Sports photography and Metol sensitivity.

[pteppic]

I suffer unfortunately from an acute Metol sensitivity (I am now at risk of

anaphylactic shock is I come into contact with the substance), and as such can't

use ID-11, D-76, etc.

 

Here's my dilemma - I shoot a wide range of subjects, and most of the time I

shoot Acros 100 and tank it in Rodinal 1:100 and everything is dandy, and it's

great for my portraiture and landscapes.

 

I do however also shoot indoor fencing competitions. My usual film is Ilford

HP5, rated at 1600 or 3200 and then souped accordingly in Rodinal. But I'm not

happy with this combination. Rodinal is great for slower films, but at this

speed it just looks far too grainy.

 

So my question is - what are my options? Can anybody recommend to me a better

developer for push processing HP5 (and possibly APX 400/Neopan 400 when I get my

hands on some of the stuff) with *DOES NOT* contain Metol?

 

Thanks :-)<div></div>

[tklim]

Dear Kian,

 

Unfortunately, metol can cause some health problems starting from slight dermatitis through more serious disorders, such as the one you describe. This rules out the use of some good developers for you.

 

On the bright side, there's a huge number of excellent developers that don't contain metol, thus being a lot less likely to create any health related hazards.

 

For your particular purpose I'd suggest trying Ilford's Microphen, which is a Phenidone - Hydroquinone formula, and is actually recommended by the manufacturer for push-processing of HP5+. As an alternative, you could also try XTol from Kodak, one of the least toxic developers ever marketed. It contains sodium ascorbate and Dimezone (a developing agent similar to Phenidone), and is also capable of producing admirable results in combination with ISO 400 films, even when you need to push the film two stops.

 

Either of the above mentioned devs is certain to give better results at pushing HP5+ than Rodinal, IMO.

 

Best of luck and regards,

 

Tomasz

[pteppic]

Thanks, I'll give Microphen a try.

[john_shriver]

If you prefer liquid concentrate, Ilford DD-X is also Phenidone/Hydriquinone.

[pics]

Xtol and Microphen are two of the best developers available for push processing so you won't be sacrificing anything by avoiding metol.