Film developers other than Ilford or Kodak

Film Photography & Darkroom discussion

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clyde selsor
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Nov 03, 2006 5:22 pm
Location: Northwest Indiana USA

Film developers other than Ilford or Kodak

Post by clyde selsor »

Hello,
I have been into B&W photography for many years and have my own darkroom as well. I have always used Ilford and Kodak developers for my film because that is all that my local photo shop ever had. Now with online shopping, more developers are available to me and I am wondering what others work well. I prefer the sharpest quality possible. I mainly use the following films: Kodak Plus-x, T-max 100, Tri-x 400, Ilford FP4+, Fuji neopan acros 100. all in the 120 format. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Mamiya M645
Rolleiflex 3.5
Praktica 35mm manual SLR
Digital camera used as door-stop!

Horsholm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:30 am
Location: Denmark

Post by Horsholm »

Look at this site www.fotoimpex.de

They have a wide range of devolepers. :D

I get most of my gear from them.

clyde selsor
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Nov 03, 2006 5:22 pm
Location: Northwest Indiana USA

Post by clyde selsor »

Thanks Horsholm, does anyone have any opinions based on personal use?
Mamiya M645
Rolleiflex 3.5
Praktica 35mm manual SLR
Digital camera used as door-stop!

Ornello
Posts: 882
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:49 am

Re: Film developers other than Ilford or Kodak

Post by Ornello »

clyde selsor wrote:Hello,
I have been into B&W photography for many years and have my own darkroom as well. I have always used Ilford and Kodak developers for my film because that is all that my local photo shop ever had. Now with online shopping, more developers are available to me and I am wondering what others work well. I prefer the sharpest quality possible. I mainly use the following films: Kodak Plus-x, T-max 100, Tri-x 400, Ilford FP4+, Fuji neopan acros 100. all in the 120 format. Any suggestions?
Thanks
The Paterson line is the best overall.

pirateoversixty
Posts: 221
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:21 pm
Location: Peoria, Illinois

Post by pirateoversixty »

. For ready-to-use, I recommend Acufine, then Diafine. Both are available from Freestyle.
Jim

pirateoversixty
Posts: 221
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:21 pm
Location: Peoria, Illinois

Post by pirateoversixty »

Me again. I have used both Acufine and Diafine. Acufine works great with newer emulsion films and traditional. Diafine with the traditional. Both will give a slight speed (EI) boost, but Acufine is more flexible in that it will also give box speed as well as a boost. It can be reused in stock form (there is a replenisher available), or diluted 1:1 or 1:3 as a one-shot use developer. Grain is pretty decent.
Jim

Wirehead
Posts: 48
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:58 pm

Post by Wirehead »

Try rodinal.

It's cheap, keeps well, and there's a few techniques you can take advantage of with it that don't work on just any developer..... like semi-stand developing.

It's fun for those times when you want more grain, not less... or cases like medium format Acros... where it takes effort to get grain no matter what you do. :twisted:

Really, there's a wide wide world out there of developers. Why not try all of them while you still can?

Fotohuis
Posts: 141
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:25 pm
Location: the Netherlands
Contact:

Post by Fotohuis »

Every developer is a compromise between some more characteristics which can not be combined .
Speed enhancing AND ultra fine grain is not possible.
Super sharpness AND ultra fine grain is not possible.

Sharpness and high acutance can be achieved by Rodinal, AM50 (pyro catechin type dev.), Acu-1/Acufine.
Ultra fine grain by: e.g. CG512, HRX-2 (SPUR), Perceptol.

Real speed enhancing types: Diafine, SLD (SPUR), Micophen, DD-X.

Some developers are doing fine with T-grain type film, others are more suitable for classical emulsions.
"De enige beperking in je fotografie ben je zelf"

http://www.FotohuisRoVo.nl
http://gallery.fotohuisrovo.nl/

Wirehead
Posts: 48
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:58 pm

Post by Wirehead »

Also, some amount of acutance-enhacnement increases true sharpness, too much acutance-enhancement reduces sharpness but creates the impression of sharpness while costing you real sharpness.

I really wish that there was a little honesty about developers, myself. If you read the listings, every developer is fine grained, high acutance, AND high speed.

Jay DeFehr
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 8:40 pm

Post by Jay DeFehr »

Fotohuis wrote:Every developer is a compromise between some more characteristics which can not be combined .
Speed enhancing AND ultra fine grain is not possible.
Super sharpness AND ultra fine grain is not possible.
This is true, to an extent, but there are ways to "cheat". Adjacency effects, and The hardening of emulsion by tanning developers increases sharpness without increasing grain, and the masking effect of a staining developer decreases the appearance of grain without reducing sharpness by a solvent effect. By these mechanisms, a sulfite-free tanning/staining developer can "cheat" the traditional grain/sharpness compromise in ways unavailable to non-tanning/staining developers. Your larger point remains, but a good tanning/staining developer, like 510-Pyro, compromises very little, giving full film speed+, high acutance, and very fine grain. Ultrafine grain developers have little practical application with modern, fine grain films, and their reduced sharpness and film speed are poor compromises, in my opinion.

Jay

Lowell Huff
Posts: 129
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2004 6:09 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA 90061
Contact:

Post by Lowell Huff »

As the manufacturer of CLAYTON F 76 plus Film Developer, I would challange anyone to tell me that they don't think that it is the "BEST" film developer they have ever used! If you want samples to test and prove me wrong, contact me : askus@claytonchem.com 800 231-8872x 104

Horsholm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:30 am
Location: Denmark

Post by Horsholm »

I have used ilford microfin for the Fuji arcos 100 with a very good result.

The t max i cant find a better devolper than Kodaks tmax-devolper :D

Yours Anders from Denmark

Ornello
Posts: 882
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:49 am

Post by Ornello »

Lowell Huff wrote:As the manufacturer of CLAYTON F 76 plus Film Developer, I would challange anyone to tell me that they don't think that it is the "BEST" film developer they have ever used! If you want samples to test and prove me wrong, contact me : askus@claytonchem.com 800 231-8872x 104
Oh, please stop it. You insult us all.

Keith Tapscott.
Posts: 551
Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2006 8:58 am
Location: Plymouth, England.

Post by Keith Tapscott. »

Ornello wrote:
Lowell Huff wrote:As the manufacturer of CLAYTON F 76 plus Film Developer, I would challange anyone to tell me that they don't think that it is the "BEST" film developer they have ever used! If you want samples to test and prove me wrong, contact me : askus@claytonchem.com 800 231-8872x 104
Oh, please stop it. You insult us all.
You could always take up Lowell`s challenge and try a sample, at least until the Paterson developers that you like make a return.
Lowell is certainly is prepared to market the company products, unlike some of the others out there. :wink:
It may not be an FX-39 beater, but surely worth a try and what is there to lose?

Keith Tapscott.
Posts: 551
Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2006 8:58 am
Location: Plymouth, England.

Post by Keith Tapscott. »

Horsholm wrote:I have used ilford microfin for the Fuji arcos 100 with a very good result.

The t max i cant find a better devolper than Kodaks tmax-devolper :D

Yours Anders from Denmark
I used to use T-Max films when they first came out and T-Max developer diluted 1+4 (1980`s). One day I ran out of the developer and had to mix up a can of D-76 instead. I used D-76 diluted 1+1 and it beat the T-Max developer hands down. Sharper and finer grain negatives.
T-Max developer is OK and is convenient to use as it is a liquid concentrate, but not as good as D-76. An old one but a good one.

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