The Best Developer

[Lanline]

The developer that is available, and you know the best, is the best.

D76, HC-110, Rodinal, etc - these developers have been good enough for some of the legendary masterful printers out there. There is absolutely nothing wrong with HC-110 or D76; they are as good as any other developers out there. The difference lies in mastering the use of them. You will find that the limitations of the outcome of your print seldom lies in your materials, but rather in how we use them.
As a student you are far better off just picking one of those developers, and use it to your heart's content. They are all good. The rest is nearly academic. As interesting as it may seem, the changes you see due to alterations in your technique far outweigh the differences you see between different developers.

Good luck.

Great advice.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Some developers are better than others but there is no best developer. You are trying to seek the holy grail of developers. Only madness lies down this path. Eventually you will stop taking photographs entirely and only test developers.

 

[nworth]

There is no such thing as a "best" developer, or even a "best" developer for a particular film. You find a film-developer combination that you are happy with, and then you keep with it - for the most part. Experimentation and variation for a particular purpose are certainly encouraged. The two developers you mention, D-76 and HC-110, are excellent choices that work well with almost every film. They both have a long track record of outstanding photographs, and they are a very good place to start.