peter hogan

Guys, the problem with phenidone/ascorbate solutions lies mainly with the phenidone. Phenidone does not keep well in solution, and starts to oxidise immediately it is mixed. It has a limited shelf life, and doesn't always change colour as it decomposes. If you mix your own, dissolve the phenidone in propylene glycol first (4/5 mls) then add it to the (distilled) water. This will increase the life of the dev.

There is rather more to this than just finer grain. Grain, sharpness and contrast are all inextricably linked; when you increase one of them you affect one or both of the others. A grainlees, extremely sharp film with perfect contrast is almost the holy grail of B/W photography.

Any one film will give different results in different developers, and even with different dilutions of the same developer. Different developers work in different ways. Developers said to give fine grain, such as ID11 (D76) are solvent developers, and work by dissolving away some of the silver grain around the edges. This gives smaller grains, but affects the contrast, and can also affect the apparent sharpness. On the other hand, a high-acutance developer, by increasing edge-effects can increase the apparent sharpness of a film. A compensating developer can yield full film speed...Now, a staining developer can increase both apparent sharpness and increase smoothness at the same time. It does this by staining the emulsion between the silver grains. The staining is proportional to exposure; greatest in areas that have recived more exposure, less in others. This has the effect of forming a continously-variable contrast filter over the whole negative area. This holds back the high values and prevents them from burning out, whilst allowing the shadow details to build. The stain in the emulsion acts to mask the grain edges, producing an extremely smooth tonality. Finally, the unique developing action increases acutance, giving high apparent sharpness.

Film choice should always be dependant on subject matter. I shoot a lot of landscapes in MF, and use Delta 100/400, HP5 400. and both the Agfa APX's. Try developing in Pyro, PyrocatHD, DiXactol or Prescysol.

Doug Bennetts got it right; exposing at the maker's recommended ISO and developing at the recommended time usually results in an underexposed/overdeveloped neg. However, it depends what you're after; if you want contrasty,'street reportage' type shots, you'll probably like the effect, but if you're after more control, and subtlety in your highlights, you need to test for your personal EI, and dev. time. Read Ansel Adams......

Thanks everybody. Both Barry's DiXactol and Exactol, and my own Prescysol are Catechol-based, though obviously different formulations. No, I haven't tested Foma 400 yet, and as I look through all Barry's test results, I don't see Foma 400 listed there, either. If anyone has any info on that film/dev combination, I would be delighted to know

Johnny, there are major differences in the shape/size of the silver grains. Traditional silver film has grains shaped like, eg. boulders on the beach, tabular grain film has larger, flatter grains, like slabs of slate. (Crude analogy, but you know what I mean.) Because the grains are larger, they will react to light more easily, and so the makers introduce a dye to reduce the sensitvity, which you need to remove. Some people advocate extra fixing, and although this will indeed remove the dye, too long in an acid fix won't do your sensitive film any favours. Extra washing is the best bet. Your developing procedure needs to be up to scratch, too. Sloppy technique as regards time and temperature can result in blocked shadows and burned highlights. Contrast is a tad higher with T-grain films, too. Having said all that, I use Ilford Delta lot, and have had some truly amazing results. (Delta and T-Max) are both T-grain.)The first 5 images in the gallery page of my website www.monochromephotography.com are Delta 400.

Peter.

Hi everybody, my name is Peter Hogan. I am now able to confirm rumours and make a formal announcement that all of Barry Thornton's chemicals will continue to be available through my website www.monochromephotography.com

I knew Barry well for many years, and am pleased and proud to be able to carry on with his fine chemicals and legacy.

This has taken so long to come about because of the necessary legalities involved.

My own range of chemicals, which I and my friends have been using for quite some years will also be available, and the range will be expanded to include specialist bleaches, re-developers and toners.

I should make clear at this point that my chemicals and Barry's are different formulations, designed differently. You should try various combinations to determine which you prefer.

It will take a few weeks to organise labels etc, so please bear with us.

Finally, in a time when the future of traditional photography/processing seems to be in decline, our main concern is the provision of choice; no one product will suit everybody. Let's keep film alive!

Peter Hogan.