Pyrocat HD + fp4+, T-max 400 and others - how to ?.

[Matus Kalisky]

Hello,

finally I decided to go for Pyrocat HD and ordered the glykol version.

I will be shooting 120 film, developing in JOBO 1520 with inversion agitation.

Now, my question to those who have experince: I would need some starting point to develope following films: efke 25&50, Pan F, fp4+, hp5+, Tmax400 with the main emphasis on fp4+ and Tmax400 as I chose them at this point as the ones to start with. The rest just needs to be developed.

Plese be detailed: EI of the film, dillution, agitation, times temerature, preosak, stopper, fixer ...
I know that there is lot of experience out there but to get a full set of information is hard.
If you would drop a subjective description of the result would be nice as well.

thanks

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

FP4+ -
rated at 64. dilution 1:1:100, 11 mins @75f in Jobo CPA2 processor using Jobo Expert drum. 2 min prewet, 11min dev, 2 min water stop, 5 min fix using Kodak Rapid Fixer (WITHOUT hardener).

TMAX 400 - rated at 400, dilution 1:1:100, 13 mins @75f in Jobo CPA2. all details the same as above.

Take a look at this:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

for Tmax 400.

This is FP4+:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Both films do very well in Pyrocat HD. I like the FP4+ better, only because I think it gives a smoother tonality than the Tmax 400 does in Pyro. That said, both work very well. I keep my Tmax 400 around for doing night shots since it has terrific reciprocity characteristics. This is also why I rate it at box speed- I get the contrast boost I need for pt/pd printing from the reciprocity compensation. If you get too thin a shadow, goose it up to 200 and it will still be fine.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Is your Jobo a rotary developer? I have used Pyrocat-MC with FP4, but that's in a daylight tank with manual agitation.
The process for that is:
1. water bath for however long it takes to mix the working solution of the developer.
2. 70*F, Pyrocat-MC 1+1+150 for 13 minutes. Agitate constantly 1st minute, then 3 full inversions every 3 minutes.
3. Water stop, 2 water changes with five inversions each.
4. TF-4 fixer, 4 minutes constant agitation.
5. Wash according to Ilford method and then water rinse for 10 minutes. No PhotoFlo.

I rate FP4+ at EI100, this is normal development for 120 rolls for me. I print on both VC and graded enlarging papers, usually grade 3. I meter for the shadows, so I always overexpose quite a bit.

Hope that helps.

- Thomas

 

[Matus Kalisky]

Thanks.
I think I should probably stress more that I will be using inversion agitation and NOT a rotary processing.

So - what about the other films ?

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I don't use the other films much. Not enough time with each of them to get a feel for what they do. I wish you would have said Tri-X...
- Thomas

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I have limited experience with HP5+, and none with the others. I rate HP5+ at 200, and process it at 13 minutes in Pyrocat HD, everything else the same.

 

[Lee L]

The massive development chart: http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html
has suggestions for most of the films you mention. Click on the 'notes' column links for agitation and other special information.
Under film choose 'all' and for developer choose 'Pyrocat', which is actually Pyrocat-HD.

Lee

 

[rootberry]

I'm falling in love with delta 400.. getting decent results semi stand:
21C
agitate for 30 seconds
let sit
one inversion at 7.5 min
dump developer at 15min

Sharp negs! I'm getting pretty much the same resutls for tmax100, but develop for 16min instead of 15..

 

[Matus Kalisky]

- Thomas -

come on ! Share your data - maybe I will give the Tri-x a try as well. Just please mention WHICH Tri-X you have in mind (400TX or 320TXP)

- Lee -

The massive chart is indeed a good source of information, but unfortunately there are very few notes - actually only for the fp4+ - in which case it is a rotary processing. For others I have no clue about type of developement.

- rootberry -

sounds interesting. How do you find the contrast ?

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Matus,
Tri-X is beautiful in Pyrocat. I use the 400TX version in 120 usually for Holga and other more refined medium format cameras.
I usually set my meter at 200, and then I expose for the shadows. The beauty with Pyrocat is that you have to REALLY screw up to blow the highlights, especially if you're using Tri-X.
I use exactly the same development pattern as with FP4+, but I use the 1+1+100 dilution for my normal development instead.
If I need to bump contrast, I use 1.5+1.5+100. If I have an extreme brightness range, I use 1+1+150 while the development time remains the same. It has given me very nice easily printable negs for two years now. I absolutely love this combination.

- Thomas