Rochus
Hello everyone,
I’m relatively new to this, so please bear with me if I make any beginner’s mistakes...
Today I tried, with little success, to develop and print my second black-and-white film. The combination: ADOX CHM125 with an exposure of ISO 125 / A49, 7 mins (30 sec agitation) in the stock solution. The result was flat (low-contrast) negatives and incredibly coarse grain, very clearly visible even in 9x13cm prints. Overall impression: a grey, murky mess. I tried to salvage something during enlargement (various combinations of gradient and exposure time), but with my current knowledge, there’s nothing I can do. Perhaps someone can help me identify what systematic causes might be behind this.
Graininess due to rinsing with water that was too cold?
The stock solution was prepared two months ago – could that be the reason?
Is this developer/film combination generally so dull/low-contrast (based on the posts I’ve read, I don’t think so...)
Furthermore, dark streaks can be seen on one edge of the developed film and light streaks on the other (it looks as though the film wasn’t wet uniformly). Could this possibly be due to the same cause? Was the tank not filled sufficiently?
Many thanks for your help and best regards, Rochus
P.S. Unfortunately, I don’t have a scanner, so I can’t provide any sample images...
Renate
Hello,
I have been using A49 as my standard developer in my darkroom for some time now. I have nothing but good things to say about it. The developer produces a very fine grain, yet the films’ nominal sensitivity is maintained. The negatives are slightly softer than with other universal developers, such as ID11 or Rodinal. Fomapan 400 and A49 are an excellent combination for photos taken in low light conditions.
The issues you mention here are likely down to your processing technique. I always use A49 as a single-use developer. A49 also does not keep as long as other multi-use developers. Ultarfin SF or Negafin in stock solution still developed well for me even after a year. I wouldn’t try that with A49. As soon as A49 takes on a clearly visible brown colour, you should be careful. I then develop a piece of old film in the prepared developer for the specified time in full light. If the film does not turn properly black, the developer is finished.
In my experience, A49 keeps longer in bottles filled to the brim than in bottles topped up with Protektan. Without protective measures, A49 goes off quite quickly.
Best regards
Renate
Gast
Hello!
About two weeks ago, I developed CHM 400 at 320 ISO in A49. The developer had been stored for about two and a half months in pharmacy bottles (red lids), filled to the brim, in a cool, dark place. The results are perfectly fine.
Best regards, Philipp
Gast
Thanks for the tips!
@Renate: I’ve been storing the A49 in a half-full bottle without Protektan, so there’s a relatively high chance of oxidation… though it hasn’t turned brown at all yet. Can a developer – in principle – oxidise or become unusable without changing colour at the same time? In other words, can one assume that a developer whose colour hasn’t changed is still working?
Best regards, Rochus
FrankJBeckmann
Hi Rochus,
There are some developers that go bad without changing colour. The most notorious example is Xtol. You can’t necessarily tell with A49 either. You should be careful if A49 develops a dark deposit around the rim of the bottle. You sometimes have to look very closely to spot it.
Renate
Hello,
I have never seen A49 fail to turn brown after a long period of time. (Xtool is an exception, as it contains very few traditional developer chemicals.) Given the conditions under which Rochus stored the developer, I would actually expect a distinct brown colouration. I could therefore imagine that something might have gone wrong when the developer was prepared. The first part of the two sachets contains the active developing agents. These substances turn brown later on. The quantity is small and you must take great care to ensure that the sachet is completely emptied. It is also important that they have dissolved completely before the second part is added. Part 1 is difficult to dissolve, so the mixing water should be warm (28 degrees). I have to stir for quite a while until everything has dissolved.
I once bought a pack of Ultrafin SF, and the sachet for part 1 was empty due to a manufacturing fault. That can happen too, and as a beginner you might not notice it, as you lack experience.
The streaks on the film definitely indicate that the developer was no longer active enough. I often use my positive developer until streaks appear on the print. Then it’s definitely used up. For exhibition prints, however, I only use freshly prepared developer. I use old developer for the preliminary stages.
Best regards
Renate
