Help with new Liquid or Powder Developer

[paul_c8]

<p>Just a few questions really I finally got my film choice down to 2, Im using HP5+ rating it at 320 and fp4 but rating as normal (I do have a roll in the cam at the moment rated at 50iso not sure if this is any good but i saw a time for it on a dev chart).<br>

So far I have been using Ilford lc29 and am quite happy with the results (but this is all I have used), I've just ran out of dev and am curious to try another developer. Im looking at a developer that will give me the best results but am not sure what to go for dd-x, ilfosol s or 3 or are the powders better ? Or maybe even another brand like d-76 or rodinal ?<br>

Any info or help would be greatly appreciated (I live in australia so some developers are hard to come by or cost a far bit)</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>You have far more control by choosing EI and development time than you have by changing developers. Indeed, you have the most to learn by getting one or two films "nailed" with one developer.<br>

Ilfosol S is discontinued, and was notorious for sudden death. Ilfosol 3 is the replacement to solve that problem.<br>

Ilfotec DD-X is noted for being "speed enhancing", so that you can get more shadow detail (true film speed) at the same contrast.<br>

Unless you're processing a lot of film, a liquid concentrate like any of these three is a good choice, as the open bottle of concentrate can last 9 months or more. Powdered developers, when mixed into a stock solution, are more likely to only last 2-3 months. (You can do better than that if you put a gallon into a lot of small single-use 8 ounce or 16 ounce bottles full to the brim.)<br>

The downside of the liquid developers is that they are more expensive than powdered developers, but only if you use the powdered developer stock solution before it dies. If the price of these liquid developer isn't fazing you, stick with them.</p>

[traveler_101]

<p>You're using Ilford's vrsion of HC-110 apparently. Never used it but did a massive search for it: the conclusion, "it's . . . well, convenient." I stayed away from HC-110 because of the outrageous price here (Norway). Don't know what you paid. Try D-76, or rather Ilford's version of it (Id-11) on the Hp-4. BTW, ID-11 sells in one liter size and put in the proper bottles you should be able to use it all up--no wastage. I have the same stuff made by the Czech firm Foma: reasonable price. You might try Rodinal with the fP4.</p>

[traveler_101]

<p>You're using Ilford's vrsion of HC-110 apparently. Never used it but did a massive search for it: the conclusion, "it's . . . well, convenient." I stayed away from HC-110 because of the outrageous price here (Norway). Don't know what you paid. Try D-76, or rather Ilford's version of it (Id-11) on the Hp-4. BTW, ID-11 sells in one liter size and put in the proper bottles you should be able to use it all up--no wastage. I have the same stuff made by the Czech firm Foma: reasonable price. You might try Rodinal with the fP4.</p>

[chris_waller]

<p>I have used Rodinal now for well night thirty years. I use it both with HP5 (rated at 160, devved for 9 minutes at 1/50) and with FP4 (rated at 50 ASA, devved for 8 minutes at 1/50).</p>

[leighb]

<p>I've used Rodinal with slower films (like FP4+) for over 50 years, and really like the results.</p>

<p>Regardless of what dilution you use, be sure to use a minimum of 10ml of concentrate per <br>

80 square inches of film, i.e. any combination that can be proofed on a single 8x10 sheet.<br>

Rodinal concentrate, even if opened, has a shelf life of decades, so no worry about it going bad.</p>

<p>One point regarding powder developers: You CANNOT mix partial quantities of the powder.<br>

You must mix the full batch. If you're doing small to moderate amount of work, the cost of <br>

powdered developer can easily exceed that of liquid concentrates.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

 

[pc_b]

<p>Paul, there is no 'Best Developer'. Each developer makes each type of film look 'his way' - up to a certain degree.<br>

Leigh is right saying that there is not mixing half a bag of developer powder. However, stored in well-stoppered glass bottles, almost all chemicals keep for at least 6 months. Powder chemicals in their bags keep at least two years so buying them in bulk additionally keeps postage etc. down.<br />Do your film consumption math a determine what size of bags may be econimcally sensible.<br>

Fixer, developer, hypo wash all powder in my darkroom. A dust mask should be used for mixing, though.</p>

 

[pc_b]

<p>...math and determine what [...] economically... (sorry, it's late around here)</p>

[paul_c8]

<p>Thanks for the response guys, I think ill keep to a liquid but yeah i have to decide what one. <br>

Am i wrong in using 2 films that are a few stops away from each other with the same developer ? Im just after the maximum results and I thought there could of been an ilford dev that would suit both film very well, but im hearing good things about rodinal and its not super expensive over here $8 for 125ml, I paid $39.99 for the LC29 500ml<br>

(Leigh B) On another note a friend just gave me some original rodinal special and rodinal that has never been opened yesterday, the rodinal special was slightly orange colour but not to much so i tried it on 2 films yesterday and they didnt develop at all you can just make out some detail but nothing even worth trying to scan :-( the rodinal is black and looks like syrup so im not even going to bother.)</p>

[leighb]

<p>Hi Paul,</p>

<p>I've never used Rodinal special and know nothing about it.</p>

<p>The unopened Rodinal is probably OK. It's normally pretty dark even when new.<br>

It really does have a shelf life measured in decades. People have reported using <br>

unopened bottles over 50 years old with normal results.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

 

[chris_waller]

<p>I had a 4 year-old part-used bottle of Rodinal in my darkroom. It was the colour of Turkish coffee but worked perfectly. Rodinal is the most robust and reliable developer I know.</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>Ilfotec LC29 is a more dilute version of Ilfotec HC. HC is the thick syrupy HC-110 clone. LC29 is diluted somewhat (not with water) so that it's less difficult to measure for dilution.<br>

That's a very steep price you pay for LC29, but everything film-related is really pricey in Oz. I can't compare it to a US price, since they don't appear to distribute LC29 in the US, just HC, DD-X, and Ilfosol 3.<br>

If price is an issue, buy the ingredients and mix your own D-76. But I don't know if the Oz version of the post 9/11 "police state" will let you buy the ingredients, or if the US "police state" will let them be shipped to you.</p>

 

[paul_c8]

<p>Ive found agfa r09 one shot 500ml bottle but its 40 dollars, thats expencive once again is this a good dev they say its rodinal but whats the verdict ?</p>

[leighb]

<blockquote>

<p>I've found Agfa R09 one shot 500ml bottle but its 40 dollars, that's expensive...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not expensive at all.</p>

<p>That 500ml bottle will develop 50 rolls of film, so that's only $0.80 per roll.</p>

<p>R09 is supposed to be the original Rodinal formula. I've never used it since I have<br>

a large stock of real Rodinal (several liters).</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

 

[pc_b]

<p>These prices *are* tragically high!<br>

However, out of one bag of Xtol (whatever that costs over at your place) you get either 40 (1+1), 60 (1+2) or even 80 (1+3) films developed. Do your math first. And then buy in bulk, online.<br>

HP in Rodinal (in 135 size) is kind of an aquired taste. With zero push abilities for sure. Truly weird that everybody started raving about Rodinal here. Rodinal shines (if at all) with PanF, Acros, TMX, TMY, Adox/Efke - the slow films with small grain to start with.</p>

 

[chris_waller]

<p>Yes, the 'new' Rodinal is called R09 and is, so say, actually the real 'old' Rodinal. (Following this?) It behaves, in my experience, just like Rodinal, but I've only tried a few films in it. If there is any difference then so far I have not been able to discern it. Like Leigh, I have a stock of Agfa Rodinal, some a&o Rodinal and some R09, amounting to 4 litres so it will be some time before I am fully on R09.<br>

This neg was shot on FP4 and processed in Rodinal at 1/75 dilution.<br>

<a href="../photo/9284515">http://www.photo.net/photo/9284515</a></p>

<p> </p>

[dhbebb]

<p>All developers have their good and bad points - from the point of view of someone in Australia, powders like ID-11/D-76 are far less problematic to ship and keep for a very long time in powder form. The only downside is that they are vastly cheaper in larger packs, e.g. a 5 liter pack is about 2 1/2 times the cost of one liter.</p>

[User_502260]

<p>For the films you are looking to use, Microphen would be fine. It keeps very well in tightly stoppered bottles once it has been mixed up. If you get a larger size just keep it in a number of smaller bottles. For HP5+ I would use it undiluted. For FP4+ I would use it 1:1. </p>

[mac_hayes1]

<p>I have two small cans, of Acufine and ACU-1, that are probably 30 years old. These ought to still be good, eh?</p>

[Bill Bowes]

<p>Hello everyone. Hoping to throw some fuel onto the fire, my choice for a near perfect, all round developer would be Rodinol. I have the "old" Agfa material presently and have cross checked the newer Adox Adonal....same results. There are other "brands" out there but I have no experience with the chemistry's.<br>

For someone just starting developing, might I suggest researching the web for "Stand Development". Rodinol at 1:150 ratio (3 ml in a 450 ml solution for a 135-36 roll) is just about goof proof with any film if developed semi stand for 60 minutes (3 ez inversions at the 30 minute mark). Temp: 65-80 degrees F. The negs might not be "perfect", but it is easy to work out the "optimal" developing for this soup within the next 2 rolls.<br>

Enjoy, Bill</p>

[Bill Bowes]

<p>Hello everyone. Hoping to throw some fuel onto the fire, my choice for a near perfect, all round developer would be Rodinol. I have the "old" Agfa material presently and have cross checked the newer Adox Adonal....same results. There are other "brands" out there but I have no experience with the chemistry's.<br>

For someone just starting developing, might I suggest researching the web for "Stand Development". Rodinol at 1:150 ratio (3 ml in a 450 ml solution for a 135-36 roll) is just about goof proof with any film if developed semi stand for 60 minutes (3 ez inversions at the 30 minute mark). Temp: 65-80 degrees F. The negs might not be "perfect", but it is easy to work out the "optimal" developing for this soup within the next 2 rolls.<br>

Enjoy, Bill</p><div></div>

[ian_gordon_bilson]

<p>I'd like to back up what Bill has said about Rodinal. The first thing you need to know is ,due to a pissing match between markets,and makers,the apparently identical formula is on the market as :Rodinal,RO9,Adonal,and,probably,a couple of other names.<br>

The one which is Not Identical,is Rodinal "Special". I am not saying there is anything wrong with it,but let's not complicate matters.<br>

The secret is in the "stand". Even diluted 1:200,which is a tiny amount, after an hour,or more,at 20 C,you should get pleasing results.<br>

And,considering it keeps almost forever (stock form,in original container),it is most certainly worth a try.<br>

Ilfords version of HC-110 ? Even Kodak considered HC-110 a compromise : less speed,less sharpness,more grain,compared to their other developers,but convenient.<br>

Cost -effective? Hardly. Ilford has been shafting Australia/New Zealand markets since Adam was in short pants.</p>

[phil_schultz]

<p><img src="http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b307/romulanspy/img224.jpg" alt="" />I like Rodinal for slower 35mm films like Ilford Pan F. I use it at 1+100; 3ml of developer + 300ml water. Mind you I'm using a bottle of genuine Agfa Rodinal that was first opened nearly ten years ago. It is brick red and just as potent now as when it was first manufactured. I agitate for 30 seconds then leave it untouched for a full hour. My negatives come out very dense but they scan well. <br>

My most often used developer is plain old Kodak D76. I buy the one liter packages and dilute the stock 1+3. I can get a lot of film developed with one liter of stock. My 35mm negatives are very sharp with fairly soft contrast, which is what I prefer with my condenser enlarger. </p>

[phil_schultz]

<p>One more. These negatives scan well; I have yet to make wet prints so I'm not yet sure how they will look. </p><div></div>

[Bill Bowes]

<p>Hello all. Found my way back here while "wondering" the forums. A word of caution here: Should your bottle of Rodinal be of some "vintage" (ie, opened), it is wise to give the bottle a vigorous shaking BEFORE removing any material. I developed a roll recently and was shocked to find it very thin. Doing my very best SH/CSI, I noticed that my bottle (Y2K for sure!) had a lot of crystal like structures in the bottom. Bottle was shaken and the next roll (same material) was great. Rock n Roll that Rodinol! Enjoy, Bill I might add that I use glass marbles to keep the Rodinol level just below the top.</p>