need help : which developer to use ?

[Kim Catton]

Hi. I am about to shot a lot of T-Max 400 35mm. Which developer (I prefer one-shot developers) should I use to get the least grain? I have at the moment ADOX APH09 at my shelves but I am about to order some stuff from Photoimpex.... so I can get my hands on which ever developer is the best. Besides that, do I need anything else? lavaquick etc? stop? which fix should I use?

Regards, kim.

(Neg developement by the way...)

 

[Lowell Huff]

T MAX AND DELTA FILM DEVELOPER

We have many photographers and labs using our F 76plus Developer for these films.

 

[Ole]

I don't know which developer is "best", but I do know that Rodinal and other similar "XXX-09" developers are among the worst for grain.

You'll need a fix - just about any rapid fixer will do. I prefer slightly alkaline fixers myself, but in most cases that makes no difference to anything but smell.

I guess lavaquick is a washaid? You may need it - that depends on your water supply as well as your washing routine.

 

[Neal]

Dear Kim,

Xtol full strength is a nice balance with TMY in 35mm. You can use your normal stop and fix (be sure to test your fixing time and go with the old "twice as long as it takes to clear." rule), but a few minutes soak in Hypo Clearing Agent will help clear out the sensitizing dye.

Neal Wydra

 

[Bob Carnie]

Kim

I would use TMax Developer, be very precise with temp and agitation and you shoud get wonderful results.

 

[Kim Catton]

I just noticed that I got some Tetenal Ultra Fine Plus. Will this be well suited?.. Both Xtol and Tmax developers (as Neal and Bob mentioned) is Kodak products right.. ?

kim

 

[jasparks]

I prefer the look of Tmax 400 in D76 1:1 to anything else I've tried. However, I now mostly use Tmax RS (1:7 or 1:9 used one shot) because it gives about 2/3 to 1 stop more real film speed and I often find this extra speed useful. I find the negatives in Tmax RS to look very close to the D76 negs with Tmax RS giving slightly finer grain and slightly less acutance and maybe a slight increase in highlight contrast. These differences are very slight.

John

 

[Kim Catton]

Thx for the advice all of you... one more thing.. I found some Tetenal Ultra Fine Plus... will this do the job? And if I decide to use this... Im not sure about the agiation. I normally "tilt" the canister. How many times should this be done doing the developing process?

regards, kim

 

[BBarlow690]

I second the suggestion of Clayton F76 Plus - it's fabulous stuff.

 

[j-fr]

Hi. I am about to shot a lot of T-Max 400 35mm. Which developer (I prefer one-shot developers) should I use to get the least grain?

Regards, kim.

I'll sugest Tetenal Ultrafin - if available. For a beginning try 1 + 24 for 12 minutes at 20 C. Extreme fine grain, beautiful contrast, full details in shadows at EI 400 and highlights very easy to print.

Good luck!

j-fr

www.j-fr.dk

 

[j-fr]

I just noticed that I got some Tetenal Ultra Fine Plus. Will this be well suited?..
kim

Ultrafin Plus is just an expensive version of Ultrafin Liquid. And it gives a sligthly higher contrast. For a start try EI 400 and 1 + 6 for 10 minutes at 20 C. If the negatives are difficult to print - missing shadow detail - try EI 200 for 8 minutes.

j-fr

 

[srs5694]

Thx for the advice all of you... one more thing.. I found some Tetenal Ultra Fine Plus... will this do the job? And if I decide to use this... Im not sure about the agiation. I normally "tilt" the canister. How many times should this be done doing the developing process?

I can't speak to the Tetenal Ultra Fine Plus, since I've never used it. Concerning agitation, though, there are several different agitation styles. The most common ones seem to be to agitate for 5 seconds every 30 seconds of development or for 10 seconds every 60 seconds of development. (In both cases, it's common to agitate continuously for the first 30 seconds or so of development.) When using inversion agitation, you'd turn the tank upside down and then back to normal about 2-5 times for every 5 seconds of agitation, depending on the speed with which you do it. When done with each cycle, rap the tank on the table to dislodge bubbles. You can increase or decrease agitation to vary contrast and other effects on the finished film, but changing agitation usually requires a change in development time.

As you might gather, there's no one "correct" way to agitate. Two people who read my preceding description (or any other description of agitation) and who have no other experience could come up with agitation techniques that differ from one another and that might require different developing times. Both might work equally well, though. Thus, it's more important to be consistent in how you agitate than to do it in precisely the way you see it described. (That said, improper agitation can cause problems, but those will turn up quickly enough.)