Moelfrax
Hello everyone,
I’ve just used the Adox XT-3 developer for the first time. After my first development run, I noticed grain clusters all over my negatives, which were particularly noticeable in the highlights. I prepared the developer within the specified temperature range and left it to stand for a few days before using it. The film was Ilford FP4+ and the agitation cycle was 30 seconds continuous, followed by 10 seconds every full minute (3 times). I usually use Kodak D76 and have tried various other developers, but I’ve never had this grain formation before.
Does anyone have any idea whether this could be down to the developer or perhaps down to me?
Many thanks in advance!
KlausWehner
Hello and welcome to the forum.
Although granularity can be measured objectively using a specialised method, its assessment is nevertheless subject to subjective factors.
A certain, slight degree of granularity is actually beneficial when viewing (analogue) images.
Grain that is too coarse, and particularly uneven grain, can be distracting, ‘tearing’ image structures and causing fine details to be lost.
With analogue enlargements, contrast also plays an important role: if the negative has low contrast, the grain is reproduced disproportionately strongly during the enlargement process.
In digital processing, there are several effects that can influence granularity.
So there can be no simple answer to your question.
Perhaps you could post an example image? But even that has only limited informative value.
Do you use the negatives for analogue enlargements or do you work in a hybrid way?
Are you sure that the negative contrast is sufficiently high?
Ultimately, it comes down to your subjective assessment.
Perhaps you could try out some other films? The flat-crystal films have an even finer grain than the classic FP-4.
Best regards
Klaus
KlausWehner
Hello and a warm welcome to the forum.
Although granularity can be measured objectively using a specialised method, its assessment is nevertheless subject to subjective factors.
A certain, slight degree of granularity is actually beneficial when viewing (analogue) images.
Grain that is too coarse, and particularly uneven grain, can be distracting, ‘tearing’ image structures and obscuring fine details.
Contrast also plays an important role in analogue enlargement: if the negative has low contrast, the grain is reproduced disproportionately strongly during the enlargement process.
In digital processing, there are several effects that can influence granularity.
So there can be no simple answer to your question.
Perhaps you could post an example image? But even that has only limited informative value.
Do you use the negatives for analogue enlargements or do you work in a hybrid way?
Are you sure that the negative contrast is sufficiently high?
Ultimately, it comes down to your subjective assessment.
Perhaps you could try out some other films? The flat-crystal films have an even finer grain than the classic FP-4.
Best regards
Klaus
Moelfrax
Thank you very much for your reply,
perhaps I didn’t express myself clearly, but I’m not talking about the film’s granularity; rather, during development, clusters of grain have formed that look like specks of dust on the negative. I haven’t seen anything like this in the nearly 20 years since I started developing film. And it’s definitely not dust.
Moelfrax
[attachment=3442]
Thank you very much for your reply,
perhaps I didn’t express myself clearly. I’m not concerned about the grain itself; I’m well aware of that, after all, I’ve been developing my own film for almost 20 years. However, for the first time, there were clusters of grain in my negatives – at least in my view – which I cannot explain. They look like specks of dust, but in my opinion they are not.
You can see it best in the attached photo.
Perhaps my can was simply contaminated by a contaminant; I’ll probably have to sacrifice a roll of film.
Best regards, Frank
KlausWehner
Thank you for the attached image.
That makes the problem clearer.
At first glance, it almost looks like dust or dirt.
So you should rule that out first: examine the negatives with a magnifying glass from the side (against the light) to see if there are any particles on the surface.
However, I suspect that it is a defect that has occurred within the emulsion.
It may be a coincidence here: the largest artefacts appear primarily in the darker areas of the image. If this applies consistently across the entire roll of film, it suggests a fault in the development process.
There are two possible causes: a faulty film or a faulty developer.
It is also possible, however, that the developer is not compatible with certain films but works fine with others.
The only way to find this out is by conducting further film developments.
You can simply develop a section of a different film. In this case, the leader is sufficient.
Similarly, you could develop a section of the existing FP-4 again using a different developer. But perhaps you’ve already had results with this combination in the past.
This will help narrow down the fault.
A close examination of the fault under a microscope might provide further information.
Something else that strikes me: the image appears somewhat lacklustre.
The FP-4 is a high-silver film that should actually deliver brilliant results.
If you like, I’d be happy to take a look at the defect under the microscope.
A section of the leader of the developed film would suffice for this.
At the same time, it would be possible to measure the density on the leader. I suspect that this film is underdeveloped.
Get in touch if you need any help.
Best regards,
Klaus
Moelfrax
Thank you very much for your reply and the offer.
I think I’ve found the culprit. In my view, it’s probably silver crystals that I must have carried over from the fixer, as the contaminants also appear during FP4+ development in D76. I’ve now prepared a fresh batch of fixer and will let you know how it goes.
Incidentally, I developed the film according to the manufacturer’s instructions for XTol: 10 minutes, agitating continuously for the first 30 seconds and then three times every full minute.
[hr]
Here’s another example:
KlausWehner
Thank you for the photo.
First of all, we need to establish whether the spots have got onto the film from the outside or whether it is a fault caused by the emulsion itself.
Please check first whether there are any particles on the surface of the film.
(Using a magnifying glass as described above, or by vigorously wiping a section of the film and/or rinsing it with water).
If an external cause can be ruled out, one must look for other causes.
To me, certain indications (the shape, size and distribution of the spots) suggest a process within the emulsion.
The film itself could also be the source of the defect.
But first, the obvious cause (external contamination) must be definitively ruled out.
A good magnifying glass and possibly a microscope can help with this.
Best regards,
Klaus
