low speed developer

Hi,

I recently made some 8x10 negatives which I inadvertently overexposed

by about 1.5 stops. The film is FP4+ and the developer is X-Tol 1:1.

Can someone recommend a developer that will give a film speed about

1.5 stops slower than X-Tol for this film.

Thanks

Arthur Nichols

D-23 developed by inspection.

Arthur:

 

This doesn't sound like the end of the world to me. I routinely over-expose a stop for increased shadow detail when working on catalogues with dark clothing or black leather wallets.

 

I suspect the worst that may happen is slightly decreased highlight separation. So it depends upon your subject matter.

 

I'd just back off development about ten or twenty percent of your normal time. You might actually like the result!

 

Under exposure is a much, much bigger problem.

 

Regards,

 

John

Microdol-X.

I suspect that Ed's recommendation is probably closest to ideal, but to agree with the other posters, overexposure in the range you're talking about is not a big deal and there are any number of ways to compensate for it with your current developer. Any of the variables of time/temp/dilution/agitation can be adjusted to get the contrast you want. The danger in overexposure is blocked highlights, so the compensating effect of a dilute developer may be a viable solution. If they were my negs, I would be tempted to just develop as normal and hope for the best, but I develop by inspection so my normal is really variable. I think your greatest danger lies in the possibility of overcompensating for overexposure and ending up with thin negs and muddy prints, but that's just me.