MattKing
Moderator
The difference, Andrew, is that if you didn't reduce your development in those circumstances, chances are you would still end up with a negative that you could do a lot with, because you exposed it properly, and you have the combination of film latitude and controls in the "printing" process available to you to improve your print.
With people who are relatively new at this, I think it is a good idea to start with "standard" development. This is because you can't really fine-tune development with poorly exposed negatives - especially if you are inexperienced.
One might have to try a couple of rolls to see if the manufacturer's "standard" is at least workable - in most cases it is where they should start, and stay for a while. It certainly is what they should get if the film is commercially developed.
From there they should turn their attention to learning how to reliably expose the film properly. They need to become familiar with their film and meter and metering technique. Then, when they consistently have well exposed negatives, they can then turn back to the issue of development controls - learn how to adjust the development in order to achieve different results. This is usually not to attain some development nirvana, but rather to respond to varying lighting conditions. That is when your approach makes sense.
