Digitaltruth Photo

"Rodinal yields below average speed and above average graininess."
Not my words but those of Ilford technical, although they acknowledge that many people like the results that they get with Rodinal. If you like it, use it If you don`t, try something else.

Keith Tapscott. wrote:"Rodinal yields below average speed and above average graininess."
Not my words but those of Ilford technical, although they acknowledge that many people like the results that they get with Rodinal. If you like it, use it If you don`t, try something else.

This statement of Ilford's accords precisely with my own tests and others'. Where did you get the quote?

Greg Winterflood wrote:

Ornello wrote:FX-39 is better yet. There is no comparsion between FX-39 and Rodinal. None. FX-39 is vastly superior in every way possible.

Ornello, how is FX-39 packaged, transported, made into stock solution and then into working solution? What is its shelf life once the original container is opened? Is is able to be transported by air?

I was given a single bottle of Rodinal. I like its convenience.

I use a syringe to draw 6mL from the bottle and make that up to 300mL with water. I then put the Rodinal back in its carton in a cool dry place, and don't worry about it.

The only other developer I have been able to obtain recently is D-76. Messing with 415 grams powder, making that up to 3.8 litres of water and then worrying about oxidization, containers, shelf life etc is a pain.

Rodinal cannot be transported by air, if FX-39 can be, I'd like to give it a try.

I have no idea why you cannot get Rodinal shipped by air. I have not used it since 1969. Leica Fotografie magazine did a large film & developer test in about 1967 or '68, and Rodinal came in just about dead last on any but the slowest films, where developers hardly matter because the films are so slow and fine-grained. With medium and fast films, Rodinal was the worst in several measured criteria (speed, sharpness, graininess, etc).

FX-39 is sold in 500ml platic bottles and is diluted at 1+14 for most films. It oxidizes like most developers once opened, but you can retard the oxidation considerably by squeezing the air out of the plastic bottle and refrigerating it. See this link for recommedations:

http://www.digitaltruth.com/chart/scarp ... erson.html

Rodinal is classified as hazmat because it contains potassium hydroxide (or sodium hydroxide in the original version), which is caustic. The hazmat restriction only applies to certain quantities, which is why you can buy a single bottle (from anyone who knows the regulations) and have it ground shipped without a problem. If you want it air shipped, you are out of luck because it cannot be shipped by air in any quantity.

Rodinal certainly divides opinion. My personal experience is that it has an aesthetic appeal when you are looking for the appearance of moderately-sized very sharp grain in conjunction with traditional emulsions, such as Tri-X. It is also interesting to work with because by modifying the dillution you can extend considerable control over contrast. And of course, the bottle lasts forever.

Modern T-grain type films are designed to reduce the noticeability of the edges of the grains as much as possible, so using Rodinal with this type of emulsion would only serve to accentuate something which the film is specifically designed to minimize.

Jon Mided wrote:Rodinal is classified as hazmat

Jon, do you know of any developers which are able to fly?

I've wondered if the newer eco friendly developers such as Silvergrain are able to be sent by air?

Greg

Hi Greg,

Almost all developers and most other photo chemicals can be shipped by air, and we ship Silvergrain chemistry worldwide.

The main difficulty in air shipment is that it requires someone to physically take the package to the post office, whereas most mail order is done by UPS/FedEx and is collected from the depot. The other problem is the cost of shipping liquid, which due to its weight is often equal to or greater than the cost of the chemistry.