Nikor 4x5 Tank Agitation Question

[Grif]

Just got the loan of a 4x5 Nikor tank for my (re) entry into 4x5. I'll be using fp4 or tmax400 as film, and xtol as developer.

I used, and liked fp4 back when, and tmax seems to have lots of nice words on the internet, so I'll give it a try as well.

I never used D76, microdol x is gone, so I read untill I'm blue in the face and picked xtol as a good place to start.

Any recommendations for agitation? Long ago, with 35 and 120, I did a sort of figure 8 motion with inversions and a sort of twist motion at both ends of the "8" once a minute. Seems like I remember it took 5 seconds or a bit more.

Any chance that will work?

 

[frobozz]

I do a couple of slow inversion cycles and then a couple of upright twisting motions each time and have not had any streaking or other issues so far with that tank. I've never had more than 6 sheets of 4x5 in it at a time, not sure if that matters. I've used Rodinal and ID-11. (The twisting motions are specifically to make sure developer travels in and out of the sheets unaffected by all the cage ribs of the reel; I don't generally twist my 35 and 120 tanks.)

Duncan

 

[Grif]

Ok,,, that makes me feel better. I'll be checking a whole pile of variables at the same time when I start it up. Wish I had a set of graduated grey cards like my Kodak 18% cards.

I think the "standard" for chemistry and so on will be my old nikon, fp4 and my sekonic incident light meter, Humm,,, perhaps I'd be better off with some color negative film with a bit of bracketing at the local photoshop. Might actually be a better "standard" than anything else. I'll think about that a bit more.