My first developer!

[Indio]

Hi,

Some days ago I developed my first 3 film, all went great till I read some articles about the Pyro developer and my question is : is it so far better than the Xtol than I used for my first film ?

I shoot with medium format 6x6 camera mostly still life and portrait pics, develop in tank and finally print on VC fiber paper, Oriental...usually. (tmax400-hp5).
I wish get clean sharp and detailed images, which developer do you suggest to use for me purpose among : Pyrocat Hd, Pyrocat MC and moersch finol??

I got some information about an article write by Sandy King where he wrote that the Pyrocat HD developed in stand for about 45-60 minutes mixed in 2:2:400-500 give stunning results with the maximum sharpness... any suggestions?

This is my first post so I take this occasion to introduce myself in the community; my names is Pier and I'm writing from Italy, It's few time that I start with the photography, therefore I'm sorry for my basic question.

Have a good day.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Staining developers; some people swear by them others swear at them. So be prepared for lots of opinions.

 

[Indio]

I'm looking for opinions...thanks

 

[mts]

I suggest you get some experience with one conventional film/developer combination before experimenting with staining developers. In 6x6 format sharpness and grain are unlikely to be a problem, at least from the standpoint of the materials. The lens quality and camera condition will be more of a contributor to sharpness and your choice of film will contribute most to grain.

 

[Indio]

it's true but I would like compared at the xtol and do some test... I can't wait because I 'm too curious to know more!

 

[Ghostman]

it's true but I would like compared at the xtol and do some test... I can't wait because I 'm too curious to know more!

It sounds like you are about to enter the phase where you are so excited by what you are doing that you start reading articles and posts by people who say 'the results are stunning' leaving you feeling that your results aren't. So you start buying different films and a myriad different chemicals and chasing rainbows thinking that another product someone else is raving about will make you better. We've all been there and most of us still are. So, go and buy all the films and chemicals and experiment to your hearts content because it is generally by these means that you will come to realise that the more you experiment, the less you know.

Then you'll probably decide to use one film and one set of chemistry in order to try and understand the characteristics. From there you'll tweak one variable at a time as you realise that you're in for the long haul, a marathon and not a sprint. Few people know the characteristics of the products better than the manufacturers, this must be especially true for the very established ones. There is much to be gained by meticulously following their standard usage recommendations in order to perfect your workflow. From there you can begin drilling deeper and tweaking. Film and chemicals are like fine old friends. It takes a long time to get to know them, but once you start to understand and develop a relationship the rewards are great.

Good luck.

 

[LJH]

Where you'll find a distinct benefit with Pyro is in divided development. It's a big topic, so I would suggest that you Google it…

Xtol is a fantastic developer, though, and you should make sure that, whatever you decide to try, there is a marked improvement over the Xtol.

 

[Neal]

Dear Indio,

First, there are no magic developers. Second, as Ghostman wrote above, we all go through the same stage of looking for that magic developer so enjoy yourself, it's great fun. One thing I would like to add is that often people seem to decide one developer is amazing because they got it right the first time (not necessarily the second or third time though ;>) ) so watch out for that.

Neal Wydra

 

[markbarendt]

is it so far better than the Xtol than I used for my first film ?

No.

Each developer simply brings slightly different characteristics and strengths into the process, and all the advantages are trade-offs, you give up some characteristic of the "old" developer to get different characteristic in the "new" one.

This trading of characteristics can help you refine the look of your prints but with just 3 rolls under your belt I doubt you even have a baseline to measure from.

XTol is a great developer. You can modify dilution or use it replenished, each different scheme you use with XTol will get you slightly different results.

 

[Indio]

Thank you all for your replies. I know that I seem so exited (and...I am) but there is not in my mind any idea to buy many kinds of developers and films to try... it's may drive me crazy, so I completely agree with you.
I'm using the Xtol and I'll work with it for long long time, I'm not looking for the magic developer,I think that I can work with 2 developers without make mess and I like have different chance to do something.
finally I'm sure that work with 2 different kind of developers could give to me more reach to understand better the development process and get more benefits when I'll start to understand more about these products so difference between them.
I read a lots about the pyrocat, I'm going to try the Pyrocat HD, if somebody have some personal suggest in particular about how make the working solution, if use the stop bath or no,what kind of fix is better with that kind of developer is welcome.

Pier


P.S.

Online there are dry , liquid and glycol Pyrocat Hd... which should I buy? Or which Is easier to work with?

 

[Indio]

I'm going to buy the liquid a-b one with Tf-4.
On the TF-4 there is write that doesn't need the stop bath.
I'm going to use it with Tmax 400 which is hard to fix... 6 minute with shake the first minute,then 1 minute stop and repeat it till the end; is it fine or is too short?

 

[darkosaric]

I'm going to use it with Tmax 400 which is hard to fix... 6 minute with shake the first minute,then 1 minute stop and repeat it till the end; is it fine or is too short?

Go for 10 minutes - agitation every 30sec. Better to be on a safe side with Tmax films.

About different developers - most of developers are very good. But one can have so many different results with one developer. I love Rodinal, and by changing temperature of water and agitation I get totally different results with same developer/film combination. So what you get and what others can get from same developer/film and same instructions - is often very different.

 

[nworth]

Xtol is an outstanding developer. Get used to it and know what you can expect before you experiment.

Pyro developers are rather strange beasts, and they often give inconsistent results, although modern formulations like PMK are pretty stable. They are quite useful for things like alternative processes, and the look and gradation of pyro developers, either staining or non-staining, is something many photographers admire.

 

[kevs]

Hi,

Some days ago I developed my first 3 film, all went great till I read some articles about the Pyro developer and my question is : is it so far better than the Xtol than I used for my first film ?

I shoot with medium format 6x6 camera mostly still life and portrait pics, develop in tank and finally print on VC fiber paper, Oriental...usually. (tmax400-hp5).
I wish get clean sharp and detailed images, which developer do you suggest to use for me purpose among : Pyrocat Hd, Pyrocat MC and moersch finol??

I got some information about an article write by Sandy King where he wrote that the Pyrocat HD developed in stand for about 45-60 minutes mixed in 2:2:400-500 give stunning results with the maximum sharpness... any suggestions?

This is my first post so I take this occasion to introduce myself in the community; my names is Pier and I'm writing from Italy, It's few time that I start with the photography, therefore I'm sorry for my basic question.

Have a good day.

Hi Pier,

Congratulations on developing your first films; pulling well-developed film from the tank is always a thrill. I'd suggest that you stick with one film/developer combination until your routine is established and refined. You'll find yourself making all kinds of mistakes which changing developers might complicate. Once you know that you can get consistent, reliable results from your chosen film/dev pairing you can more easily diagnose problems if anything goes wrong, like (say) underdevelopment etc. At your stage I wouldn't recommend experimenting with exotic developers and/or techniques. Learn to walk before you try to run!

Welcome to APUG; I hope you find it useful.

Cheers,
kevs

 

[Indio]

Thank you kevs, I bought the Pyrocat in the afternoon, too late to came back.


I know, the pyro are strange beast but I think that with the new Pyrocat HD, a proper exsposure of the tmax 400 and ,very important thing, with a constant temperature of the developer and water is possible control it... so I must check often the temperature and control it.
Pre-soak tmax400 5 minutes
then stand, semi-stand, normail, double developer bath... I still don't know
wash in water with 30 sec of agitation
TF-4 6 minutes
and then wash in water for about 20-30 minutes
final bath in distilled water with wetting agent

Of course all the water will be distilled except the 20-30 minutes washing

should work in this way...maybe.