Tri-X shot with M6 in Venice, what developer?

[jun_park]

<p>I posted what films to use for the trip just a day before I left whether XP2 or TMX but I used Tri-X as one suggested to use.<br>

I thought and agreed that Tri-X sure have the classical feel and tone that would be a match for this trip, Venice, Italy. I did a side trip to Florence and Milan as well.</p>

<p>So, here is what I have, 6 rolls of exposed films at ASA 400 waiting to be developed. So I'm thinking of develop them in D-76 at 1:1.<br>

What temperature and how long and agitation would be good? or any other suggestions? I want it simple and easy. I have to mail order the chemicals when decided.</p>

<p>Thanks for your input in advance.</p>

[christer_almqvist2]

<p>Whatever developer and time and agitation you decide upon - expose another film and test develop it before risking your Venice films.</p>

<p>And frankly: if you have to ask question like this, then it does not matter which of the common developers you use. You won't see any difference. Or it will be six of one and half a dozen of the other for you.</p>

[frank.schifano]

<p>D-76 1+1 is a good choice. You want it simple? Read this: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/f4017/f4017.pdf</p>

[andylynn]

<p>Due to differences in atmospheric lighting and haze conditions and solar lag effects caused by the time zone delay between the eastern and western hemispheres, film shot in Europe should never be processed using a developer made in North America. Use Rodinal or an Ilford product, as those are optimized for European conditions. Also, be sure to work in metric units.</p>

<p>Just kidding. You can develop Tri-X with almost anything. I usually use Rodinal or HC110 depending on what I want, because I'm too lazy for powders, but D-76 works well. From the Massive Dev Chart (Google it - it's a great resource) Tri-X at 400 in D-76 1:1 is 9.75 minutes at 20 Celsius.</p>

[jean_yves_mead]

Simple and easy would be Diafine, especially if you're planning to scan the negatives.

[Mike Gammill]

<p>D-76 stock or 1:1 is the classic choice for most Tri-X or HC-110 if you don't like powedered developers. Both combos give repeatable results. Unless I'm dealing with difficult or unusual lighting that is all I use. For a one stop push I might use Microphen, or to emphasize grain I might rate it at E.I. 200 and use Rodinal. But for what you describe, definetly D-76 or HC-110. Be careful with Diafine, though. If the lighting is flat contrast will suffer. Also, the film is usually rated at around E.I. 1000 or so for Diafine.<br>

BTW, the Ilford equivalent of D-76 is ID-11.<br>

Whatever you do, please post a few photos.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"Simple and easy would be Diafine, especially if you're planning to scan the negatives."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Diafine isn't a good choice for normally exposed Tri-X. It will look very peculiar - flat and muddy. Been there, done that. It doesn't scan or print well. Diafine works best with Tri-X exposed at around 1200-1600.</p>

<p>Ditto the recommendations for good ol' D-76 (or Ilford ID-11, pretty much the same thing) at 1+1. It's a classic that's worked for countless Tri-X users.</p>

<p>Also, ditto Christer's advice to shoot and develop a test roll first. If your film from Venice was normally exposed - rated at ISO 400 and not extremely underexposed - then you can just keep it cool for weeks, months, even years, without losing any latent image. But if it was underexposed ("pushed", although technically it's not pushed until it's developed), it should be developed within a month at most.</p>

[edward_keating]

<p>In spite of the comment of Christer (what a pompous ass) that you're too new to this for it to make any difference, it's good to see that this matters to you. I use Rodinal. Others may recommend something different, but you will eventually find a developer that suits the kind of work you do. The pictures you take today will be more valuable as time goes on, so do your best to find what works because you will come back to these negatives one day.</p>

[giverin]

<p>Yes , Christer's comment did come across a bit pompous but in his defence, he made a very good suggestion, i.e. expose and develop another roll of Tri-x before developing his Venice films.</p>

 

[christer_almqvist2]

<p>If somebody who asks for information on what developer to use considers it relevant to provide information on what camera was used and where, but says nothing about e.g. the light conditions or the subjects, then I think that it is very likely that the responses will be wasted.</p>

<p>I liked the following comment on another forum, the question being: Which of these lenses (long list attached) should I bring for my next trip to Paris ? The comment was: All these lenses are unsuitable for Paris, however the are all just like made for Madrid.</p>

<p>I hope that the person who asked got the point, but now, I am no longer sure ;-)</p>

<p>BTW, what lens(es) was/were used in Venice?</p>

[rustys pics]

<p>Welcome to the forum! We all have odd senses of humor and peculiar manners. But don't let that put you off! We're all <em>mostly </em>decent folks ;). And at least Christer DID give good advice, which would have been my question; what kind of light was around that day? From what I recall of Venice it can get pretty hot and muggy/hazy. SO you may need to extend development a bit to get some contrast. But if it was a sunny clear day, you'll need to pull back development a bit to keep highlights from burning out.<br>

That said D-76 1:1 is a great choice for either. Just keep in mind what the light was like. When I was in Italy back in 1997, I used a local developer called "Ornano ST20 Graduale". I liked it very much for Tri-x and TMAX 400. I think it was very similar to D-76. Please post some of your shots back here when done.</p>

[jun_park]

<p>Thanks for all your input. I had a lot of things to follow up since I got back. Although I didn't use much M8 I didn't even carried except on my last day early in the morning I had managed to shoot both M6 and M8.<br>

Because of the one third cropping on M8 most of the shots were a bit too tightly framed. I like true 35mm on M6.<br>

Here are a few taste shots from M8 and it was rather fast process on DNG and simple GS conversion and everything is as is shots.<br>

I really appreciate for all your inputs here.<br>

I can't wait to see how the Tri-X images would turn up as they have better framed perspectives.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p><div></div>

[rustys pics]

<p>Beautifully done! Excellent compositions. If the film was shot at the same time as these digital images I would give the film about 15% more development time. Looks a bit flat and overcast so You'll need more shadow detail and "snap". Having both film and digital can be a big advantage this way.</p>

[jun_park]

<p>It's mixed up I'm afraid. Maybe 2 out of 6 rolls are dull but the rest 4 are very contrasty sunny shots. Approx. 300 shot are on sunny and about 60 shots are in rain and dawn shots like the above.<br>

If I knew this then I would've marked on the films but it's too late.</p>

[rustys pics]

<p>Better just go with standard processing time then. Tri-X is a very forgiving film and should be just fine.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Agree with Russ - just develop them to a standard time. Contrast adjustments can be made during printing (usually with variable contrast paper and filters) or digital editing after scanning.</p>

[david j.lee]

<p>i was going to suggest gondolol 1:3 for 14 minutes, but this shots actually impressed me. </p>

[sfcole]

<p>Jun,<br>

I use D-76, as many have suggested, but the question is whether you'll be using it again after these 6 rolls. You don't want to mix up a gallon for just 6 rolls and just let it sit for a year. In this case I'd suggest a liquid developer you can use occasionally.</p>

[mjferron]

<p>Tmax developer does a fine job with Tri-x and is somewhat of a speed enhancer as well. Since you shot the film @ 400 Tmax will open up the shadows enough for decent scanning. It's long lasting after opening as well.</p>

[chris_raney1]

<p>I have to add my two-cents worth here on Tri-X development. I don't know where you live, Jun, but in Houston maintaining 68 degrees Fahrenheit is simply impossible, especially since the wash water remains at 80F most of the the year. There are countless developers out there, and I've tried many of them over the years. But in my broiling climate it was an impossible battle to maintain conditions.</p>

<p>Tropical development was a natural for me. Damn the ambient temperature. I cooked along happily by adding sodium sulfate to my scratch-made D-76 until I read about divided D-76. I'm now a convert, and my life has never been simpler. Here's David Vestal's formula I use:</p>

<p>Solution A: 2g Metol, 100g sodium sulfite, 5g hydroquinone to make a liter.<br>

Solution B: 50g sodium sulfite, 2g borax to make a liter.</p>

<p>I pre-soak the film in water for 1 minute, then soak in Solution A for 4 minutes. Actual development in Solution B is done for three minutes, and after emptying the tank I allow it to rest in my kitchen sink for a full minute so the developer can exhaust itself in the highlights. Then I pour in Kodak's F-5 fixer for 10 minutes. All chemicals are mixed with <em>distilled </em>water.</p>

<p>As a school teacher, I now have this summer off, so I've been giving experimentation with pyro some thought. But short of having a chemical revelation, I'm convinced I've found just the right Tri-X formula for life.</p>

<p>I have little patience for black and white film photographers who say that powders are too messy and complicated. Hell, film's a mess; if they feel that way, then they should succumb to the witless ease of digital photography.</p>

<p>Personally, I'll never do black and white any other way.</p>

<p>And yes, whichever way you choose to develop, practice with a few sacrificial rolls first. Your Italian work is too damned precious to screw up. </p>

 

[jun_park]

<p>Thank you for all your inputs here and as suggested I'll do a test roll I think I'll do D-76 and standard chart time and see what happens and then if everything went well and then proceed with the Venice shots.<br>

I want to keep things simple especially finding the chemicals. There is a Henry's (GTA Toronto) just around the corner from me and they sell D-76 and few others. I have Focotar but I don't have a darkroom no more but hopefully in the near future.</p>

 

[l_dasousa]

<blockquote>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4181626">Chris Raney</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"><img title="Subscriber" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub3.gif" alt="" /></a>, May 29, 2010; 08:06 p.m.<br>

I have to add my two-cents worth here on Tri-X development. I don't know where you live, Jun, but in Houston maintaining 68 degrees Fahrenheit is simply impossible, especially since the wash water remains at 80F most of the the year. There are countless developers out there, and I've tried many of them over the years. But in my broiling climate it was an impossible battle to maintain conditions.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Do you not have access to a room with aircon, somewhere, anywhere? Does not need to be a darkroom, if you have the changing bag. If the house thermostat is set to 68F a sink or tray of water will be also 68F in a couple of hours, and so all bottles of chemicals and SS dev tank who sits in it. </p>