peaceman
Does anyone here have any experience (and perhaps know where to get hold of) Diafine, the long-lasting magic potion that everyone seems to be raving about? It seems so unusual to me that I’d like to give it a go... and Mirko doesn’t seem to have any. (Or is it not allowed to ask about things like that here? ;-))
HenningH
Hello Mr Friedmann, :(
Our host has Moersch MZB and Tetenal Emofin, which work on a similar principle... ADOX ADX and Spur 2525 can also be used in two-tank systems – if I’ve understood correctly...
Best regards
Henning
[size=1]PS: Monochrom.com also stocks developers...[/size]
cfb_de
Hi,
ADX and SD2525 are two-component developers. This means you mix the two components together to create a single bath.
MZB and Emofin, on the other hand, are ‘true’ two-bath developers.
Best regards,
Franz
HenningH
ADX and SD2525 are two-component developers. In other words, you mix the two components together to form a bath.
Hi Franz,
I’m well aware of that. But didn’t someone mention somewhere that you could also use these two components one after the other? After all, one component is likely the developer and the other an activator...
Best regards,
Henning
HansDerHase
Our host has Moersch MZB and Tetenal Emofin, which work on a similar principle...
But I have to chime in here...
Emofin doesn’t work at all like Diafine (I used to hope it would). This can be confirmed experimentally: different times or temperatures produce significantly different results. It can also be substantiated theoretically: with Emofin, there is a not inconsiderable amount of development taking place in the first bath. I would therefore advise against Emofin if you’re looking for a two-bath developer that really plays to the strengths of a two-bath developer – namely, an extremely balancing effect.
I haven’t used MZB yet. But from what I’ve read, it’s more suited to fine art, where a second more or less of exposure doesn’t matter – meaning it slows the film down quite a bit.
Diafine is a completely different kettle of fish. It really gets things moving, and development time and temperature are more than secondary considerations; it also balances like a dream. It does, however, have the disadvantage that you can only really influence the result through your choice of film. A certain degree of contrast control is possible through the choice of ISO, but well... only to a limited extent.
Best regards and a Happy New Year
Hans.
peaceman
Yes, Diafine does seem to be unique – all the more reason for FOTOIMPEX to add it to their range. There’s some interesting information
here
; I’ll take the liberty of making an abstract of it in German. Perhaps that will attract even more potential customers.
- Develops between 20° and 30° without any variation in results
- Development time is largely irrelevant, as long as you stick to at least 3 minutes per solution
- The working solution seems to last forever (reportedly at least several hundred films)
- It is a balanced developer with superb shadow detail without blown-out highlights
- It provides approximately one stop more speed without increasing grain or gamma
With Diafine, every film has a ‘new’ speed; push/pull is not possible. Every film is developed in 6 minutes. Due to the fairly flat negatives, it is ideal for high-contrast situations such as night shots, snow or midday sun. Diafine is not a classic two-bath developer where the first bath does absolutely no development.
Sounds exciting in any case – especially as, if you google further, you find astonishing results (2 hours without agitation in Part A, 30 seconds in Part B, etc.). The effective speeds can be found in the
massive dev chart
Regards
Friedemann
HansDerHase
- The working solution seems to last forever (reportedly for at least several hundred films)
That’s probably also the reason why retailers – understandably – aren’t too keen on the stuff :-)
Nevertheless, there are one or two mail-order companies in German-speaking countries that stock Diafine. Naturally, I won’t be naming any names here...
Wolfgg
Objection, because:
1) The film becomes saturated in the first stage, so this stage is used up (or, in the case of preheating, experiences increasing dilution)
2) As no water is added between the first and second stages, more and more chemicals are carried over from stage 1 to stage 2, causing the composition of stage 2 to change and, consequently, its developing properties.
3) All developing agents are sensitive to oxygen, including those in Diafine, and the effect of the added protective agents is limited.
Regards, Wolfgang
peaceman
So even ‘forever’ is relative :-)
I’ve just ordered a tin from a German supplier; I’ll be testing it thoroughly and then reporting back here.
I’m also planning to use Diafine as a primary developer for black-and-white reversal processing — on the one hand, I’m hoping to coax even more speed out of the Super-8 Tri-X whilst maintaining acceptable grain, and on the other, I’m expecting good results from reversal processing with a compensating developer at the start (pure speculation — if anyone’s tried this already, please let me know!)
And don’t worry, Mirko, I’ll still be ordering my Rodinal, Promicrol etc. from you. ;-)
Friedemann
HansDerHase
Of course, ‘forever’ is a relative term here. Rodinal is also said to last ‘forever’, even though it gets used up and, incidentally, oxidises as well.
huehnerhose
Hi!
You’re making me ‘spend money’... As I’m currently on the lookout for a straightforward developer and everything I’ve seen and read so far really appeals to me: do you know where I can get hold of some Diafine?
Will there be a way to get some from Alte Schähauser to my darkroom soon? I don’t like the idea of driving to Calumet to buy a sachet of Diafine (I don’t like the shop).
Best wishes and a Happy New Year!
Sebastian
zensusa
To anyone interested in Diafine,
I found the following recipe somewhere, at some point, on a forum (I can’t remember where). I’m just posting it again, but without any guarantees.
Cookbook by Stephen G. Anchell / Diafine formula:
Solution A
Water (52°C) 750 ml
Sodium sulphite, anhydrous 35 g
Hydroquinone 6 g
Phenidone 0.2 g
Sodium bisulphite 6 g
Cold water to make 1 litre
Solution B
Water 52°C 750 ml
Sodium sulphite 65 g
Borax 20 g
Cold water to make 1 litre
Soak in bath A for 3 minutes, then transfer to bath B for 3 minutes without rinsing in between. Do not use a pre-soak.
NOTE: Do not use an acid stop bath. Rinse with water for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Have fun mixing!
John
I use Diafine, but only with TriX@1250, or 1600 if necessary. It’s straightforward to use, but you do need to gauge the contrast and grain. For me, it’s only suitable for night-time shots in high-contrast situations; if there’s little contrast, the image looks dreadful to me.
It’s not entirely true that it’s temperature-independent either; at 20°C the contrast is slightly better than at 30°C, but you can’t assume this has a significant effect. Incidentally, it has a really long shelf life; I prepared mine about a year ago and can’t see any difference compared to the first pictures.
For me, it’s a developer for a specific purpose and not suitable as a standard developer. As a compensating developer, I prefer Moersch MZB, although that does reduce the speed.
Regards
John
peaceman
I read on photo.net (can’t find it at the moment) about some interesting results after, for example, 2 hours without movement in Part A and then 30 seconds in Part B. Certainly not what the inventor had in mind, but I’ve never seen such a good Neopan 1600 (@2400) before...
I’ll let you know when I have the results. I’ve ordered a can (!) today :-)
Friedemann
HansDerHase
... to buy a little bit of Diafine ...
You can get the stuff in tins. ;)
By the way, for those who mix their own, I’d also recommend ‘Divided D-76’ (the two-bath version of good old D-76). As I’ve just stumbled across a blog post promoting two-bath developers in general and DD-76 in particular, I’d like to share the link here:
http://400tx.blogspot.com/2006/07/two-bath...-black-and.html
peaceman
Yesterday I finally got round to using my Diafine, at least for two little test shots:
The ADOX CMS 20 turns out really well in it; ASA 25 looks just right (though I don’t have a densitometer, just exposure bracketing). The Neopan 1600 also seems to reach 1600 (not 1200, as it says on the packet).
I hardly agitated it at all in the second bath and got wonderful, high-contrast, fine-grain negatives. More results coming soon :-)
