Legacy L110 or R09 Rodinal for Acros II?

[ColdEye]

Which one, or are they not that different? I have been shooting for a few years now and until now I really cant tell what the differences between developers are, but I do know what I like (I do not like Xtol or Tmax developer). I have used L110 and Rodinal and PaRodinal before. I like them because they last a long time and they are easy to mix (no powders please). For the people who have shot Acros II and have used either of these developers, what did you like and not like about them? I have never tried Acros II before, it seems it is not that different from the old acros.

 

[Todd Niccole]

I have no experience with Rodinal but I don't recommend L110 or HC-110 for Acros. They make Acros too grainy which I haven't expereinced with other developers(ID-11, Microphen), even print developers for high contrast(Ultrafine, PQU). The two were not made for each other.

 

[ColdEye]

I ordered some R09 to experiment with, just waiting for it to arrive. I will post my conclusions.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Both of those choices seem too grainy for a premium fine grained but high acutance film like ACROS. I personally prefer PMK pyro, but even D76 or Perceptol would seem to be a more logical choice than Rodinal or 110.

 

[ColdEye]

I see. I have some Microphen too, I will give it a try in both.

 

[lantau]

I used Acros a few times with Rodinal years ago. IIRC it is has a little more grain, but a pleasant, very fine grain. It depends on your requirements. But you should use E.I.80 with Rodinal.

Unfortunately there aren't that many D76 like liquid standard developers, which are universally available. Ilford DDX is probably your best bet. In Europe you can get Amaloco AM74, which I used once. It is also sold, supposedly in a slightly refined recipe, as Rollei Supergrain developer, which might be available to you. Freestyle has it.

 

[Ernst-Jan]

I do really like Acros / Acros II in Ilfosol 3. Developed 1+14 9:30 exposed at iso 100

 

[ColdEye]

I recently developed a few rolls of ACROS II in Rodinal semi-stand, 1:100. The grain is minimal to my eyes. YMMV
Some examples that were recently posted in the "Landscapes" thread:

Wow, these are spectacular specially the last two. Makes me excited to try out the combo.

 

[cirwin2010]

Jumping in here. 120 Acros II has been my go to film lately since I was able to get a bunch on discount. Much of that has to do with its reciprocity characteristics as I shoot a lot around dusk and dawn. Since many of these scenes can be very high in contrast where artificial lighting in present, or when the sun starts peaking over the horizon, I like to use R09 at 1:100 dilution for 18 minutes at 20C. Agitating for 15 seconds every minute for the first 3 minutes then reducing agitation to 15 seconds for every 3 minutes (see massive dev chart Rodinal 1:100 times for Acros).

I find this combination helps reduce highlight density somewhat without yielding a extremely flat scene like stand development. I think the agitation at the beginning helps develop the shadows better, though I don't know for sure.

R09 with Acros II does yield some visible grain at close viewing distances once you get over 5x enlargement sizes, but it is certainly small. I've also tried Across II with HC-110 (new formula) dilution B. I understand that Legacy L110 is comparable to HC-110. This combination is practically gainless in comparison to my eyes. Even looking at the negatives with a 10x loop, the grain is hardly there. That being said, you won't notice the difference in grain until close viewing at larger sizes in my opinion. I can't really comment much on comparing the "tonality" between the two due to lack of experience and standardized tests. I have been sticking with R09 for now for low cost, sharper grain, and because the new formula of HC-110 seems to develop crystals in the bottle (still works however). I intend to try Adox fx-39 II with Acros once I use up more of my Rodinal.

Please take the above grain of salt as this is purely subjection and my comparisons to other combinations are limited to non-existent.

This may mostly be a metering issue with the scenes I have been shooting lately, but I have noticed thin shadows with Acros II and R09. I think Rodinal/R09 is likely part of the issue with providing reduced speed, so keep that in mind. You may need slightly more exposure than you think if you get thin negatives/shadows.

 

[Tony-S]

I have only shot the original Acros and I exclusively use Perceptol 1+2, 16 min at 75F. Agitate 10" (7 inversions) at 1 min intervals. However, I just received 5 rolls of Acros II (135x36) and will shoot one this week to see how it does with Perceptol.

 

[spark]

The original Acros did very well in Fuji Microfine, which is a close cousin to Kodak Microdol and Ilford Perceptol. Xtol 1:1 dilution is also pretty good.

 

[dourbalistar]

First time trying Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II, so take the results with a grain of... monzogranite. Fujifilm doesn't provide development times for HC-110 (which LegacyPro is supposed to be a clone of) in its data sheet, so I used the recommended time from Massive Dev Chart for 120. Don't know if it's normal, but the film base (rebate area) came out completely clear.

Rolleicord V, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5 minutes.


2022.02.19 Roll #301-06908-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr

 

[dourbalistar]

The post above was frame #1. This is frame #2.

Rolleicord V, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5 minutes.


2022.02.19 Roll #301-06910-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr

 

[markjwyatt]

I have only shot one roll of Acros II, and home developed that in HC110. Looks similar to past Acros developed in DDX (The Darkroom). Here are some shots:

Flickr Search — “"Acros II" "HC110" NOT simulation”

flickr.com

If I shoot Acros II in the future, I would consider ADOX FX-39 II for the developer, possibly Rodinal also (Rodinal has become a standard developer for me, but was not at the time I shot the Acros II).

 

[dourbalistar]

Rolleicord V, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5 minutes.


2022.02.19 Roll #301-06914-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr

 

[dourbalistar]

Rolleicord V, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5 minutes.


2022.02.19 Roll #301-06916-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr

 

[newtorf]

I shot the original Acros (Legacy Pro 100) in 35mm and developed them in HC-110 about 10 years ago. The results were virtually grainless - the finest grain of all films I've ever used (including TMAX 100).

 

[dourbalistar]

Rolleicord V, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5 minutes.


2022.02.19 Roll #301-06918-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr

 

[dourbalistar]

Rolleicord V, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5 minutes.


2022.02.19 Roll #301-06922-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr

 

[Pieter12]

I haven't shot ACROS II yet, but I have shot the previous version. I process all my film in Rodinal, and I found it really helped ACROS for the look I prefer. Samples I had seen of ACROS left me disappointed, it seemed flat and the grain soft, lacking the edge I like. When processed in Rodinal, the detail and contrast were better to my eye. Of course, printing in the darkroom I make adjustments too, so YMMV.

 

[dourbalistar]

I should probably pick up a bottle of Rodinal to compare...

Rolleicord V, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5 minutes.


2022.02.19 Roll #301-06924-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr