Time to learn another developer...

[Ole]

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

Pyrocat-HD on APX100. The negs are too soft for Ilford MG IV, and great on POP! No other film I've tried stains anywhere near as much as APX100. I still have about 100 sheets of 13x18cm left, and a little ore in 9x12cm and 6.5x9cm. Since those small sheets are mortly for enlarging, I've stopped using Pyrocat on them.

I have no idea what it does to Bergger 200, though.

Similar is redevelopment in pyro/soda (no sulfite) which I've used to boost contrast for POP, too.

 

[Donald Miller]

Pyrocat-HD on APX100. The negs are too soft for Ilford MG IV, and great on POP! No other film I've tried stains anywhere near as much as APX100. I still have about 100 sheets of 13x18cm left, and a little ore in 9x12cm and 6.5x9cm. Since those small sheets are mortly for enlarging, I've stopped using Pyrocat on them.

I have no idea what it does to Bergger 200, though.

Similar is redevelopment in pyro/soda (no sulfite) which I've used to boost contrast for POP, too.

I would be interested in having a densitometric reading done of those negatives. This flies in the face of my experience. Do you have a densitometer that will take an ortho or visual and blue channel transmission reading? POP should take up near a 2.00 density and the hardest grade of Multigrade IV should be around a .90-1.00 so this makes absolutely no sense to me. You aren't exposing the Ilford paper with a green light are you?

 

[Ole]

No densitometer at all, I'm afraid.

 

[Solarize]

My vote would go to Xtol. Its versatile, has lovely tones and manages grain very well.

 

[Gerald Koch]

In the past I have used HC-110 with fast films using a dilution of 1:50 and times 1.5x those for dilution B. The 1:50 dilution is easy from the concentrate and is the same dilution that I use for Rodinal.

Lately, I have been investigating Agfa Studional diluted 1:32 after seeing some really beautiful prints using this developer. Studional is a fine grain developer which works well with faster films like Tri-X.

All three of these developers are liquid concentrates and are used as one shots.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Agitation with Pyrocat HD and Tri-X

Hi Mark,

I use normal agitation. Rocking the boat for about thirty seconds to begin with, and then ten seconds every minute (two inversions, and tapping the tank to get rid of air bubbles).

- Thom

Thom,

What's your agitation method with this combination?

Thanks,

Mike Sullivan

 

[Saganich]

I've been trying developers for triX for about a year now. My favorite is D23 with a borax second bath and replenishment. The Beutler works well but high sodium carbonate lend itself more for push processing. Hc110 is also a versitile developer which gives great results for a variety of films and situations. I find a 1:30 to 1:50 is a good dilution range.

Chris

 

[rusty71]

Clayton F-76+ is an excellent liquid developer available in the US from digitaltruth.com.
As a liquid concentrate, you can dilute many ways to achieve the results you like.
There is a disturbing rumor floating around that Kodak is going to discontinue or drastically cut photo chemical manufacturing in the next couple of months. If true, it's best to find a suitable replacement now.

 

[sanking]

Pyrocat-HD on APX100. The negs are too soft for Ilford MG IV, and great on POP! No other film I've tried stains anywhere near as much as APX100. I still have about 100 sheets of 13x18cm left, and a little ore in 9x12cm and 6.5x9cm. Since those small sheets are mortly for enlarging, I've stopped using Pyrocat on them.

I have no idea what it does to Bergger 200, though.

Similar is redevelopment in pyro/soda (no sulfite) which I've used to boost contrast for POP, too.

Pyro stained negatives that print well on a #2 graded silver paper will print very soft on Ilford MG IV with a #2 or #3 filter. However, if you use a #3 1/2 or #4 filter the magenta will filter out most of the green light so the low contrast part of the multicontrast papere does not get exposed. At this point the blue sensitive part of the emulsion simply reacts to the stain as contrast, and you will get get an image very similar to what you would get from a negative developed in a non-staining developer developed to the same effective printing CI. Printing contrast is difficult to evaluate visually, but it can easily be read with the blue channel of a densitometer.

This observation iis not just true for Pyrocat-HD negatives but for all negatives developed in a staining developer.

Sandy

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Well, I have Diafine coming in the mail (eventually) and I'm thinking of perhaps ordering some Pyrocat HD for when I get home from Colorado. Sandy, when I start printing that is going to be very helpful information.

 

[Ole]

Hmmm...

Last time I tried printing those negatives I used blue and green colour-separation filters under the lens for contrast control. Since then I've started using CC filters in the enlarger head - I'll give it another go with magenta filters. Maybe that was the cause of my problems? It would be nice to be able to enlarge some of those negatives...

 

[PepMiro]

PMK

My advise is PMK or another Pyro developer. Once you have test and have some experience with it, it's difficult to change.
Midtones and highlights are superb in this developer.
Negatives processed in PMK have more stain at the highlights and, if you print in a variable contrast paper, highlights will print softer than shadows and this helps to obtain a better gradation of the image, especially if the subject has a lot of contrast as, for example, landscapes.

 

[noseoil]

PMK for miniature negatives (35mm & 120), Pyrocat-hd for larger ones (4x5 & 8x10). Both developers work very well. tim

 

[sanking]

Hmmm...

Last time I tried printing those negatives I used blue and green colour-separation filters under the lens for contrast control. Since then I've started using CC filters in the enlarger head - I'll give it another go with magenta filters. Maybe that was the cause of my problems? It would be nice to be able to enlarge some of those negatives...

Let me know how this works out. I am fairly certain that if you eliminate the green exposing light there shoud be dramtic boost in contrast. Depending on what set of VC filters you use, this may happen with filter #3 1/2, #4, or even # 4 1/2, but at some point a very great percentage of the green light , which gives low contrast on the print, should be cut.

Sandy

 

[frednewman]

Hi Stephanie

My recommendation for 400 T-Max and HP5+ would be Ilford's DDX developer. I use it diluted 1+9 at 75 deg. It comes in a 1 liter bottle and gives very good film speed compared to most developers.

Fred Newman