James Markus wrote:
A hive mind question. One of these threads made me purchase 20 rolls of Kentmere film (10x 400, and 10x 100 :cool I have seen a wide variety of grain in this thread, and various development chemistry. My goal is as little grain as possible & flattish contrast. I have df96 monobath, ilford ilfosol 3, and Rodinal on hand - have noticed good results by some here with HC110 (used a ton in my past), and Xtol - which I have 0 experience - that seem to have produced low apparent grain. There were some portraits I saw here by _jim_ that I thought Rodinal was used, and are exactly what I would like to get out of this "dirt cheap" Kentmere 100 panF. Sitting on a test roll I'd like to soup soon - any advice?...Show more →
I'm only recently getting into Kentmere so I will have to report back. For Ilford HP5 I like a fine grain developer like D76 and Xtol. Here are my general opinions:
HC110 is convenient and easy to recommend to people who only shoot and develop sporadically. Just use a kid's cold medicine syringe and inject into your measured water and you are in business.
I used Rodinal a lot for several years. Love the high acutance / textured grain look but certainly found it's limits when I took TriX to a very dark winter Scandinavian trip. It's still my go to with slower films and medium format when grain isnt as much of a factor. But yeah, also kid's cold medicine syringe method so convenient.
If you shoot more and want fine grain + good speed and push capabilities, I think Xtol is hard to beat. It's also probably the cheapest developer when you do the replenishment method. Mix your 5L in a wine bag with a spout and roll the top down to keep air out. Keep your working developer in a old Gatorade bottle. Toss and replace 70ML out of the wine bag for every roll of film you develop (so 140 ML for two roll tank, etc, etc). Bring per roll costs down to like a dime and a nickle.
When I cleaned my darkroom I found a shoebox of exposed, but undeveloped film. I thought two of the rolls were TechnicalPan 1-35mm & 1-120. The 120 roll was stuffed back in it's box, and sealed with electrical tape. I opened it tonight, and it has the "exposed" paper seal - but it says "C-41" on the back of the backing paper? I already found a few packets of Kodak Technidol to soup these two rolls. Did TechnicalPan 120 have "C-41" printed on the backing paper? Or, do I have some unknown color negative film? (I doubt I would do that)
ottokbre wrote:
I'm only recently getting into Kentmere so I will have to report back. For Ilford HP5 I like a fine grain developer like D76 and Xtol. Here are my general opinions:
HC110 is convenient and easy to recommend to people who only shoot and develop sporadically. Just use a kid's cold medicine syringe and inject into your measured water and you are in business.
I used Rodinal a lot for several years. Love the high acutance / textured grain look but certainly found it's limits when I took TriX to a very dark winter Scandinavian trip. It's still my go to with slower films and medium format when grain isnt as much of a factor. But yeah, also kid's cold medicine syringe method so convenient.
If you shoot more and want fine grain + good speed and push capabilities, I think Xtol is hard to beat. It's also probably the cheapest developer when you do the replenishment method. Mix your 5L in a wine bag with a spout and roll the top down to keep air out. Keep your working developer in a old Gatorade bottle. Toss and replace 70ML out of the wine bag for every roll of film you develop (so 140 ML for two roll tank, etc, etc). Bring per roll costs down to like a dime and a nickle. ...Show more →
Thanks ottokbre , I decided to order some Xtol, and a few 500ml bottles to go with my existing 1L bottles.
James Markus wrote:
A hive mind question. One of these threads made me purchase 20 rolls of Kentmere film (10x 400, and 10x 100 :cool I have seen a wide variety of grain in this thread, and various development chemistry. My goal is as little grain as possible & flattish contrast. I have df96 monobath, ilford ilfosol 3, and Rodinal on hand - have noticed good results by some here with HC110 (used a ton in my past), and Xtol - which I have 0 experience - that seem to have produced low apparent grain. There were some portraits I saw here by _jim_ that I thought Rodinal was used, and are exactly what I would like to get out of this "dirt cheap" Kentmere 100 panF. Sitting on a test roll I'd like to soup soon - any advice?...Show more →
If using DF96 Monobath, the key to fine grain is:
1. Be gentle with your agitation. When I am a little more enthusiastic, grain and contrast increases.
2. Make sure your dev temp and wash temp is evenly matched.
This is Kentmere 400 pushed to 1600 in DF96 Monobath:
James Markus wrote:
Thanks ottokbre , I decided to order some Xtol, and a few 500ml bottles to go with my existing 1L bottles.
I think for grain smashing it's great. I do like D76 for that reason too. I have a bunch of old skool Agfa APX 100 and that ADOX-Efke stuff so I'm still committed to using Rodinal.
Maybe when I am retired and have time on my hands I'll get into staining developers.
James Markus wrote:
Thanks ottokbre , I decided to order some Xtol, and a few 500ml bottles to go with my existing 1L bottles.
When mixing the XT-3 I use an electric hand mixer with the single whisk to insure all of Part A is dissolved before adding Part B. One of the tricks is to use a piece of plastic wrap over the bottles mouth to minimize air infiltration. The water should be warm, Adox recommends 27C and Kodak's suggest between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. I've been using it 1:1 so not much for saving on developer but I like the look and works with a wide variety of film.
ottokbre wrote:
I'm only recently getting into Kentmere so I will have to report back. For Ilford HP5 I like a fine grain developer like D76 and Xtol. Here are my general opinions:
HC110 is convenient and easy to recommend to people who only shoot and develop sporadically. Just use a kid's cold medicine syringe and inject into your measured water and you are in business.
I used Rodinal a lot for several years. Love the high acutance / textured grain look but certainly found it's limits when I took TriX to a very dark winter Scandinavian trip. It's still my go to with slower films and medium format when grain isnt as much of a factor. But yeah, also kid's cold medicine syringe method so convenient.
If you shoot more and want fine grain + good speed and push capabilities, I think Xtol is hard to beat. It's also probably the cheapest developer when you do the replenishment method. Mix your 5L in a wine bag with a spout and roll the top down to keep air out. Keep your working developer in a old Gatorade bottle. Toss and replace 70ML out of the wine bag for every roll of film you develop (so 140 ML for two roll tank, etc, etc). Bring per roll costs down to like a dime and a nickle. ...Show more →
A few years ago on a different forum, I decided to tackle developing Tri-X in Rodinal and asked for some advice. I thought I was doing pretty well until another member pointed out my negatives were dense and my scans needed too much adjustment. I asked for some suggestions and that was when I learned about loosing a stop and not to shake it like a James Bond martini. I still have Rodinal on hand and was preparing to make the move to Xtol when Cincestill had one liter packages of XT-3 in stock. Since I don't use enough film on a regular basis to get the most out of five liters of Xtol, I loaded up on the XT-3 and now understand the love for Xtol. I split it into four 250ml bottles then mix those to a 1:1 dilution. Nine minutes for Tri-X and twelve for HP-5 is working well. Occasionally, I miss the acutance and sharpness Rodinal gives an image and will sill use it. Just not as a daily driver.
Social Sciences and Humanities Building, UC Davis, designed by Antoine Predock. Students affectionately call it the Death Star and rumor has it that the maze-like building was purposely designed to be confusing, encouraging people to interact by asking directions.
Nikon FM2n, AI Nikkor 50mm f/1.8S, Kentmere Pan 400, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5.5 minutes.
madNbad wrote:
A few years ago on a different forum, I decided to tackle developing Tri-X in Rodinal and asked for some advice. I thought I was doing pretty well until another member pointed out my negatives were dense and my scans needed too much adjustment. I asked for some suggestions and that was when I learned about loosing a stop and not to shake it like a James Bond martini. I still have Rodinal on hand and was preparing to make the move to Xtol when Cincestill had one liter packages of XT-3 in stock. Since I don't use enough film on a regular basis to get the most out of five liters of Xtol, I loaded up on the XT-3 and now understand the love for Xtol. I split it into four 250ml bottles then mix those to a 1:1 dilution. Nine minutes for Tri-X and twelve for HP-5 is working well. Occasionally, I miss the acutance and sharpness Rodinal gives an image and will sill use it. Just not as a daily driver....Show more →
Oooo I like the idea of using a mixer! Xtol takes FOREVER to dissolve.
My TriX/Rodinol debacle was stand development. It really was just the speed loss. I had no business rating it at 400 but I was shooting in conditions that needed 800-1600 and just hadn't thought it all out. I also took Velvia 50 on that trip lol
I recently printed from a Agfa APX 100 + Rodinal negative it had a wonderful bite to it. But the more I shoot point and shoots the more I need that ISO 400.
ottokbre wrote:
Oooo I like the idea of using a mixer! Xtol takes FOREVER to dissolve.
My TriX/Rodinol debacle was stand development. It really was just the speed loss. I had no business rating it at 400 but I was shooting in conditions that needed 800-1600 and just hadn't thought it all out. I also took Velvia 50 on that trip lol
I recently printed from a Agfa APX 100 + Rodinal negative it had a wonderful bite to it. But the more I shoot point and shoots the more I need that ISO 400.
When we bought a new hand mixer there was a flat disc attachment for using the mixer as an immersion blender. We never used it and stashed it away. When I returned to developing in 2018, it was with liquid developers, HC-110, Ilfotec HC and Rodinal. Then a few years ago, a bought a few bags of Film Photography Project FPP-76 because it came in one liter packaging. At first, I used a spoon and always had crystals at the bottom of the beaker. I dug out the mixer attachment let the mixer do the work.
Desmolicious wrote:
I’m sorry you doods are old. Unless it is Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodriguez I have no idea what you are talking about.
Please please please…..
I have seen a wide variety of grain in this thread, and various development chemistry. My goal is as little grain as possible & flattish contrast. I have df96 monobath, ilford ilfosol 3, and Rodinal on hand - have noticed good results by some here with HC110 (used a ton in my past), and Xtol - which I have 0 experience - that seem to have produced low apparent grain. There were some portraits I saw here
