Microdol-X gone - recommended alternatives?

[A49]

Yes they change. Diluted developer contains much less sulphite. Sulphite solves back silver an reduces grain and sharpness as well. If you dilute a sulphite-rich dev you get more sharpness and more grain.

By the way, the causality isn´t always as straight as you say. The more you dilute a deveoper, the longer become the development times. Therefore the decreased sulfite has longer time too to solve silver and to reduce the grain. But I read that if the sulfite level falls below some concentration (about 30g per liter) then its solving action decreases strongly.

For instance A49 Tmax 400 (TMY-2) obviously makes an exception to your rule. As I wrote already, I compared A49 at full strength and dilutions 1+1, 1+2 and found no differences in sharpness and grain although I expected it would work grainier and sharper the more I dilute it. In another test I saw that it becomes sharper if you dilute it much more than recommended (1+8). Then it produces coarser grain too. The advantage I got in sharpness was less than the disadvantage in grain. A49 is just no sharpness orientated developer and one can´t change that much. With Microdol-X and Xtol it is probably different.

 

[Sammelwahn]

A filmtest (Kodak Tmax 400 TMY-2) with different developers (Miccrodol-X, XTOL, HRX-3), but only in german language:

http://www.fotografie-in-schwarz-weiss.de/tmy-2_test.html

The distance from the corners of the triple constraint to a film development combination shows the difference to the best result.

Empfindlichkeitsausnutzung = filmspeed
Körnigkeit = grain
Schärfe = sharpness

PS: Please excuse my bad english, but shool is long time ago and I don´t used it about 20 years. To read and understand is not that problem like talking and writing...

 

[A49]

A filmtest (Kodak Tmax 400 TMY-2) with different developers (Miccrodol-X, XTOL, HRX-3), but only in german language:

http://www.fotografie-in-schwarz-weiss.de/tmy-2_test.html

Great test, Mr. Beyer! If your interested in comparing with my results regarding TMY-2 in HRX-3 (1+29), Perceptol stock, A49 stock, please look here at post #19:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Best regards,
Andreas