madNbad wrote:
Congratulations! In 2018, I developed my own film for the first time since 1976 and have learned so much since. The biggest advantage now is the instant read thermometer. Loading the tank and laying out your workflow will get easier. Which developer did you use?
I used Ilfosol 3 since I had a sample pack; I developed at 1+9 for 4.5 minutes. My goal for Foma 100 (and 400) is to do semi-stand in Rodinal, as I really like the images I've seen with that approach, especially for Foma 100. But first I have to get my hands on some Rodinal. Here in Canada it's often sold as Blazinal, same formula, although it (as well as Rodinal) are often out of stock. Apparently Rodinal was originally meant to be used at 18 degrees C not 20, and the reports I've seen from users online indicate that it makes a big difference, particularly with respect to grain (with larger grain at 20C). That's good for me since my basement (where I'll be developing film) is 14-15 degrees C all year round. Upstairs it can get really warm in summer. I'll probably put the tank in a water bath in a picnic cooler and let the thermal inertia of water maintain roughly the same temp for semi-stand development.
I don't plan to do C-41 and if I shoot anything important in B&W I'll probably still bring it to the lab until I have more confidence in myself, but it's a start!
One of my big lessons was to print out the instructions and to use an actual standalone timer. I used my phone for the timer and the screen kept going to sleep; waking it was a bit of a chore wearing rubber gloves. Same for the instructions; I wrote them out step by step and had them on a tablet but it kept falling asleep just when I needed to refer to the list for the next step.