Why should I use Diafine?

pbromaghin

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I got a whole bunch of it for free, a gallon each of A&B of unknown usage and 2 sets of powder to make 2 more sets. For reasons other than having so much of it, why should I use it? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Maybe even compare it to D-76.

Thanks!
 
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markjwyatt

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Purportedly you can develop multiple film types and ISOs with the same times. If you ever shoot multiple film types and want to develop, I guess Diafine could work. Here is an article discussing some results: https://philipus.com/diafine
 

Paul Howell

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When a working PJ I carried a quart size kit along with a 1 quart size bag of Kodak fix, a small bottle of Photo Flow, a Stainless Steel Tank with 2 35mm reels. If I could not get my film out to the wire for processing I found that Diafine was easiest to work with in the field. Temperature range from the 50s to the 90s, 3 mints part A, 3 mints part B, no stop, running water rinse , then into the fix, wash and photo flow. Hang dry. Oh and a changing bag. As noted above I could process both Plus X and Tri X in the small tank, and there was a push. Problem was that I needed to figure out if I needed to process or could have the film sent to local office or back to London or find a local lab that would process. If I was going to process I needed to push the film. In the 70s the older emulsions were thicker and I could shoot Plus X at 400 and Tri X at 1200, Grain is very small, but contrast is low and I found the negatives to be mushy. I've read old post of folks pushing Tri X to 1600 by developing 2, same part A and b, but a very long rinse to remove all of part b , then back into A and b again. I never tired that, seems too risky, just a very amount of part B into A kills part A. Once mixed it lasts a very long time. I had to print on much harder paper contrast, I normally develop to print at grade 2, with Diafine, grade 4.

With D 76 you can develop stock, 1:1 or 1:2 for acuance with larger gain. D76 is a well balanced developer with the sweet spot of gain, contrast, and speed. Diafine, you get what you get, it was always my developer of last resort. BTW, T grain films do get a boost in ISO, at box speed or even lower. Reason is the emulsion is so thin that only a small amount of part A can be absorbed.
 

Steven Lee

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One reason to use Diafine is that everyone spells it the same way. This shields you from getting advice on D-iafine or D-IAFINE or DIAFINE.
 
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pbromaghin

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So how hard/easy is it to deal with the low contrast in the darkroom? I’ll be using a dichroic head and usually Ilford cool tone MG.
 

MattKing

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When I used it a long time ago, it worked well as long as the development temperature was 68F or warmer - I'm surprised Paul Howell was able to get results from lower temperatures.
It also supplied a speed boost with older versions of Tri-X. That was good for poor lighting condition. It's inherently low contrast was also suitable for those conditions.
I doubt that modern Tri-X would get the same speed boost.
The moderately low contrast can be dealt with at the printing stage. The relatively low acutance - "mushy" - is a bit more of a challenge.
It may scan well.
 

Paul Howell

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"When I used it a long time ago, it worked well as long as the development temperature was 68F or warmer - I'm surprised Paul Howell was able to get results from lower temperatures."

I was thinking about the data sheet that came with the old boxes, it was touted as pan thermic and gave the 50 to 90 F as the range. I used Diafine in Africa at room temps in un air conditioned hotel rooms that ranged from the 70s to the 80s or so.

The wire's darkroom used VC paper, either Kodak or Ilford, they would print negatives from Diafine. at higher end to get around grade 4. When I did use it for personal work I used graded paper, Agfa Bravia #4. I guess for a poruratie MF, 400 ISO film, Foma, the soft look of a negative developed in diafine might be a good use.
 
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MattKing

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I added the quotation marks to Paul Howell's post for clarity.
Most of my use was as a darkroom technician at the Vancouver Sun.
 
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pbromaghin

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Sheesh. I forgot about the mushy grain. If anything is a show stopper for me, it would be mushy grain. I love saving money, but even FREE developer isn’t worth mushy grain.
 

Paul Howell

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pbromaghin said:
Sheesh. I forgot about the mushy grain. If anything is a show stopper for me, it would be mushy grain. I love saving money, but even FREE developer isn’t worth mushy grain.
Click to expand...

Diafine has a lot of silver solvent, not sure what the chemistry is, so gain is reduced leaving ragged edges. Maybe Foma 400, or Bergger if it comes back on the market, 4X5 might give better results. I think even current TriX and HP5 in Diafine will have mushy grain, T grain films, I can only assume the same only more so. GIven the current price of Diafine at $48.00 a gallon you might be able to sell on Ebay, there are are many who seem like it.
 
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pbromaghin

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Paul Howell said:
GIven the current price of Diafine at $48.00 a gallon you might be able to sell on Ebay, there are are many who seem like it.
Click to expand...

I normally find it hard to sell a gift, but it was more of a "Here, take this, get this shit out of here" kind of transaction with an HC-110 guy. Maybe I'll head to Cragslist. Maybe here first. Thanks for your help!
 
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pbromaghin

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MattKing said:
I added the quotation marks to Paul Howell's post for clarity.
Most of my use was as a darkroom technician at the Vancouver Sun.
Click to expand...
Many thanks to you too, sir.
 
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pbromaghin

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markjwyatt said:
Purportedly you can develop multiple film types and ISOs with the same times. If you ever shoot multiple film types and want to develop, I guess Diafine could work. Here is an article discussing some results: https://philipus.com/diafine
Click to expand...

VERY interesting article. If it didn't turn the grain to mud it would be perfect!
 

Philippe-Georges

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DF2 DUO STEP Film Developer - Bellini Foto

Two parts Developer Solution A + B to make 1 L to 2L each one
www.bellinifoto.it

To quote Bellini from Italy:
"...Diafine is a two-part compensating powder film developer which has been used and valued by many analog photographers for many years. Diafine was a well-known film developer during the heydays of analog photography because of its ability to produce and even surpass the effective film speed of black-and-white film. Try Diafine with a roll of pushed Kodak Tri-X and you will be convinced immediately.
Diafine is a very compensating developer which allows you to achieve a very wide exposure latitude without the necessity to change the used temperature or development time of the developer. Therefore, it is practically possible to develop films which are rated at different ISO's in the same tank with the same development time. This also makes it a very economical developer. Diafine also offers an ultra-fine grain, maximum acutance and a very high resolution. Diafine is not recommended for those who are looking for a film developer which offers full contrast control.
The Diafine powder developer is nowadays hard to find in Europe since it's only made by one manufacturer based in the USA. The packages that can be bought in our region also sell at high prices. Luckily, the Italian photo chemical manufacturer Bellini has developed a liquid equivalent of this special film developer called Duo Step which is the product that is been offered here. This developer is inspired by Diafine and should produce results that are nearly identical to the original powder formula since it processes highlights and shadows also independently (two-part developer). This product was brought on the market on special request of our UK colleagues Nik&Trick. Thank you for that!..."

And from Russia, see attached pdf:
 

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pbromaghin

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Philippe-Georges said:
Diafine also offers an ultra-fine grain, maximum acutance and a very high resolution.

And from Russia, see attached pdf:
Click to expand...

This claim doesn't sound quite like mushy grain. Oh, and you tempt me with a homebrew recipe!

It looks like, after all this, I'm going to have to try it out and decide for myself. I guess I knew it before I posted, but it's a lot more fun and informative to see some discussion.
 

Paul Howell

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Resolution is baked into the film, a developer will not change the LPMM that a film can resolve. In my experience it has low acutance, seems to me that ultra fine grain and maximum acutance are mutually exclusive. I agree that experimenting with a few different emulsions, you may find a combination that you find useful.
 
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pbromaghin

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Yes. I have pretty much settled on Hp5, Fp4, PanF and SFX for roll film and have a supply of Delta 100 and Rolley RPX 25 to begin with 4x5. D76 works well for Hp5 and Fp4. I really like D23 for PanF and was planning to try it with SFX, but they might be good candidates for Diafine. As far as sheet film, I just fell into those 2 films. I will try it since people seem to agree that is works well, but my choice of film at this point is completely wide open.
 

ltbphoto

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A few reasons why I keep Diafine around-
1 - it may seem expensive, but it lasts forever - literally years.
2 - low contrast - if you're scanning, it produces very easy scan negatives.
3 - it's almost idiotproof, don't need to worry about temps or times.
4 - great for testing old film, taking times/temps/agitation out of the equation controls for some variables.
 

MarkS

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Just ran across this thread and it brought back some long-lost memories. In the late 1970s I was a tech in a custom lab. Most of the b/w film that came in was for normal development, and D-76 1:1 was the standard process. If the customer had exposed their Tri-X (it was always Tri-X) at EI 1600, i developed their film in Diafine (which cost extra). I was not a b/w printer so I never saw how those negs looked, but we had several pro customers who used that service on a regular basis, so it must have worked for them.
I never tried it for myself, and don't shoot 35mm in dim light anymore, but Diafine might be a developer worth trying.
 
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pbromaghin

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I realized this evening that I missed the mechanisms/characteristics/reasons that make Diafine good for sheet film. Why is it?
 
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