Efke 25 & Acros for example - I've never ended up with a difficult to scan (sorry!) negative.

Rodinal is like a fine wine in some ways - too much, too quick, and the end results can be a bit off-putting, but take your time and the rewards are there

Other developers that work well as highly diluted Stand Developers :

Ansco 130
Agfa 8
FX-2
All members of the Pyrocat developer family

Steve Smith · Aug 16, 2007

A print from my first roll using Rodinal is here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Steve.

Shawn Dougherty · Aug 22, 2007

Steve,
the image is nice but I've viewed it on two monitors and the highlights appeared blocked up. Is this a matter of the scan or were the highlights cooked a bit on the neg? If the latter then reducing to 1:100 SHOULD keep the shadows about the same while exhausting the developer in the highlights thus taming them a bit. All the best. Shawn

Steve Smith · Aug 22, 2007

Shawn Dougherty said:
Is this a matter of the scan or were the highlights cooked a bit on the neg?

There is a lot more detail in the white between the two decks on the print than the scan. I may have another go at scanning it but I suspect that whatever I gain in the highlights will be lost in the shadows.

1+100 is my next experiment!

Steve.

titrisol · Aug 22, 2007

Actually stand development was explained to me during march madness
Before tip off pour the developer in (rodinal 1+200), at about 1/2 of the 1st half agitate once
At half time Fix and wash.
LOL

MartinB said:
I have been experimenting with my own version of lazy developing after reading posts on dilute rodinal and stand/semi stand development:

It involves Rodinal and television

1) Prepare developer and load tank with film
2) scan the TV listing for a suitable TV show (60 min)
3) pour developer in the tank at the beginning of the show
4) one gentle inversion at each commercial break (the dev tank, not the TV!)
5) empty tank at end of show
6) water stop and fix as normal

Commercials are the key and the method has a mild health benefit - commercials provide the stimulus to agitate, you have to get up off the couch on a regular basis, and no trips to the fridge for snacks!

What seems to have worked best for me is high dilution (1:150) and for roll films more than the minimum fluid for the reel. ie a larger tank and 450ml per 35mm or 600ml for a 120 roll to make sure I have at least 3ml Rodinal per roll of film.

Try it on non-critical film before once in a lifetime photos

p.s. best shows are sit coms or reality TV (Canadian Idol) since they have scheduled commercial breaks - Hockey Night in Canada not so good.
p.p.s not responsible for brain rot!

Flotsam · Aug 22, 2007

Is there nothing that can't be accomplished or improved upon through laziness?

That is why I have made it my normal state of being.

Stan160 · Oct 11, 2007

Steve,

Developed a roll of 35mm FP4+ in 1+50 for twenty minutes with agitation every fifth minute.

Based on my not too great scanner, and inspection with a loupe, I like the look very much. Hoping to get my new darkroom finished at the weekend so I can try printing some of the negs.

Will post the results, including pictures of your home town!

Ian

Steve Smith · Oct 11, 2007

Stan160 said:
Will post the results, including pictures of your home town!

I am looking forward to seeing those.

I shot three 120 rolls of FP4+ a couple of days ago for some musician friends for their demo CD. It was my first time using studio lights and as I didn't want to mess up anything by experimenting I processed the first roll as advised on the Massive Development Chart for 11 minutes in Rodinal 1+100.

The negatives came out very thin although all the detail I want appears to be there. This is despite using both a flash meter and a digi-toy to check the exposure.

Tonight I will process the other two rolls for about 25 minutes with 5 minute agitation intervals and see what happens.

An interesting feature of these thin negatives is that if you view them with reflective light, they appear positive.

That's what you get for asking a landscape photographer to do your portraits I suppose!

Steve.

Murray Kelly · Oct 11, 2007

I have no data to back up my thoughts, but I add a pinch of NaOH if I go to 1:200 or more.

I want to get the slow development of weak p-aminophenol but at high dilutions I worry that the alkali accellerator is too dilute to keep the pH high throughout.

Whatever, it can't hurt?

Murray Brisbane.

Laziness lead to success with Rodinal.

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