Rodinal

MartinCrabtree · Jan 5, 2015

Is Rodinal a good developer to use as a beginner?

frank · Jan 5, 2015

Sure. Just not so great for 35mm 400 speed film, unless you really like grain.

Ken Nadvornick · Jan 5, 2015

It's relatively inexpensive, relatively easy to source, simple to dilute and use, and keeps well. It's effects are well documented and there are tons of available literature on it. It can be used with films, papers, and even glass plates. Useful variations of it have even been home-brewed from common household ingredients.

I'd say it's as good a place as any to start.

Ken

snapguy · Jan 5, 2015

not

I am not disagreeing with the folks who have already posted but you might want to look into D-76.

Thomas Bertilsson · Jan 5, 2015

Rodinal is a fine developer to begin with, to continue with, and to excel with.

It is not easier or more difficult than D76, ID-11, or Sprint. All those developers reward consistency and accuracy regarding mixing, dilution, temperature control, and agitation.

Have fun developing film, and I hope you get around to printing also!

PS. The whole 'Rodinal is grainy' is a bit overused, in my opinion. The developer really isn't THAT grainy. There isn't much difference compared to D76 1:1, for example. I've used Rodinal with TMax 400, Tri-X, and HP5+, and don't find those negatives very grainy at all. It does add a bit of texture, but the results are beautiful. Prints like a dream.

MattKing · Jan 5, 2015

Depends on whether you like long, dispute filled internet threads.

Rodinal is a good place to start. It also has the advantage of being fairly distinctive, so once you get some experience with it you will actually see a difference if you decide to start experimenting with some of the alternatives.

Richard S. (rich815) · Jan 5, 2015

Rodinal is the best developer. But so is D-76, HC-110, Xtol, Pyrocat-HD, Etc, etc. One thing I've learned over many years and thousands of rolls is almost any film and practically all developers are capable of excellent results.

If people feel Rodinal is less "forgiving" then wouldn't that be better to more easily see the evidence of changes and learn from?

Xuco Martin · Jan 5, 2015

I started with Rodinal and still love it, use it for everything also with paper without excessive grain, soil preparation Parodinal very economical and very easy

gone · Jan 5, 2015

With which film and which format?

MartinCrabtree · Jan 5, 2015

Yes it's a serious question. I picked up some FA-1027 last year but have yet to venture into developing. Cannot find a great deal of information on it so was thinking about something else to start. I figure the New Year is as good as any time and see Rodinal mentioned in many forms and scenarios. Seems to be very versatile and dependable. Hence the question.

As far as format/film this point 35MM. I have several types of B&W film including Eastman XX,Ilford SPX,Kodak T-Max. The first roll will be an old roll of T-Max 100 that's been in an AE-1 for a long time. Stored at room temp which doesn't vary a whole lot year round.

frank · Jan 5, 2015

HC-110 is a liquid concentrate like Rodinal, has a long shelf life like Rodinal, and can be used at different dilutions like Rodinal. It will produce finer grain with small format and faster films. Might be a better choice, unless you really like grain.

cliveh · Jan 5, 2015

Rodinal is an excellent developer.

Richard S. (rich815) · Jan 5, 2015

.

Appreciating Rodinal

By Ed Buffaloe

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Rodinal/rodinal.html

Thomas Bertilsson · Jan 5, 2015

MartinCrabtree said:
Yes it's a serious question. I picked up some FA-1027 last year but have yet to venture into developing. Cannot find a great deal of information on it so was thinking about something else to start. I figure the New Year is as good as any time and see Rodinal mentioned in many forms and scenarios. Seems to be very versatile and dependable. Hence the question.

As far as format/film this point 35MM. I have several types of B&W film including Eastman XX,Ilford SPX,Kodak T-Max. The first roll will be an old roll of T-Max 100 that's been in an AE-1 for a long time. Stored at room temp which doesn't vary a whole lot year round.

FA-1027 is a very fine developer too. Use what you have. As you use it, you will become accustomed to it. I used it a fair bit in the past, and the resulting negatives are very fine.

http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?Film=&Developer=FA-1027&mdc=Search&TempUnits=C

http://stores.photoformulary.com/content/75-0010FA-1027 Developer.pdf

Hope those links help.

Michael W · Jan 5, 2015

Rodinal is good for beginners because it comes as a liquid, is cheap, mixes in easy to understand dilutions, and gives good, predictable results. If you are just starting out in developing it is probably best to avoid devs that have to be mixed from powder such as Xtol and D76, as you are adding extra steps to what might already seem a complicated process, and you will need to have a storage container ready for it.

brian steinberger · Jan 6, 2015

Sounds like you want a liquid concentrate. Rodinal and HC-110 are two off the best options IMO. DDX would be another. DDX will give you the most film speed if this is important to you. HC-110 a little less speed and Rodinal a little less speed. I prefer Rodinal of the three as I love the tonality it produces and also the lovely grain it produces. All that said, ID-11 is my main developer of choice, along with Rodinal. They are the only two I ever use.

MartinCrabtree · Jan 6, 2015

Thanks to everyone for the advice/knowledge. On Thomas' suggestion I'll start with the developer I have,the FA-1027. But I will use Rodinal eventually because it intrigues me with the devotion it seems to produce. Thanks again.

Mainecoonmaniac · Jan 6, 2015

+1

snapguy said:
I am not disagreeing with the folks who have already posted but you might want to look into D-76.

I started processing film with D-76 and it's very forgiving. Rodinal is very concentrated and adding the complexity of calculating dilutions makes it harder for the beginner.

Richard S. (rich815) · Jan 6, 2015

Mainecoonmaniac said:
I started processing film with D-76 and it's very forgiving. Rodinal is very concentrated and adding the complexity of calculating dilutions makes it harder for the beginner.

I love D-76 so don't get me wrong. But by forgiving I think people mean it's easier to get good results even if you make some mistakes or errors. That's great if you're anxious to just get to something that works or looks ok. Frankly I think that makes it harder to learn and see how certain nuances can change your results.

baachitraka · Jan 6, 2015

If 300ml is 50 parts then 1 part is 6ml, which is 1+50. What is so complex in getting the concentration right?

If 300ml is 25 parts then 1 part is 12ml, which is 1+25 and so on...

grommi · Jan 6, 2015

baachitraka said:
If 300ml is 50 parts then 1 part is 6ml, which is 1+50. What is so complex in getting the concentration right?

If 300ml is 25 parts then 1 part is 12ml, which is 1+25 and so on...

No, it's 1:50 and 1:25 or 1+49 and 1+24. If you don't think it matters think about Xtol e.g., 1+2 = 1:3

Yes, it's not complex, it's very simple math.

Ken Nadvornick · Jan 6, 2015

Best dilution preparation tip I can offer for Rodinal (or any liquid concentrate) is to purchase an inexpensive set of livestock syringes and needles from a farm supply outfit. They are available over the counter without legal hassle and can be reused over and over. Just take ten seconds and use a Dremel to grind down the tip of the stainless steel needle for safety.

My set of five plungers run from a 60 ml/cc marked in 1.0 ml/cc increments down to a 6 ml/cc marked in 0.2 ml/cc increments. There is also a 3 ml/cc unit available. They are labeled Ideal Instruments and they are marked For Veterinary Use Only. I believe the manufacturer is Neogen.

Click here for an online brochure. And here for a manufacturer catalog listing.

Ken

Mainecoonmaniac · Jan 6, 2015

As beginners...

Richard Sintchak (rich815) said:
I love D-76 so don't get me wrong. But by forgiving I think people mean it's easier to get good results even if you make some mistakes or errors. That's great if you're anxious to just get to something that works or looks ok. Frankly I think that makes it harder to learn and see how certain nuances can change your results.

We all learn differently. I do learn from mistakes, but prefer to learn from other people's mistakes first. Depending on the person, some need encouragement from successes first. People will only see nuances when they have more experience. But I encourage Martin and any beginner in film to make posts on APUG. There's a lot of seasoned film folk here. As for me, I'm still learning after 30 years of making mistakes

cliveh · Jan 6, 2015

Richard Sintchak (rich815) said:
I love D-76 so don't get me wrong. But by forgiving I think people mean it's easier to get good results even if you make some mistakes or errors. That's great if you're anxious to just get to something that works or looks ok. Frankly I think that makes it harder to learn and see how certain nuances can change your results.

That depends what aspects of photography you wish to learn.

baachitraka · Jan 6, 2015

Its 1+25, 1+50, 1+100,...for me.

Rodinal

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