Silvermax In Adonal / Customise times

Florek · 2013-02-06T16:33:31+00:00

Hallo Zusammen, Ich bin erst relativ frisch in der analogen Fotografie unterwegs und rätsle gerade etwas, wie ich die Entwicklerzeiten den Startwerten anpas...

Florek

Hello everyone, I’m fairly new to analogue photography and am currently trying to figure out how to adjust the development times to the standard values. I’d be grateful for any tips! I exposed 10 rolls of Silvermax (ISO 100) whilst on holiday and now want to develop them one by one in Adonal at a 1:49 dilution to find ‘my own timing’. I’m using Adonal as it’s available in the student lab. As there were still 6 frames left on the last roll, I did a test series (bright house wall, focus at infinity) at -3, -2, 0, +2 and +3, and developed this roll first at 20°C for 12 minutes, agitating for 30 seconds and then agitating three times every minute. I found the resulting negative to be very ‘thin’; the negatives for the +2 and +3 exposures were mouse-grey and almost indistinguishable. The negative with -3 had separated very slightly from the base. This was then confirmed during printing: the bright, radiant sky was mouse-grey with usable shadows. So, in the second attempt, I increased the development time to 14 minutes in the hope of getting more density on the negative. The result was that nothing had actually changed. Another 2 minutes longer? The ADOX website says to start with APX100 times and reduce in 10% increments. It can’t be that I have to extend my films by many minutes, can it? Or use 80 ASA next time? But first, I should try to get the best out of the films I’ve already shot... or is the Adonal too weak for the Silvermax and used up before it reaches a decent level of density, meaning I can extend the time as much as I like because nothing else happens? So many questions for a novice like me :) Best regards Florian

Olivinyl

Hi Florian, According to the AGFA instructions, the processing time for APX 100 in Rodinal/Adonal 1+50 is 17 minutes at 20°C, although 13 minutes is sufficient for 100 ISO. I’d agitate continuously for the first 30 seconds and then agitate three times every 30 seconds! You were probably too lazy to agitate! Have a go with 14 minutes and the other agitation pattern. EDIT: Question: Do you want to scan the negatives or make enlargements in the darkroom? For scanning, the negatives should be a bit softer. Best wishes, Oliver

Florek

Hi Oliver, I’ll be back at the darkroom on Friday to give the new developing cycle a go. I plan to enlarge only the negatives. So I reckon they should have a bit more density. I’m curious to see how much the tilting can make a difference... Was it perhaps a mistake to develop the film in a small Jobo canister (250ml)? I’ll let you know how it goes. Best regards, Florian

Wolf_XL

...silly question – ten rolls of Supermax don’t come for free, after all – so why go to the trouble of using other developers? Just develop your films in the Supermax developer following the instructions on the packet and you’re good to go... Especially as a beginner, you should avoid experimenting and simply stick to tried-and-tested film-developer combinations...

piu58

> Another 2 minutes? A49 is a strong silver-linder developer. Once a decent density has been achieved, the increase in density when extending the development time is quite small compared to other developers. This saved many of the negatives from my youth – A49 is forgiving of sloppy work (unlike Rodinal). Overall, A49 negatives often look a bit thin, but they enlarge well. > Or try 80 ASA next time I’d give that a go. And a few shots at 50 ASA as well. > Develop your films in Supermax developer following the instructions and you’re good to go One instruction sheet or another – it doesn’t make much difference. You have to find your own personal times. Instruction sheets offer a starting point for this, nothing more. I’ll mention a few factors that vary between us photographers: - Condenser or light-mixing enlargers – a huge difference! - Differences in paper – easily account for a whole stop - Differences in thermometers - Differences in agitation - Different approaches to image composition – often underestimated

Wolf_XL

...to be honest – I’ve rarely had to deviate from the instructions – which is why I’m making this recommendation. And above all, if you’re not yet confident with the process, you shouldn’t try to do two things at once: namely, a) developing a relatively new and unfamiliar film in a b) developer for which there are no, or only roughly reliable, values. Frustration is pretty much guaranteed... But what usually works – especially if you take a look at the development charts – is A49 1+2, 18–20 mins. This will give you a printable result with most films, at least – though for some films, it simply isn’t ideal...

Florek

...just a silly question – ten rolls of Supermax don’t come for free, after all – so why go to the trouble of using other developers? Just develop your films in Supermax developer following the instructions on the packet and that’s that... Especially as a beginner, you should avoid experimenting and simply stick to tried-and-tested film-developer combinations...

True :-) The ten rolls of Silvermax weren’t free, but I wanted to take enough film with me for a holiday. I had to feed my camera regularly while I was out and about, otherwise it would have starved. On the other hand, as a student, I do have to watch how I spend my money. The Rodinal/Adonal is provided free of charge in the lab, and I took my very first tentative steps with different films (all mixed up) using this developer. Now I wanted to stick to one film and get to grips with it.

Frustration is pretty much inevitable...

I’m still a long way from frustration. I’d rather learn which knobs to turn and, along the way, see what isn’t a good idea. My negatives aren’t so important that I can’t afford to make mistakes... I think that’s part of the appeal of analogue black-and-white photography for me. Thanks in advance for all the tips!

Florek

I managed to get to the lab over the weekend.

I’d keep tilting for the first 30 seconds and then tilt three times every 30 seconds! You were probably too lazy to tilt! Have a go with 14 minutes and the other tilting rhythm.

That’s exactly what I did this time, and the negatives have visibly become more dense. I’m really surprised at what a difference the more frequent tilting makes. The prints were much easier to produce. Thanks for the tip. Best regards, Florian