TMAX Developer, what is more economical.?

It looks (unless I misinterpreted the kodak document) that there are two ways I can use the developer. I can dilute the entire bottle to make a gallon and reuse the same gallon to develop up to 48 rolls by adjusting time, or I can just dilute what I need every time I develop a roll and discard one shot ? which is right , or both ? it can take me up to a year or more to shoot 48 rolls of TMAX film, but right now I have about 8 rolls of 35mm. if I make the gallon will it last this long in a sealed bottle. ?

Second question: since this is my last bottle of TMAX Developer , is the TMAX RS Developer exactly the same as the regular TMAX Developer ? I shoot 35mm. I still have to poor the little bottle into the big bottle right ? even though I am not using the replanishing system or sheet film .

thx

RS is not exactly the same but it is similar - slightly superior in my experience. There's a tiny bottle of part B with the RS. Just add it to the big main bottle and mix, then dilute for use. In spite of being marketed for replenishment I and many others use it one shot.


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With the T-Max developer, you can mix up (through dilution) what you need each time.

With the T-Max RS developer, you add the little bottle to the big bottle, and that gives you something which is similar to the bottle of T-Max developer.

You can then mix up (through either 1 + 4 or 1 + 9 dilution) what you need each time.

Nothing magical about 1+4 or 1+9, neither of which I like much. 1+4 is too concentrated, by a bit - works fast, harder to control. 1+9 gives, to me, muddy midtones. I prefer 1+5 or 1+6.

"TMAX Developer, what is more economical"

why economical??

look for the best result

regards

thomas

Have to concur: Out of all your expenses, developer is the least. The most is your time and effort, and it makes sense to maximise the yield on that.

When it comes to TMax Dev, I have mixed 1 liter stock at a time, and the unused concentrate lasts for ages in the bottle. One can IIRC develop 12 rolls per liter of stock at 1:4, i.e. 200 ml of concentrate, or put differently: 17 ml of concentrate per film. You have to adapt your capacity according to the quantity of concentrate. I have also used it as single shot, but don't any longer. Not that it is too expensive per se, but because the developer is so valuable to me and so difficult to get hold of, I'd rather not waste it that way. For normal development it is just another developer, nothing special. But where it really shines is for fast films, especially when pushed. It gets more shadow detail out than other developers, but the grain and contrast are not necessarily as elegant as what more general purpose developers would give. It is a compromise aimed at fast films. Haven't used the RS version, so won't comment on that.

Roger Cole said:

Nothing magical about 1+4 or 1+9, neither of which I like much. 1+4 is too concentrated, by a bit - works fast, harder to control. 1+9 gives, to me, muddy midtones. I prefer 1+5 or 1+6.

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Roger, how do you adjust your development times with the different dilutions? Also, the kodak film publications (posted in another thread) show other dilutions only at 75f, with no recommendation at lower temps - do you pay any attention to that? I've only used it at 1+4, but would like to try other dilutions to slow it down a bit.

pbromaghin said:

Roger, how do you adjust your development times with the different dilutions? Also, the kodak film publications (posted in another thread) show other dilutions only at 75f, with no recommendation at lower temps - do you pay any attention to that? I've only used it at 1+4, but would like to try other dilutions to slow it down a bit.

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Same as you adjust development times for any other change - experiment. Find a recommendation (for 1+5 I use the Kodak times for 1+4 as I think they're a little too contrasty anyway, and the dilution makes it about right for me.) Shoot some tests and start with that time. If results are too flat, add some time and try again - maybe 20% for conventional films, 10% for t-grain and similar types. If results are too contrasty, reduce time. It doesn't take long to dial it in and usually the first one is close enough that results are quite printable and no problem anyway, if not ideal.

I generally develop at 75F because my ambient temperatures are that high in the summer and my Jobo has a heater but no way to cool. So more often I am looking at converting times for lower temperatures to times for the higher one. Ilford publishes a graph for this that works pretty well. I don't remember where I got it but someone probably has the link. Or send me your email address and I'll send it as an attachment since I don't think I can attach it here.

Roger Cole said:

Ilford publishes a graph for this that works pretty well. I don't remember where I got it but someone probably has the link. Or send me your email address and I'll send it as an attachment since I don't think I can attach it here.

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Oh, I have that. Thanks, anyway. And thank you for the advice. You certainly have different conditions to deal with down there in Hotlanta.

My downstairs darkroom is not air conditioned, and really doesn't need to be as about 75-77 is as hot as it gets even at the hottest in summer. But my "cold" water sometimes comes out of the tap at 75 or more (I have seen nearly 80) in the summer. So without a chiller it's just practical for me to work at 75 if I want to use the same temperature year round. In winter my darkroom is heated, and needs to be. Not cold by your standards but the temperature down there will get to the low 60s in winter (when it's freezing outside - we do get ice and rare snow here.)