HC-110 dilution H vs. Rodinal 1:50

Hi all.

 

I was wondering if anyone can speak to the different characteristics of HC-110,

dilution H and Rodinal 1:50? I love the high acutance and compensating effects

of rodinal. I've only used HC-110 at dilution B and would like to know how

doubling the dilution changes its look.

 

Also I know that ansel adams used HC-110 at even higher dilutions than dilution

H to get a compensating effect. Has anyone used HC-110 at dilutions high enough

to create a compensating effect, and if so, how similar is it to rodinal at 1:50?

 

Thanks,

Kori

In general, HC-110 will give you less grain than Rodinal.

 

For my Tri-X processing I recently switched from dilution B to H, primarily because I was worried that 5.5 minutes might not be enough time to insure that the film was developed uniformly. At the same time, based on recommendations from others on this list and APUG, I cut back slightly on my agitation from once every 30 seconds to once per minute.

 

My initial, subjective, impression is that I am getting a finer grain with the higher dilution without any appreciable loss of accutance. I have not noticed any compensating effects from the reduced agitation.

 

Interestingly, the grain I get on Tri-X developed in HC-110 H looks a bit finer than the grain I get on Plus-X developed in Rodinal 1:50.

Best thing to do is to try it out on a test roll. I used to use a lot of HC-110H with HP5 and FP4 and had great results. The grain is finer and less obtrusive than Rodinal. I didn't look for evidence of compensating effects.

HC-110 Dil H and Rodinal 1:50 are my two standard developers. Each has uses where they really shine.

 

But I find no real difference the final look of HC-110 Dil B and Dil H. Only a less critical processing time.

They are two different classes of developer, and so will give two different results. Rodinal is considered an acutance developer, or at least a semi-acutance developer, which means that it creates higher aparent sharpness in the negative by enhancing the local contrast - making edges more apparent - at the possible expense of gradation - smooth transitions from one value to the next. HC-110 is less of an acutance developer, which means that it gives smooth transitions between values, but this results in a somewhat less defined edge. There is no way to get both ultra-smooth gradation and razor sharp edges - you have to match the developer results with the subject, which is far, far less complicated than it sounds.

 

Try them both with the same subjects and compare the results. To the naked eye they will not be radically different, but if you look at the negatives under a loupe you will see the difference. They are both excellent developers, but you have to understand what they are capable of before you can use them to their best abilities.

 

My personal preference tends to be for using a slower film with Rodinal 1:100 or FX-1 - both of which give stronger edge effects than a developer like D-76 or ID-11. The slower films boost smooth gradation while allowing the developer to give sharp results. When a faster film is needed I use HP5+ in Perceptol 1:3, which is superb, but different than the others in it's own way.

 

For more pictorial results I like to use a 'soft-working' developer, like Perceptol neat, or even something like Diafine, and a slow or medium speed film, which gives lots of smooth transitions and an effect that is not really soft, but certainly lacks the harder edges the other combinations give.

 

I use FP4+ %905 of the time, PanF+ ~%8 of the time, and HP5+ the rest, but I do a lot of macro work and few, if any, landscapes, and I want the effects that these films give in an acutance developer because they work with my subject to give the effect that I want. In the end, it is a good idea to try a number of difference *classes* of developers with slow, medium, and fast films, and then keep the results for future reference. This way you can match the film and developer with the subject and gain an amazing level of control over the results.

 

- Randy

Ah Rodinal. I just love this stuff. Everytime I stop at Freestyle I just have to pick up a few bottles.

Those who use dilution H, are you exposing Tri-X at 200 EI? Starting times? Thanks

Kori: most of us find that simply doubling the Dil. B time works for Dil. H.

 

If you don't have a Dil. B time, you'll have to test of course. Just follow those old guidelines of slightly increasing exposure and decreasing development time.