What kind of film developer should I use?

MrZylinder · 2009-11-26T16:46:32+00:00

Moin Leute, zur Zeit schlage ich mich wieder mit der Frage herum, was für einen Entwickler ich als nächstes probieren soll. Bisher habe ich durch: Rodina...

MrZylinder

Hi everyone, At the moment, I’m once again pondering which developer I should try next. So far, I’ve tried: Rodinal (1+25 and 1+50) -> Good Emofin -> Very good Now that I’ve run out of Emofin and want to gain more experience, the question is: which developer should I try next? What I’m looking for: - Low grain (I still have Rodinal for the grain I want ;) ) - Superb sharpness - It should be economical, or at least not too expensive. I use 120 roll films, mostly Iford Delta 100, HP5+, Pan F, and I’m currently working my way through the ADOX range. Occasionally I’ll use a Delta 3200 as well. I mostly photograph architecture and portraits/fashion. So far, I’ve been developing in a canister at 20 degrees with a 30-second agitation cycle. So what should I go for? Ultrafin, Ultrafin Plus, Perceptol, ID11 etc.... what are your experiences? Regards Hannes

h_platzer

Fine grain, high sharpness… would go well with the new eco film developer (efd) from W. Moersch, but at the moment it’s only available from the W. Moersch shop. Sample images are available on his website (www.moersch-photochemie.de) I’m planning to get this stuff for Christmas, as I want to really get started with the darkroom then (both positive and negative processes) @Mirko: When will this developer be available from Impex as well?

MrZylinder

Fine grain, high contrast... would go well with the new Eco Film Developer (EFD) from W. Moersch, but at the moment it’s only available from the W. Moersch shop. There are sample images on his website (www.moersch-photochemie.de) I’m planning to get this stuff for Christmas, as I really want to get started with the darkroom then (both positive and negative processes) @Mirko:Wann Will this developer also be available from Impex?

Thanks – the developer certainly sounds extremely interesting. I reckon it’ll be mine soon. B)

Wolf_XL

...um, seriously – I’m afraid your approach is leading you down the wrong path. Do you really think you can tick a developer off your list after just one bottle? You should take a systematic approach and only test a developer – or a film and developer combination – thoroughly, following all the rules of the art. Even Rodinal can be quite fine-grained under certain circumstances or with certain films. Believe me, simply going through one developer after another using the times stated on the instructions won’t really get you anywhere. The stated development times usually refer, for example, to the speed achieved by the film manufacturer using a completely different developer. The result is often negatives that are too hard with washed-out shadows. The speed stated on the film box is ultimately only a guide and usually differs from the effective speed in a particular developer. In addition, factors such as your ‘personal agitation rhythm’, the accuracy of your thermometer and the water quality where you live may also play a not insignificant role... If you’ve been satisfied so far, you’ve been lucky. Because Rodinal works quite well with many films, and Emofin, as a two-bath developer, is on the one hand quite balancing and on the other hand also makes good use of the films’ ISO sensitivity... So far, I’ve only come across reasonably reliable specifications for ISO sensitivity with the developers from Moersch or SPUR.

cfb_de

Hi Wolf, I completely agree. With two additions:

Even Rodinal can be quite fine-grained under certain circumstances or with certain films.

It isn’t ‘can be’, it is. And not ‘quite fine grain’ either, but very fine grain. For example, if you develop with it at 16°C, which in turn requires proper testing and isn’t described in any instruction leaflet.

So far, I’ve only come across reasonably reliable information on ISO sensitivity from the developers at Moersch or SPUR.

I feel the same way. Even if Laurent is going to stone me for saying this: not even Agfa, with all their immense effort, has managed it as well as Wolfgang and Uncle Heribert. The only suppliers whose instructions work straight out of the box. Best regards, Franz

MrZylinder

Don’t worry, I’m already aware of the various ways to use a developer. Nevertheless, a bottle of the new Moersch developer is now on its way to me. The deciding factor was that it’s eco-friendly. According to the manufacturer, you can indeed safely flush the developer down the toilet. However, it’s no miracle developer either and is only really suitable for films up to 400 ASA (according to the manufacturer). So for the Delta 3200 and pushed films, I’ll stick with Rodinal for now. B)