Jules
Hello everyone,
I’ve been involved in the development of my own black-and-white films for a good six months now and have always used Rodinal up until now.
Having read up on the subject a bit more now, I’d like to try Xtol for comparison, because a) it’s supposed to be better for expired films (I bought a few of those) and b) I wasn’t too happy with the very coarse grain on a few occasions, which Xtol apparently handles better than Rodinal.
Having gathered a bit of information on Xtol, I’m now a bit unsure how to interpret the instructions on how to mix and use the developer.
Hence the following questions:
1) I use a Jobo tank and therefore need 250ml of developer solution.
Do I still have to prepare 1-litre solutions and then use them up to 15 times, as stated in the Kodak data sheet? Or can I somehow make smaller batches?
2) If you sometimes use stock solution and sometimes 1+1 solution, how do you do that? Do you have one developer bottle for stock and another for when you make 1+1?
3) What is the difference between XT-3 and XTol? After a bit of searching, I read that XT-3 actually only has advantages over XTol, but the Impex website states that you can only develop 10 films per litre, whereas with XTol you can manage 15 films (according to the Kodak data sheet).
Thanks in advance, I hope I’ve made myself reasonably clear,
Regards, Jules
P.S.: Is there an XT-3 data sheet? I couldn’t find one, unfortunately. I’d also appreciate any tips regarding XTol.
Pitt23
Hi Jules,
XT-3 and Xtol have been covered in detail on photrio.com. XT-3 is said to work well.
My experience is with Xtol.
Prepare Xtol using boiled water, work cleanly, and store it in an airtight container if necessary. Be careful, as all sorts of things can grow in it...
Do not use less than the minimum quantity of 100 ml of stock solution per 35mm film; for a 1+1 dilution, you will therefore need 200 ml per film.
A 1+1 dilution works well and is a single-use developer. For heavy users, regenerating the stock solution is recommended: see the instructions for use.
To start with, the times given in the instructions or the “massive development chart” are a good guide; if in doubt, it’s better to overdevelop slightly.
Good luck!
Happy shooting! Pitt
MirkoBoeddecker
Hello Jules,
Overall, the XT-3 is the better developer compared to Rodinal.
However, Rodinal has some unbeatable advantages, which you’ve highlighted in your questions.
These include the cost per development, the ease of dosing, and the very high sharpness combined with pronounced grain.
XT-3, on the other hand, makes slightly better use of the film’s sensitivity in standard development and delivers sharpness with comparatively much finer grain.
When preparing the powder solution, however, you must always use the entire contents of the packet. Although we assume that Captura technology allows for partial preparations, this has not (yet) been confirmed.
As the previous speaker has already suggested, you can also use the 1-litre batch as a ‘concentrate’ and take partial portions in 150ml increments (=300ml working solution).
The stock solution must be stored in an oxygen-free environment. You can use the original ADOX chemical bottles for this, as they are oxygen-tight. After each withdrawal, ‘squeeze the air out’ by pressing the bottle. Alternatively, fill a glass bottle with as many glass marbles as it takes to fill it to the top.
This is actually a bit more complicated than leaving the stock solution in a 1-litre bottle and conducting the 10 film development one after the other (with extension from the 4th or 5th film).
The stock solution method works very well.
You shouldn’t mix them. In other words, you shouldn’t start diluting a stock solution that has already been used on films. Of course, all of this is possible (in theory), but no one will calculate the factors you’d need to apply in that case. So yes, prepare one batch of stock solution and one for dilution, if that’s what you want. Normally, you simply go one way or the other. It’s not worth skimping on the developer and risking a (much more expensive) film.
The fact that we only specify 10 films comes from the same source. 15 films would be possible, but the system becomes increasingly unstable as you approach the limit. People do that less these days. However, you could also develop 15 films in the XT-3. The specification of 10 films is on the conservative side.
Best regards,
Mirko
Jules
OK, thanks so much for the replies!
That’s really helpful, thanks :)
Best wishes, Jules
tth-photo
Hi everyone,
I’ve been developing Agfa films with Rodinal for decades.
As Agfa films have unfortunately been out of production for a long time now, I’ve switched to Ilford, Adox and Foma films.
But the results weren’t great with Rodinal.
With XTL, the results with Ilford and Foma films are much better than with Rodinal.
Dilution 1:1.
I’ll only be using XTL from now on.
All the best,
Matthias
MirkoBoeddecker
Hi Matthias,
It would be great if you could give our (improved) version of X-tol a try.
Best regards,
Mirko
Jules
Hi Mirko and Pitt,
I thought I’d already sent a message, but for some reason it’s not there, so thanks again for your replies – they’ve been a great help.
Best wishes, Jules
tth-photo
tth-photo wrote
: Hi everyone,
I’ve been developing Agfa films with Rodinal for decades.
As Agfa films have unfortunately been out of production for a long time now, I’ve switched to Ilford, Adox and Foma films.
But the results weren’t great with Rodinal.
With X-TOL, the results with Ilford and Foma films are much better than with Rodinal.
Dilution 1:1.
I’ll only be using X-TOL from now on.
All the best,
Matthias
Mirko Boeddecker wrote
Hello Matthias,
It would be great if you could give our (improved) version of X-Tol a try.
Best regards,
Mirko
Hi,
thanks for the tip,
once I’ve used up all my X-TOL packs, I’ll give your new X-TOL a go.
Have a good one
Matthias
tth-photo
Hi there.
I’ve just tested Adox XT3.
It doesn’t keep very well in those brown Fotompex pharmacy bottles.
Kodak Xtol lasts 6 months or longer in them.
XT3 only lasts a few weeks in them.
How can that be?
I’ve noticed that once XT3 changes colour, it’s no longer usable.
ManfredAnzinger
tth-photo wrote:
The shelf life in the brown Fotoimpex apothecary bottles is very poor.
The brown FOTOIMPEX apothecary bottles are only good for use as flower vases. To store developer airtight, you’re better off using ‘Aponorm’ glass bottles with screw caps; these are available in various sizes at your local chemist’s at prices that are nothing like those in pharmacies, and with no delivery charges at all. Stored this way, XT-3 keeps just as well as Xtol for a year without any problems. Despite being stored in filled glass bottles, XT-3 has discoloured slightly(!), but has always undergone perfect development for me.
A bit more detail here: >>
Preparation and storage of powder developers
<<
Regards, Manfred
tth-photo
Thanks for the tip.
tth-photo
I developed some 4x5 Foma 200 flat-bed film for 12 minutes using a 1+3 dilution of XT3.
The result is very good.
Developing Ilford HP5 film for 18 minutes using a 1+3 dilution also gives very good results.
Sanug
The brown pharmacy bottles are available even more cheaply from various online pharmacies. Enter ‘wide-necked jar’ as a search term, and you’ll also find the handy wide-necked bottles.
I always prepare XT-3 at double strength, i.e. using half the amount of water. I think this improves the shelf life, and it also makes the 5-litre kit easier to handle. When diluting, you’ll naturally need to adjust the quantities accordingly.
Something else that has worked well for me is dividing the powder into portions. Although this isn’t recommended due to the risk of separation, I’ve done it anyway after stirring thoroughly and achieved good results.
Does anyone here have any experience with Adox HR-50 and XT-3 at a 1+1 dilution?
