mark_tate

For stand developing the developer you use is very critical and IMO D76 is the worst of the lot to use ( not just for stand developing either ). I am sure a few will disagree.. oh well. I have never really thought much of any stand development method and look at it as one of the worst developing methodologies there is. I have done it a few times and have never seen any advantage or benefit in doing so. It does however waste a lot of time and has a greater risk of ruining your film. I have seen and read an awful lot of literature on the subject with most of it being nothing but silly crap that makes no sense and unless you have several $k worth of scientific analytical equipment you would never know if it is better as most if any improvements over normal developing are very very subtle however any degradation will most of the time hit you smack in the eye.

When you pull process film you must decrease development time NOT increase it. have not found a B&W film yet that can not be pulled or pushed 3 or 4 stops and you are only 1 stop over exposed. As others have said just decrease your development time by around 10% and use what ever developer you have been using the same way you have been using it. There are much better developers than D76 as well but this is nothing to do with push/pull processing.

Based on = nothing like

<p>No it is not the filter that is for certain.<br> Looks to be a developing issue, maybe not enough developer in the tank but I doubt that TBH. <br> What dilution developer ? maybe to strong or to hot, this can cause uneven development and it is something I see a lot of on this and other forums. One of the thumb photos at the bottom of this page right now is also showing uneven development. <br> I used to use FP4 many years ago with ID11 developer ( Ilford brand D76) and did have some problems with uneven development, I found it much more reliable you use a 3:1 dilution at 20 deg C, I forget the development times though soz, been a lot of years since I have used that film and developer combination. <br> Just something else to look at and make sure it is actually on the film and not a problem with your scanner as this can also cause similar looking effects and is rather common. <br> It is possible you have a light leak in your camera but I doubt it TBH. </p>

<p>Some how you managed to not get developer on that part of the film although I can not see just how this could have happened. My guess is that you got a kink in the film as you loaded it on the real. <br> Can not say I have ever had blue blobs like that with any B&W film. <br> Bad idea not to use stop bath, this can cause staining and a few other problems and may have something to do with the blue blobs. <br> Do not be to concerned with problems like this, even after 40 years I still make some mistakes and waste a bit of film, it is certainly not something that you learn over night or with just the first roll of film. </p>

<p>Sure does</p>

<p>Who ever said that C-41 chems do not keep, fact is it does keep rather well and better than most B&W developers. I have used mixed developer that is six months old with no problems or ill effects. Given I mix all my chems with Demineralized and STAGNANT water. <br> I have a small batch of fresh mix that I am letting age for 12 months just to get an idea of its useful life, will be 12 months in Feb 2017. <br> As for the cost well that can depend on your demographic as to weather it is worth it or not, for me it certainly is since I am in the land of empty, Australia. The few labs that are around are a long way from me and a rip off in price. There are still a few minilabs around but they only do 35mm and mainly shoot in 4x5 LF for colour. </p>

<p>If you are happy with the results you are getting then that is all that really matters.<br> I personally have never been one to do it that way, if I want B&W photos I use B&W film. If I want colour I use colour film, mainly Ektar100. <br> I detest C41 B&W films TBH, to me they just look bad and lack luster. <br> One thing to keep in mind though is that B&W films are much higher resolution than colour film, about the highest resolution colour film you can get now is Kodak Ektar 100 at around 150 LP/mm, slide film is around 170 LP/mm. Most B&W films are around 220 LP/mm with many films now getting 400 LP/mm and with Adox CMS20 that can get up to 800LP/mm. <br> There are other things to consider as well, if you want your films to be still around in 100 years then a silver based B&W is the only way to go. <br> With B&W films you really do need to do your own processing, there are just way to many process variables that can have drastic affects on the final negative. With C41 there are no process variables at all that can change the final image in a positive way, it is either right or it is wrong, if your lab is telling you at any time they are push or pull processing C41 they are lying. <br> Many things you need to consider, what ever makes you the happiest is the best option. </p>

<p>For contact printing the F stop is irrelevant, all lenses have a sweet spot for maximum sharpness but this does not apply for contact printing as you are not projecting any image through it, just use the F stop you would use when printing. <br> As for times you will have to do your own test to determine this. How I do it is I set my timer to 5 seconds, place a card over the paper and leave a strip, expose this for the 5 seconds and then move the card a bit more and expose for 5 seconds, repeat this until all of the test paper is exposed, look for the strip that looks the best exposure and count how many 5 second exposures it was given and then this will be your base time. </p>