Recommended developers that work well at most temperatures ?

Hello all, I have been developing for a while usually using rodinal 1/100 or 1/50 and occasionally promicrol. I feel the need to stretch my developer wings and try out some new mixtures.

This being said i am about to embark on a bit of an odd road trip across eastern europe and will need to be developing under some slightly trying conditions, my main concern is temperature i would ideally prefer not to carry around my bath and thermostat heater thing so was hoping you could recommend some developers that work well with mid iso film (most likely tri-x 400) but dont really care too much about temperature. Oh and it would be useful if they lasted a fair amount of time mixed in a large bottle for one shot.

I dont ask for much huh ?

Cheers
Samuel

Ilford DDX. There is a simple compensation chart for temperature, so anything approximately room temperature can be adjusted for - just check the temperature before starting off, if necessary do a dummy-run with water and check the temperature when it comes out of the tank, then split the difference with the start temp. and use that one for the compensation chart.

dpn said:

Diafine.

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IIRC, Diafine doesn't behave well when temperatures are much lower than 20C/68F.

But if you are working above those temperatures, yes.

Ultrafin and Ultrafin Plus both have worked quite well for me. Even at slightly lower or higher than 68. The plus side for both, is that they are reasonably priced, and last for quite some time.

For one shot, Ultrafin is probably best. Ultrafin Plus can be reused. I leave the Plus on my window sill in Tupperware bottles between shots, for as much as a week or two with no issues.

Both are available throughout most of Europe, so getting them shouldn't be an issue, either.

Samuelg said:

my main concern is temperature i would ideally prefer not to carry around my bath and thermostat heater thing so was hoping you could recommend some developers that work well with mid iso film (most likely tri-x 400) but dont really care too much about temperature.

Cheers
Samuel

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I think we need to know what temps you expect to have to develop in if below the normal room temp which is regarded as 20C So is it 18C 16C 14C, 12C or what?

Presumably you will be indoors when you develop so how low will the ambient temp be and even if the ambient temp indoors is very low will there be no water source which produces water at 18-20C.

It sounds as if you expect to be somewhere where there is no heating indoors and no water available at above this very low unheated room temp.

If this is the case then I know of no developers that operate properly in uncomfortably low temps such as say 10C, nor do I know of areas where people live indoors at such temps.

If these are your circumstances then better you than me


pentaxuser

Look at a two bath developer like Thornton's. Temperature is not a big variable.
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

If it's a hot climate you're in, I seem to recall that HC-110 worked well in tropical environments. Also its great for travel as it only requires a few drops for a one shot use and the stock solution keeps very well. Oh and I think it pushes and pulls well and can be used as a compensating developer or regular. I would imagine that if you used it as a semi stand compensating developer temperature would not be so crucial. I'll let the experts chime in.

While the OP hasn't replied to my questions on what temp he expects to be able to use the dev at, it is clear from his post that it is low temps that the dev needs to operate in.

As I said, I have difficulty in imagining a situation where both the room temp is very low( indoors but no room heating at all?) and he has no means of heating the dev. I suppose an unheated room in winter with only a cold tap and no means of heating water at all might be that situation but we won't know until he tells us.

Maybe a mountain hut with no firewood and only snow for water? In which case are timber wolves any good as darkroom assistants?

pentaxuser