Preferred developer for acutance in Pan F 50?

ChrisBCS · Mar 30, 2017

Hi guys, after doing a lot of searching in the archives here, and background reading, I decided to pump the brakes on Adox given the developer availability and its realistic film speed of 10-15.

Since the Harmon products seem to be fairly (vastly?) more readily available, particularly locally, I thought I would try Ilford Pan F 50. I have seen as many recommendations as the day is long for developers. I have ID-11 in hand, but have seen some folks singing the praises of FX-1 and FX-2 for preserving the resolution of the fine grain film while bringing out more detail/acutance in the negative.

What has been your experiences with developing this film?

Tom Kershaw · Mar 30, 2017

If you can mix up your own developers, Perceptol substitute formula 1+3 dilution, EI 32.

Tom

NortheastPhotographic · Mar 30, 2017

According to Ilford, Ilfosol 3 will yield best results. Frankly for Accutance thogh, Delta 100 is at least as sharp if not sharper, and you don't have to tame that Pan-F contrast. Might be worth a roll to see how you like it.

ChrisBCS · Mar 30, 2017

Sperdynamite said:
According to Ilford, Ilfosol 3 will yield best results. Frankly for Accutance thogh, Delta 100 is at least as sharp if not sharper, and you don't have to tame that Pan-F contrast. Might be worth a roll to see how you like it.

Thanks Sperdynamite! I have some Delta 100 Pro I'm going to develop this evening.

destroya · Mar 30, 2017

i get great results with either Pyro-mc or mixing up some Beutler.

Gerald C Koch · Mar 30, 2017

Beutler formula

John Wiegerink · Mar 30, 2017

I have gotten great results with Perceptol 1+2 or 1+3, Rodinal is also very good. My main developer for just about everything now is Xtol Replenished and it also is great with PanF+. I have done what was suggested above and use Delta 100 in place of PanF+. That said, PanF+ still produces what I think is a "beefer" negative. Not better sharpness or less grain, but "beefer" if you can understand that.

K-G · Mar 30, 2017

I have tried both Perceptol and Rodinal and both have worked great. As long as you don't expose for more than ISO 32 and process promptly ( within a month of first exposure ) you shouldn't experience any problems.

Karl-Gustaf

removed account4 · Mar 30, 2017

i've processed it with sprint film developer ( like id 11+d76 but different/ better ) xtol, ansco 130, dektol caffneol C caffenol 130 and caffenol D
they all worked great. i'm partial to the coffee based developers though, they are easy to make, and the pan f i have ready to process will be processed in caffenol D
( d- dektol in the caffenol 20cc/1L ) i won't use xtol with it, gave negatives too flat for my tastes.

jim appleyard · Mar 31, 2017

Rodinal, D-76 1+3, D-23 1+3, Pyrocat HD, WD2D+ are all good choices.

Alan Johnson · Mar 31, 2017

The acutance developers gave most effect when used with acutance films:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
The acutance films are all discontinued now but some modern films still give increased acutance with these developers at the expense of an increase in grain.

thuggins · Mar 31, 2017

I'm using Ilford DDX with all the Ilford recommended times and proportions. Pan F 50 comes out absolutely beautiful. It doesn't even look like a negative. It looks like a positive transparency from some alternate universe (the kind where Vulcans have goatees).

Gerald C Koch · Mar 31, 2017

Alan Johnson said:
The acutance developers gave most effect when used with acutance films:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
The acutance films are all discontinued now but some modern films still give increased acutance with these developers at the expense of an increase in grain.

In an article the two developers of Xtol described development as being like a four sided pillow. Consider fine grain, tonality, speed, and acutance as its corners. If you pull out one of the corners thereby increasing say acutance then the other corners will contract. In other words the other three aspects will suffer. It's a useful analogy when explaining a very complex process.

Acutance developers were popular when film emulsions were very thick. Their mode of action was to limit development to the surface of the film. Essentially converting a thick emulsion into a thin one. With today's thinner emulsions acutance developers are used for the edge effects that they produce thereby increasing the perception of sharpness.

Most dilute developers should behave similarly. So Rodinal 1+99 or Perceptol 1+3 would be fine. The Beutler developer has an added advantage over others. It is just about the cheapest developer you can use. When I was in college without much money my two favorites were it and D-23. A liter of the two concentrates will develop 40 rolls of 135 film.

ChrisBCS · Mar 31, 2017

Thanks everyone. I love this site, I'm learning so much since jumping back in the pool.

Ronald Moravec · Mar 31, 2017

Delta 100 in D76 is best. Normally 1:1 Have use it 1:3 and sharpness shoots up not that it was bad before, and grain become Rodinal like.

cliveh · Mar 31, 2017

D76 at 1:1 for 14.5 minutes at 20c/68f.

Old_Dick · Mar 31, 2017

I like FA-1027. Your mileage may vary.

ChrisBCS · Apr 2, 2017

So I bought a roll, can't wait to try it. And just to stir the pot some more... I've read that FX 39, continued by Adox, is an incredible developer for films like both Pan F and Delta 100.

John Wiegerink · Apr 2, 2017

ChrisBCS said:
So I bought a roll, can't wait to try it. And just to stir the pot some more... I've read that FX 39, continued by Adox, is an incredible developer for films like both Pan F and Delta 100.

It's a good developer for many films where sharpness is of importance.

HiHoSilver · Apr 2, 2017

Gerald C Koch said:
In an article the two developers of Xtol described development as being like a four sided pillow. Consider fine grain, tonality, speed, and acutance as its corners. If you pull out one of the corners thereby increasing say acutance then the other corners will contract. In other words the other three aspects will suffer. It's a useful analogy when explaining a very complex process.

Acutance developers were popular when film emulsions were very thick. Their mode of action was to limit development to the surface of the film. Essentially converting a thick emulsion into a thin one. With today's thinner emulsions acutance developers are used for the edge effects that they produce thereby increasing the perception of sharpness.

Most dilute developers should behave similarly. So Rodinal 1+99 or Perceptol 1+3 would be fine. The Beutler developer has an added advantage over others. It is just about the cheapest developer you can use. When I was in college without much money my two favorites were it and D-23. A liter of the two concentrates will develop 40 rolls of 135 film.

Excellent & helpful, Gerald. Thank You.

dynachrome · Apr 4, 2017

Neofin Blau

Preferred developer for acutance in Pan F 50?

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