jim_vanson2

See Ed Buffaloe's great site Unblinkingeye.com for a techinal article

on Delta 3200. The Article at

http://unblinkingeye.com./Articles/D3200/d3200.html

provides the times/temps that several photographers have tested!

Long before I blew $300 on a Minox camera...a camera that will

provide a smaller neg that when enlarged will give you grain...all be

it ugly soft grain, I would try Agfa APX 400 shot at ISO 250 and

developed in Agfa Rodinal at 1+100 for 20 minutes at 68 degrees. The

negs you will get with this (inexpensive) combination will give you

the sharpest large grain shots I've seen from negs that are very easy

to print.

The bad news is that unlike someone else wrote new Rodinal is clear

not brown in color! The good news is that as Rodinal ages it gets

brown. That coloration Does Not seem to have any effect on the film

you process in it. I presently use Rodinal that is at least 2 years

old�it is very dark brown�yet when I process Agfa 400 in that brown

Rodinal at 1+100 I get negs so easy to print that I think I've St.

Ansel and his dodging scepter watching over me...jim

PS...old Tmax developer...it's only good for making print developer

out of...come to think of it that is all that new Tmax developer is

good for...XTOL and Rodinal (and maybe PMK)...are the only developers

that a person really needs...jim

APX 400 shot at 250 developed in Agfa Rodinal at 1+100 for 20 minutes

at 68 degrees...oh yes!

I also vote for XP2 Super rated at 200...several years of teaching

beginner B+W Darkroom and Photography to people who were quite often

using cameras whose meters were "questionable" at the

best...reinforces this opinion. XP2 Super saves the beginner from

having to master negative processing before the can start

printing...I tell my students shoot a roll of XP2 Super, pay $2 to

get it processed...it will only take 20 minutes to get really easy to

print, highly enlargable, dust free negs...then as Ephraums says in

his brilliant book 'Gradient Light' - The art and craft of using

variable contrast paper�use your time to learn to print�jim

I use alot of Delta 400 in 220 size in my 645n. No problems with the

film after I learned that the film must fit tight on the takeup spool

when you first load (to allow all the remainder of the film to wind

on tight as you shoot...I was getting edge fogging before I did

this). If you are using XTOL developer you MUST remember to use at

least 200 mls of stock for each roll 220...thats twice as much as you

must use for 120 or 35mm.

Ed Buffaloe's great Unblinking Eye URL is http://unblinkingeye.com./

on it is a page dedicated to Delta 3200. It's at

http://unblinkingeye.com./Articles/D3200/d3200.html

Sorry that I didn't get right on my last post...jim

See Ed Buffalo's great site at:

<http://unblinkingeye.com./Articles/D3200/d3200.html>

he has various times/temps for Delta 3200 there.

TriX EI 400 (but I use 250...its the way I meter) in Rodinal @ 1+100

at 68 degrees for 20 minutes...constant aggitation for the first 1

minute then 1 inversion every 30 seconds...great shadow

detail...wonderful tone, (to tonal for the Salagdo look?)...very

sharp...very good looking grain...easy to print...try it...jim

I just received an update of the Rodinal at 1+100 Chart that I wrote

of above. The update lists HP5+ shot at EI 160 in Rodinal at 1+100 at

68 degrees for 20 minutes, contrast is .50. It lists HP5+ at EI 100

in Rodinal at 1+100 at 68 degrees for 15 minutes, contrast is .45.

Delta 400 is listed at EI 160 at 1+100 at 68 degrees for 20 minutes,

contrast .60 or EI 125 at 1+100 for 15 minutes, contrast is .50. My

Agfa rep promises to get me a time / EI for Verichrome...I'll list it

as soon as i receive it...jim

Ed...jim here...I'm the guy that asked the Delta 3200 question that

prompted you to construct the _GREAT_ Delta 3200 chart on your

<unblinkingeye.com> site. Anyhow several years ago I received a paper

from Agfa detailing the use of Rodinal at 1+25, 1+50 and 1+100

dilutions...it is somewhat out of date as some film emulsions have

changed but I know that it works great for TriX. The paper suggests a

standard time of 20 minutes for all 1+100 and 15 minutes for all 1+50

dilutions. What changes is the EI you shoot the film at and the

contrast index the neg produces...(I'm not sure what this contrast

index means, perhaps you could explain?). So here goes...all the

following for 35mm or 120 at 20 C or 68 F with constant aggitation

for the first minute and then 5 seconds every additional 30

seconds...which for me works as 20 gentle complete inversions in the

first minute and one gentle complete inversion for each remaining 30

secondsyou would shoot HP5+ at EI 160 for Rodinal at 1+100 (20

minutes)...Agfa does not recomend HP5+ at 1+50 and they rated HP5+ at

320 in 1+25 Rodinal for 8 minutes...Now TriX was another story...TriX

is rated at EI 400 for 1+100 (20 minutes)or EI 250 at 1+50 (15

minutes) and it looks _great_ although I prefer Agfa APX 400 at EI

250 for 1+100 (20 minutes)...I will have to check the sheet for Delta

400 as I do not remember if there was a time for it (it may not have

been released when the sheet was written)...I will also check for

Verichrome Pan...email me if you have any questions or if you want me

to fax the sheet...thanks for all your help in the past...jim

I'm looking for 120 B+W Film rated at EI 100 or 200 and developed in XTOL...I presently use APX 400 @ 250 in 1+100 Rodinal @ 68degrees for 20 minutes...this is a great combo...sharp, tonal, BUT grainey...so what I need is a finer but still sharp and tonal neg...something I can _may be_ make 20x30 out of using my 645(I personally don't see that as being possiable as all I can get out of XP2 is _may be_ a 16x20)...anyhow can anyone give me their favorite combo's...tks...jim

I have been shooting 645 for a year now and want to step up so I want to take a course on shooting and developing B+W negs taken with a 4x5 or 8x10 camera...the problem is that I want to take the course in the Vancouver, BC area...I am mainly interested in available light portraits but I think most landscape principals would be applicable thus most any course would be valuable...tks...jim

Michael...I have developed hundreds of rolls of APX 100 and 400 along

with many rolls of TriX all in Rodinal at 1+100 in plastic tanks that

require 300mls (really 280) of solution. I use 3mls of Rodinal plus

300 mls of 68 degree water for 20 minutes. This information came from

a Agfa handout...hope this helps...jim

I just sent this to Shawn in regards to a question he asked...

Shawn...I think your time\temps are off but I can't be sure as you do

not provide the temp you used. I don't know what your looking for as

far as grain goes, but if you want great sharpness, wonderful tone

and, for the APX 400, the best looking grain I�ve ever seen, follow

the directions that I got from an Agfa rep several years ago. Those

direction are for Rodinal at 1+50 and 1+100 at 68 degrees. The times

are 20 minutes for 1+100 and 15 minutes for 1+50. The only variable

is what you rate the films EI at. Agitation is constant for the first

minute...about 20 inversions, then 1 or 2 inversions every 30 seconds

for the remaining time. I develop, using Rodinal 1+100, Agfa 400 shot

at EI 250 for 20 minutes. With the film rated at 200 you develop it

for 15 minutes. Agfa 100 shot at EI 100 is developed for 20 minutes.

If you shoot it at EI 64 you use 15 minutes. In both cases I use the

1+100 version. I have never used the 1+50. With the 1+100 you will

get negs that are very easy to print. I have processed more then 100

rolls of Agfa 400 and at least 50 rolls of the 100 this way. The APX

400, especially in 120, must be tried. Another very good combo is 120

Tri-X, not the pro, shot at 400 in Rodinal at 1+100. Again, great

grain. Don�t use HP5+ for this. If you do it must be rated at 160 for

1+100 or 100 for 1+50..cheers....jim

Shawn...I think your time\temps are off but I can't be sure as you do

not provide the temp you used. I don't know what your looking for as

far as grain goes, but if you want great sharpness, wonderful tone

and, for the APX 400, the best looking grain I�ve ever seen, follow

the directions that I got from an Agfa rep several years ago. Those

direction are for Rodinal at 1+50 and 1+100 at 68 degrees. The times

are 20 minutes for 1+100 and 15 minutes for 1+50. The only variable

is what you rate the films EI at. Agitation is constant for the first

minute...about 20 inversions, then 1 or 2 inversions every 30 seconds

for the remaining time. I develop, using Rodinal 1+100, Agfa 400 shot

at EI 250 for 20 minutes. With the film rated at 200 you develop it

for 15 minutes. Agfa 100 shot at EI 100 is developed for 20 minutes.

If you shoot it at EI 64 you use 15 minutes. In both cases I use the

1+100 version. I have never used the 1+50. With the 1+100 you will

get negs that are very easy to print. I have processed more then 100

rolls of Agfa 400 and at least 50 rolls of the 100 this way. The APX

400, especially in 120, must be tried. Another very good combo is 120

Tri-X, not the pro, shot at 400 in Rodinal at 1+100. Again, great

grain. Don�t use HP5+ for this. If you do it must be rated at 160 for

1+100 or 100 for 1+50..cheers....jim

Now that I have a good grip on Delta 3200...tks Ed, John, et al...I want to start improving my (rather dismal)220 format Delta 400 results...I've tried Xtol 1+2 (200ml Xtol + 400ml H2O)@ 13min @ 70 degrees but my results that are normally good for TriX or APX 400 are all over the place...a couple of years ago...before I tried Delta...I had the Ilford rep here in Vancouver tell me that the 400 negs look different, but I can't remember how...my negs look thin but tonal...they require a short exposure with a 4 filter on my VCCE head...I've never run into this problem so I don't know how to solve it...does anyone that uses dilute XTOL and Delta 400 .have an ISO/time/temp/agitation to share...how about very dilute Rodinal say 1+100 or 1+150...does anyone use that...do they loose film speed...again how about some suggestions...hope to nail this film as I have 25 rolls of the 220 that I can't do anything with...tks..jim

Great Idea Ed...Lets start collecting times, temps and methodology on

Delta 3200. It must be a popular film as four people I know, myself

included, have found the 120 version so good that they gone out and

bought camera�s just to use it...jim

I'm about to shoot an indoor event using 120 Delta 3200. I believe I can get away with rating it 1200 to 2400. What one shot developer should I use? DDX or Xtol? Should I mix the DDX as per Ilfords rec's or can I use a more economical 1+9? How about the Xtol? I do not want to use stock! How about 1+2 or 1+3? I'd like to process at around 70 -72 degrees? Anyone have any suggestions? Do I see John Hicks shadow approaching? Tks Jim

Does anyone know where I can buy the strips to test the silver content of fixer? Everyone here in Vancouver looks at me like I'm imagining that such strips exist...tks...jim

I'm looking at a Pentax SMC Manual Stop Down 500mm F4 lens. If I purchase it I plan to use it on a 645n (with adapter)> Does anyone know what this lens is like? I would probably be shooting it wide open so performance at that aperture is important to me. What is the minimum focus distance. Can any one out there help...tks...jim

Repeat after me...XTOL 1+3, XTOL 1+3, XTOL 1+3...full film speed,

grain? what grain...tonality, Yes!...XTOL 1+3, XTOL 1+3...

jim

Scott..I've developed thousands (really) of rolls of 35mm film and

more recently hundreds of rolls of 120/220, all on Paterson reels,

with never a finger print UNTIL I get nosey and start peeking at wet

negs.

JUST A HUGE HINT: if your using Paterson reels with 35mm

film...leave the film leader out of the cartridge or pull it out 3

inches using a Kodak Leader retriever. With the lights ON you can

thread the extended leader into the slots of the Paterson reel, over

the tiny ball bearings that grip the sprocket holes. Once both edges

of the film are gripped by the bearings turn off the lights. Then

pull 18 inches or so of film out of the cartridge and ratchet it onto

the reel. Repeat until all the film is on the reel. Cut the film

allowing the cartridge to drop away.

The only things that can go wrong with this technique are 1)

Allowing the film to jump out of the reels starter slots because you

didn't hold your thumbs over them as you ratchet. 2) Jerking the

film out of a dirty cartridges felt light trap (because this method

is so easy that you wanted to see if you could ratchet the film on in

5 seconds, I takes me 30 seconds or so).

Anyone who has used the Paterson reels quickly learns to hold

their thumbs over those starter slot tabs. And all you have to do in

the second scene is keep the cassettes clean and in there cans. If

they get dirty once the light is out pry off the end of the cartridge

and slip the film that is already attached to the reel out of the

cartridge.

All this is all very easy to do. I could have probably

threaded 20 rolls onto reels, with a 100 percent success rate, in the

time it took me to write this...jim

If it is grain you want and sharpness too then Agfa APX 400 shot at

250 and developed in Rodinal 1+100 at 68 degrees constant agitation

for the first minute then 2 inversions every minute for 19 more

minutes. Gorgeous, simple gorgeous...want reticulation too? Then

rinse the film with ice water...I�m not kidding...then iced stop,

then ice water, then 100 degree fix...heat and use the fix in a well

vented area...please...then ice water rinse and normal temperature

wash.

Jim

Please let me comment on the dilute developers post as I have used Rodinal at 1+100 for at least 400 rolls of 36 exposure, 35mm film. NOTE: All of the following pertains to processing at 68 Degrees F. Agitation is continuous for the first 1 (one) minute, then 1 (one) complete inversion every minute.

Agfa will email you a spec sheet for using that developer at 1+50 and 1+100. All of the times for various films at those dilutions are for 15 or 20 minutes. The time is determined on the exposure index (EI) recommended by Agfa. For example to use Rodinal at 1+100 and Agfa 400, the 400 must be shot at EI250. It is then developed for 20 minutes. This combination will give you a contrast index rating of .65. If you develop for 15 min you get a contrast index of .50 and you must rate the Agfa at 200.

Various films respond to dilute Rodinal differently. You get a maximum speed of EI400 using Neopan 1600 in Rodinal at 1+100 for 20 minutes. If you shoot Tri-X rate it at 400 at 1+100 again for 20 minutes.

So why, you may ask, would you use a developer like Rodinal at 1+100 if it inhibits a films full speed? Dilute Rodinal and Agfa 400 is extremely sharp (high acutanse (sp?)) and the grain (and believe me There Is Grain!) looks incredible. Combine this with very good shadow detail and you get a very high quality all be it grainy developer that is extremely economical�here, in Vancouver, 500 mls of Rodinal, enough for 165 rolls of film, costs about $8.00 USD. That is less then 5 cents a roll! Now compare that to Ilfords new DDX or Kodak's TMax

So my first question is has anyone used Rodinal at 1+200 or 1+300? Someone told me that they have heard of someone using it this way as a compensating developer. I'm kinda interested in using it for 120 TriX this way. I need a starting points for times and EI's.

Second question can anyone explains to me in simple terms what a compensating developer is or does? When does it become a compensating developer?

Oh yeah�Third question: If I change the temperature from 68 degrees to 75 degrees thus reducing the developing times does this decrease the compensation effect?

All The Best

Jim Vanson