XTOL stand development

[Harry Lime]

Has anyone tried this? If so, can you please share some of your results, times etc?

 

[SWphoto]

There's some info on figitalrevolution.com (I gather parts 1& 2 may be podcasts or??):

http://figitalrevolution.com/2009/08/10/stand-development-part-3/

 

[df cardwell]

Search APUG. We did a long series three years ago ... about that.

It works like anything else. Nothing magic. Hunt down the german kodak Xtol page and look at the curves at the end, and the 1+2 dilutions. Good place to start.

 

[clayne]

I've done it with Acros 100, shot at 1600. Very fine grain, blah shadow detail, overall waste of time actually.

As DFC said, works just like anything else. Nothing to write home about. I personally think stand developing is close to pointless.

 

[Tom Stanworth]

Try TriX at 1250 at 20 Degs C for 30 mins with no agitation at all apart from 30s at the start. You end up with grain fairly like Delta 3200 and quite a boost in shadow detail over regular pushing with regular agitation. You may like to try a single inversion after 20 mins too. worked surprisingly well...

 

[Roger Krueger]

I think it's pretty good for pushing without sending your highlights into orbit. Both crisper and cheaper than Microphen but significantly less compensating action.

 

[df cardwell]

....

As DFC said, works just like anything else. Nothing to write home about. I personally think stand developing is close to pointless.[/QUOTE

]

NO, I meant that figuring out how XTOL worked was like figuring out how anything else works. In truth XTOL is superb with MINIMAL AGITATION.

It allows you to place the shadow and highlight where you want them to be, and then shape the curve through the midtones. Stick-in-the-mud Zonies say you can't do that, but anybody can.

It is totally 'zonable', repeatable. It has its limitations, like all developers.

The reason I gave a short answer and referred the O.P. to earlier discussions is that we are such a diverse group here it is nearly impossible to tell who is pouring gasoline on the flames just to watch it burn, who is peeing on the fire, and who really, actually and truly knows what's going on and wants to help.

Read what Sandy King says about minimal agitation with Pyrocat, what Steve Sherman says about the technique. Avoid ANYTHING that says 'uh, I left the film in for three days and didn't agitate it, and it was great.' That's probably my cousin that took too much acid in 1970 and still thinks he's a banana.


TMY (1600) & Xtol / 1/60 @ f/1.4 Minimal Agitation
The image below, the trick was to lift the shadows, hold the highlights, and keep the midtones, midtones. It pulled the highlights, pushed the shadows, and kept Zone V at Zone V. Minor White explained how to do this back in the '70s.


We can do almost anything we want to do in photography if we set our mind to it,
and are not governed by other folks' expectations. We are also bound by 150 years of photo rubbish that declares what we can do, what we should, and what can't be done. Try it, test it, work with it. Learn.

Then teach.

Peace to you all.

.