Time to learn another developer...

[Stephanie Brim]

I love Rodinal, but I need something more suited to higher speed films. I'm not really saying that Rodinal is bad because I like it with HP5 and hardly anyone else does, but I'd like to try something different than I had tried before. I hate D76 and Diafine is great but hard to find around here in anything but the expensive 1 quart kits. I'm pondering a staining developer just for fun.

Any comments on use would be nice. I'm mainly using TMAX 400, HP5, and Tri-X, but Tri-X is my go-to film for almost everything.

 

[Ole]

I find staining developers a little "dodgy" for my use - I use lots of graded papers, only occasionally multicontrast. The stain gives wildly different results with graded and multicontrast paper - the same negative can be too hard for grade(d) 0 and way too soft for VC at grade 5!

My favorite developers for 35mm film is Beutler's (or the commercial version, Neofin Blau) and FX-2. Both give slightly increased speed, with coarser but at the same time "tighter" grain than D-76. I like the tonality I get with most films, too.

 

[SuzanneR]

I've never used a staining developer, so I can't comment on how fun it would be, but lately I've been using x-tol. Really like it with pushed film. I like it less with the pull!

Let us know what the most fun is... and post some photographs!

 

[Helen B]

"Diafine is great but hard to find around here in anything but the expensive 1 quart kits."

Hi Stephanie,

There wouldn't be much point in getting Diafine in less than a quart, and a quart will develop a lot of films - it doesn't exhaust, you just lose a little of the first bath to each film. I quite like it with Tri-X, though I prefer Barry Thornton's DiLussol Vitesse which is very similar in most respects, but I think that it has a slight edge in terms of graininess and shadow detail.

Best,
Helen

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I look for gallon kits of Diafine. When I had it, I rated Tri-X at 1250-1600 and it worked well.

 

[Jersey Vic]

HC-110 dilution H is very nice with Tri X and Delta 3200

http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I've been curious about HC-110 for a while...liquid developers seem to be easier for me. Perhaps I'll look into it more.

I've been really curious about PMK for some slower films as well...but I don't really know if I want to pay $28 to test the stuff out.

 

[Ian Grant]

XP-2 push processed will give you far supripr nagatives / prints than conventional films.

And C41 is very easy

ian

 

[rjas]

XP-2 push processed will give you far supripr nagatives / prints than conventional films.

uh....

 

[Amund]

I've been really curious about PMK for some slower films as well...but I don't really know if I want to pay $28 to test the stuff out.

Buy PMK here for $21.

If you develop in a regular inversion tank that takes 2 films(and uses 600ml dev.) , you can develop 333 films with that $21....

 

[david b]

I would suggest Xtol. It is great with HP5 and t-grain films. It also pushes well.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Pyrocat HD works great for Tri-X. It's a beautiful combination. I expose the film at between box speed and ISO 200, and develop at 70*F in the 1+1+100 dilution for about 15-16 minutes, sometimes longer if I'm expanding the highlight values. This combination works great for me, especially in 120 format, where the grain is really nice and tight.
It's a very affordable developer as well.

- Thom

 

[John Bragg]

Hi Stephanie,
I,d go with HC-110 Dilution H. Works well with Tri-X. This link is useful http://www.dragonsgate.net/mbell/leica/hc110.html.

Best wishes, John.

 

[Helen B]

I look for gallon kits of Diafine. When I had it, I rated Tri-X at 1250-1600 and it worked well.

Do you want a gallon kit? I think that I have some spare. I was puzzled when you wrote that it was expensive - that's why I thought that you hadn't used it.

Best,
Helen

 

[Donald Miller]

I find staining developers a little "dodgy" for my use - I use lots of graded papers, only occasionally multicontrast. The stain gives wildly different results with graded and multicontrast paper - the same negative can be too hard for grade(d) 0 and way too soft for VC at grade 5!

My favorite developers for 35mm film is Beutler's (or the commercial version, Neofin Blau) and FX-2. Both give slightly increased speed, with coarser but at the same time "tighter" grain than D-76. I like the tonality I get with most films, too.

Jeez. what staining developer is giving you that kind of variance? You had better package it because the folks that shoot films like Bergger BPF 200 for alt process would love to have something that would have that kind of stain effect.

I have encountered no staining developer that will give more than about .40 stain effect at a silver density range of 1.40

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Do you want a gallon kit? I think that I have some spare. I was puzzled when you wrote that it was expensive - that's why I thought that you hadn't used it.

Best,
Helen

I don't have a credit card and most of the shops around here only carry the quart kits...the reason I had some was that one of the people here had some sitting that he hadn't used for years and gave it to me. B&H has the gallon kits but won't ship it, Adorama has the gallon kits but I don't think they take Paypal, and I'm without a credit card.

If you have some extra I'd be much obliged and I'd be willing to send you payment. It'll take care of my higher speed developer needs for the time being. The other thing I liked about Diafine negatives was that they scan well. With me being able to print still being a month or so away, I still have to scan things.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Okay...so I'm going to go with some PMK and Diafine. Should get me through the boring winter months. Combine that with getting stuff for printing and I'll be spending most of my time in the dark.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

I'd go with XTOL as well. 1+1 is very nice on Tri-X. Fine grain, nice gradations. I'm using that combo in 35mm for the picture of the Jewish congress sculpture in my gallery.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

That's a great choice. The PMK works really well for enlarging. I also like Diafine, especially when I use my Holga with Tri-X and need a couple of stops extra speed.
- Thom

Okay...so I'm going to go with some PMK and Diafine. Should get me through the boring winter months. Combine that with getting stuff for printing and I'll be spending most of my time in the dark.

 

[MikeSeb]

Xtol; or mix yourself some Mytol or PC-TEA. Beautiful stuff, all.

 

[jim appleyard]

Stephanie, All the above advice is excellent, but I would like to add a couple of things: no dev is a magic bullet and D-76 is a fine dev. Sometimes it just takes awhile to nail down the times. Using D-76 with Tri-X is a classic combo!

Get a copy of Anchell's "Darkroom Cookbook". Inside is lots of info and lots of recipes for devs you can make yourself for pennies, including Diafine and X-tol subtitutes. In the back of the book is a conversion table to convert grams to teaspoons so you don't even need a scale.

BTW, get a CC and go into debt like the rest of the planet

The pre-packaged PMK you see listed is actually PMK+ (I forget what exactly the "+" is at the moment, but the "Cookbook" has a recipe and times for the original PMK which works just fine.

You can have Adorama send it COD if you don't have a CC. You can also order most chems from Artcraft.

 

[Uncle Bill]

I switch between Rodinal and HC110 on a regular basis.

 

[c6h6o3]

I'm pondering a staining developer just for fun.

If you want to buy it ready made, I'd try PMK from the Photographer's Formulary, unless you're contact printing. If you're willing to roll your own, I'd try 510 Pyro. You can get TEA from the Chemistry Store and everything else from PF or Artcraft Chemicals.

 

[Zathras]

Pyrocat HD works great for Tri-X. It's a beautiful combination. I expose the film at between box speed and ISO 200, and develop at 70*F in the 1+1+100 dilution for about 15-16 minutes, sometimes longer if I'm expanding the highlight values. This combination works great for me, especially in 120 format, where the grain is really nice and tight.
It's a very affordable developer as well.

- Thom

Thom,

What's your agitation method with this combination?

Thanks,

Mike Sullivan

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Pyro HD was what I was looking at from J&C. I may have to go that route with some TF-4 fixer and see how it goes.

And yes, I know to wear gloves and to keep the chemicals in a safe place until I can dump them. I'll grab my gallon jugs.