PC-TEAs grain fineness

[Mani_Reshad]

Hey there everyone!

I’ve been digging this „PC-TEA“ developer with the dilution of 1+50 and using the development times for 1+1 D-76 which was recommended in „the darkroom cookbook“ and as it was mentioned in that book, this obscure recipe is supposed to have some kind of super fine-grain effect on films such as HP5 and TMax400 as Anchell has mentioned it himself. The whole developer gives what I’ve read it would; compensation qualities and great acutance but for some reason not the fineness of grain. I’m overall pretty pleased with the results with a bit of editing in post but the graininess is not what I would call „super fine“. I have to mention that I’ve used it on a Kentmere pan 400 which might be the reason after all but I was just wondering if the promised fineness of grain on HP5 is true or not.
Here’s a sample picture from the 35mm roll I shot.

 

[titrisol]

Obscure? Look for the original threads here in Photrio by Gadget Gainer

 

[Alan Johnson]

It was my first thread on Apug. The grain is finer at 1:100 but not as fine as Xtol 1+0:

PC-TEA 1:100

With T-max 100 I develop for 22min 68F, agitated 30s then 2 inversions/min.(All times for 500 ml tank) Gives finer grain than 1:50,high resolution,suitable for sunny landcsapes at EI 64 and for portraits(no Mackie lines). Higher acutance than Xtol 1:3 IMO. Acros 18min and Delta 100 20min I found...

www.photrio.com

The only way to get finer grain using PC-TEA 1:100 is to use stand development. In this case the pH drops during development (I measured it) and gets close to or less than that of Xtol due to exhaustion of the developer. This probably explains why 1:100 gives finer grain as well.
I don't think it was ever definitively decided if adding sodium sulfite to PC-TEA gives finer grain. It is needed to add something acidic like sodium metabisulfite to reduce the pH to that of PC-TEA when sulfite is added.

 

[John Wiegerink]

Hey there everyone!

I’ve been digging this „PC-TEA“ developer with the dilution of 1+50 and using the development times for 1+1 D-76 which was recommended in „the darkroom cookbook“ and as it was mentioned in that book, this obscure recipe is supposed to have some kind of super fine-grain effect on films such as HP5 and TMax400 as Anchell has mentioned it himself. The whole developer gives what I’ve read it would; compensation qualities and great acutance but for some reason not the fineness of grain. I’m overall pretty pleased with the results with a bit of editing in post but the graininess is not what I would call „super fine“. I have to mention that I’ve used it on a Kentmere pan 400 which might be the reason after all but I was just wondering if the promised fineness of grain on HP5 is true or not.
Here’s a sample picture from the 35mm roll I shot. View attachment 378049

I know it's hard to tell by the image you have posted and nobody but you knows your post-processing steps. It looks like your shadow exposure is pretty good for that scene, but your developing times could be a little long. That might lead to a little more noticeable grain also. If you want the least grain in 35mm 400 speed film then you will have to spend a little more and by TMY2 or I should say Tmax 400.

 

[Angarian]

If you want the least grain in 35mm 400 speed film then you will have to spend a little more and by TMY2 or I should say Tmax 400.

Exactly.
TMY-2 is the finest grain (and highest resolving) ISO 400 BW film. Followed by Ilford's XP2 Super, followed by Delta 400.
And at the opposite scale of fineness of grain are Fomapan 400, Kentmere 400 and Bergger Pancro 400. All three have a quite coarse, very visible grain.
And depending on the scanner, that grain is often enhanced by the scanning process.

 

[ntenny]

I use PC-TEA 1+50 with HP5+ quite a bit, and I wouldn’t describe it as an especially fine-grained combination. That said, while it’s hard to judge grain from a negative scan, your sample looks a little grainier than I would have expected—as John Wiegerink said above, maybe a bit of overdevelopment, or the scanner emphasizing the grain. I generally use times for Xtol 1+2; not sure how they compare to the D-76 1+1 times.

One of my shots in 35mm is attached, where you can kind of see the grain in the midtones, but JPGs of negative scans are a dubious medium for fine comparisons. I’m not really in pursuit of fine grain in general, but I agree with others that a film like TMY might outperform HP5+ in that respect.

-NT

 

[relistan]

As @Alan Johnson said, the pH is too high in PC-TEA to give fine grain. I suggest trying either my PC-512 Borax (two part) or Alan's version (PCM20) of my other metaborate formula (1 part) to get something in this developer family that delivers finer grained results.

PC-512 Borax: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/my-pc-512-borax-developer.195379/
PCM20: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/my-pc-512-borax-developer.195379/page-12#post-2739873
PCM20 vs HC-110: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/my-pc-512-borax-developer.195379/page-13#post-2745563
DCM18 variant vs PC-TEA: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/my-pc-512-borax-developer.195379/page-15#post-2766712