Looking for a new black and white negative developer

[sruddy]

I started with Kodak D-76 but mixing powder wasn't the most fun. I switched to HC-110 and was happy with it until I discovered it has been discontinued and the new formula crystallizes after awhile. I'm looking for a developer with a good shelf life that will work well for Kodak and Ilford films. I use a processor if that makes any difference. It develops at 75 degrees and does constant agitation which can be adjusted.
Thanks

 

[AnselMortensen]

For long shelf life, easy mixing liquid, economical one-shot use:
Rodinal.
Probably not the best choice for continuous agitation.

 

[Bronson Dugnutt]

For sheer simplicity, it's hard to beat mixing your own D-23. Only two ingredients and amenable to replenishment. It delivers a lower contrast but you can always alter time, temp, agitation, and dilution.

I'll speculate that replenished D-23 might increase in contrast over time as bromide builds up, but I've got no direct experience on that topic.

Rodinal is another option if you can cope with the grain.

 

[pentaxuser]

Rodinal is probably "king of the hill" as far as longevity, cost and ease of use is concerned. As far as the grain is concerned it may not be as bad as it is made out to be, especially if the prints are not say more than 8x10 and even larger if the camera is MF

If you want to have a look at its grain check out this video by John Finch. If I recall correctly these were 35mm negs



There are 4 videos in the series and all worth watching but the above may be the most relevant in terms of grain

pentaxuser

 

[Sirius Glass]

XTOL

See the comparisons

 

[MattKing]

It is premature to assume that HC-110 has been discontinued - and traditionally crystals that formed in HC-110 weren't much of a concern.
FWIW, there have been some signs that T-Max developer has started re-appearing on the shelves - and it is arguably formulated with 24C in mind.
T-Max developer will give you more film speed than HC-110.
Traditionally, "plain" T-Max developer was not recommended for sheet film. The sheet film compatible version - T-Max RS - appears to have been discontinued. I don't know whether the "no sheet film" warning applies to the current version of T-Max.

 

[Alan9940]

Personally, I'd go with D-23 (as recommended above), but if you want a liquid formula IMO you couldn't go wrong with Ilford DD-X. It's a good, general purpose developer and will last about a year, if stored properly.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

If you like D76 try Arista Premium film developer also known a F76+. Get you similar results very conveniente and cheap liquid developer.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1574107-REG/arista_6174_premium_liquid_film_developer.html

 

[drkhalsa]

You could consider Photographers' Formulary's FA-1027. Its dilutions work well at 75º

 

[Paul Howell]

If you shoot enough to use a small bottle every couple of months, Freestyle's Arista liquid which is rebranded Clayton F76+, very close in terms of the same balance of grain, speed, and contrast as D76. Other option is the ILford version of HC 110. Then there is DDX or Tmax developer. I have used many developers over the years and now use HC 110 and Rodinal 1:50.

 

[GregY]

You're going to get everyone's favourites..... mine is Pyrocat HD in glycol. It lasts. Is very economical. I don't use a rotary processor, but if you do.... the the Pyrocat MC formulation would work for you.

 

[Steven Lee]

If you liked HC-110 you should be impressed with Ilfotec HC. I appreciate the convenience of controlling contrast not only with time but also with different dilutions. You can also control its grain appearance with dilutions as well, basically the same workflow as HC-110.

I only use it for large format, which I shoot infrequently. So longevity is important to me. You can search the old threads, and you'll find that people have been saying for many years how similar HC is to HC-110 and how well it keeps. But what's amusing is that nobody shared their experiences with its shelf life. I have not found a single comment online saying "it's been 5 years and I'm still on my original bottle of Ilfotec HC". Meanwhile nobody ever said "I opened the bottle of HC after 2 years and it's dead". For some reason only Rodinal and HC-110 are cited in such stories.

Well... I am on my first bottle of Ilfotec HC. About 30% in. It's been opened for 14 months and it's going strong.

It is also readily available everywhere in the US and hasn't been affected by supply chain issues. It has always been in stock at numerous online stores and at several local shops in my area.

Here's the sample of HP5+, the primary film I shoot. As you can see, the tonal range is impressive and it holds highlights quite well.

One more thing: people say that HC-110 loses a bit of film speed. I have never used HC-110, but I have not changed my exposure habits after switching from Xtol to Ilfotec HC. I use box speed and meter either ambient light, or spot on shadows, just as I have always been with other developers. Did not notice any shadows issues. But I haven't done any controlled tests, so I don't know how HC affects film speed.

 

[sruddy]

XTOL

See the comparisons
View attachment 344285

Thanks for the chart! If I can't get HC-110 may try T-Max.

It is premature to assume that HC-110 has been discontinued - and traditionally crystals that formed in HC-110 weren't much of a concern.
FWIW, there have been some signs that T-Max developer has started re-appearing on the shelves - and it is arguably formulated with 24C in mind.
T-Max developer will give you more film speed than HC-110.
Traditionally, "plain" T-Max developer was not recommended for sheet film. The sheet film compatible version - T-Max RS - appears to have been discontinued. I don't know whether the "no sheet film" warning applies to the current version of T-Max.

I just read the chemical page in my Sidekick processor manual and it says "Use: T-Max developer (B/W DEV) and Mix T-Max developer 1 part concentrate to 5 parts water. It works better in a Sidekick than Kodak's recommendation of 1:4

I may try this out.

 

[agentlossing]

I've been using TMAX dev lately for 35mm, both intermittent and constant agitation in the Lab-Box, and I'm getting good results. The bottle's exiration date when I bought it was something like September 2023 and I've opened it, so we'll see how long it lasts.

 

[Bronson Dugnutt]

I've been using TMAX dev lately for 35mm, both intermittent and constant agitation in the Lab-Box, and I'm getting good results. The bottle's exiration date when I bought it was something like September 2023 and I've opened it, so we'll see how long it lasts.

The TMAX concentrate has a good shelf life if you expel as much oxygen as possible. I used up a bottle over the course of at least a year with no issues.

Working dilutions give a very obvious indication when they've gone off by taking on a very deep brown color. An uncovered 300mL beaker of 1+9 will go foul within a few days.

It is a very punchy developer and not really fine-grained compared to some others but does give full box speed. As it's name indicates, it is probably best used with tabular grain films.

 

[Paul Howell]

If Tmax becomes hard to find you use ILford DDX.

 

[mshchem]

I think we will be able to buy Kodak branded B&W chemistry in the future. I use XTOL, I recently mixed up some of the USA made product, it looks like the original, same insoluble 100 mgs of yellow bits after everything else is in solution, could be the same suppliers? The Tetenal German made version of XTOL was the prettiest.
Adox has D-76 that's not D-76, XTOL that's not XTOL, etc. Freestyle sells similar products. D-23 is a great idea. Buy 6 or 7 chemicals and mix everything yourself soup to nuts!

 

[remjet5219]

XTOL

From what I've read and from using it: for your health, the health of the environment, your wallet (when using replenishing method), and your soul because it's so darn pretty.

I'm not knowledgeable enough about the other developers, but so far I've found XTOL to have many more pros than cons.

 

[subsole]

I think we will be able to buy Kodak branded B&W chemistry in the future. I use XTOL, I recently mixed up some of the USA made product, it looks like the original, same insoluble 100 mgs of yellow bits after everything else is in solution, could be the same suppliers? The Tetenal German made version of XTOL was the prettiest.
Adox has D-76 that's not D-76, XTOL that's not XTOL, etc. Freestyle sells similar products. D-23 is a great idea. Buy 6 or 7 chemicals and mix everything yourself soup to nuts!

I've switched from XTOL to ADOX XT-3.
It behaves exactly like Xtol. No difference in development times, grain, speed or sharpness.
And it mixes a lot easier than XTOL.