Frequently Asked Question
Is the information in the Massive Dev Chart reliable?
Last Updated 4 years ago
The Massive Dev Chart is more reliable than the published data sheets released by manufacturers. Why? Because it incorporates the official information that you will find in the manufacturer's data sheets, AND it includes additional user submissions and amendments.
While some manufacturers, most notably Ilford and Fuji, provide excellent data based on their own in-house analysis, many other manufacturers are far less thorough. In fact, there are several official data sheets currently being published which include data from the Massive Dev Chart as the primary source, even though the manufacturers have never tested it themselves! If you study official data sheets you will notice that manufacturers often update the times even though no changes have been made to their products. Conversely, Kodak changed many times when they modified the film base on several products a few years back, but other published studies showed that the original times were more accurate. You can also see that, famously in the case of Agfa, they release different data in different countries. Trusting something just because it is printed by the manufacturer is does not offer any guarantee of accuracy.
The most important part of any issues regarding accuracy of development times is to understand that ALL times are starting point recommendations, regardless of the source, and it is up to the individual user to use these starting points to determine the optimum development in relation to subject contrast, print contrast and enlarging equipment.
While some manufacturers, most notably Ilford and Fuji, provide excellent data based on their own in-house analysis, many other manufacturers are far less thorough. In fact, there are several official data sheets currently being published which include data from the Massive Dev Chart as the primary source, even though the manufacturers have never tested it themselves! If you study official data sheets you will notice that manufacturers often update the times even though no changes have been made to their products. Conversely, Kodak changed many times when they modified the film base on several products a few years back, but other published studies showed that the original times were more accurate. You can also see that, famously in the case of Agfa, they release different data in different countries. Trusting something just because it is printed by the manufacturer is does not offer any guarantee of accuracy.
The most important part of any issues regarding accuracy of development times is to understand that ALL times are starting point recommendations, regardless of the source, and it is up to the individual user to use these starting points to determine the optimum development in relation to subject contrast, print contrast and enlarging equipment.