View Full Version : Ilford films & Developers
mike goldberg
03-17-2007, 01:10
Hi all...
As tho' RFF generated GAS wasn't enough :D ... after a dozen years or so,
I'm about to return to dev my own B/W again in stainless steel tanks.
Ilford Pan F & HP5 Plus films are widely available in Israel.
I'm seeking info on these developers, with dilutions, time & temp:
Rodinal, Diafine and HC-110... or?
Some guys do HP5 Plus at ISO 800, so film speed data in your work flow
is important as well.
Let's hear!
Thanks, mike
A good starting point is the Massive Dev Chart at http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html.
HP5 in Rodinal looks very nice. Grain is very pronounced, but beautiful. Rodinal 1+50, 10 to 11 minutes at ISO 320, 15 minutes at ISO 800. The latter is quite grainy.
I use DD-X with Delta 100, 400 and 3200, and I'm happy with the results.
markinlondon
03-17-2007, 01:41
HP5 is very nice in HC110 dilution h.
HP5 is very nice in HC110 dilution h.
Agree with that. HC110 is one of my favourite developers for HP5, esp dilution H. Rodinal is my favourite for PanF. If I'm pushing HP5, I usually go for DDX. I pretty much rely on the Massive Dev Chart times.
mike goldberg
03-17-2007, 01:53
Thanks so much guys!
- Ill have a look at the dev. chart.
- Mike, what is DD-X?
- Mark, I'm fairly certain HC-110 is available in Jerusalem;
in Tel Aviv, for sure.
At first, the thought of dev. my own again felt like a chore, oy...
something else to do. Now, I'm excited.
Cheers, mike ;-)
DDX is the liquid cncentrate developer, from Ilford, recommended by them for their Delta films and for general use. It seems like good stuff with Delta-400 and HP5+, but I have never felt the need to try any HC-110 etc, so I cannot make a direct comparison.
The Ilford liquid developers have a fact-sheet here :-
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/20061302032542969.pdf
From a storage and cost point of view, you could also look at the powdered developers. Microphen would be useful, plus ID11 diluted 1+1 perhaps. There is a lot of information, such as products equivalent to those of other manufacturers, on the Ilford site.
Have fun !
Uncle Bill
03-17-2007, 03:16
I am going to jump in and say HP5 in HC110 either in Dil B or H looks really nice. I too am going to say give the powdered developers a shot. I started using D-76, Kodak's ID-11 and I am quite happy with it.
Bill
Mackinaw
03-17-2007, 04:42
I've had good results with HP5 in Xtol. Delivers full, maybe even increased speed, with a nice grain structure.
Jim B.
georgefspencer
03-17-2007, 05:36
This is going to sound dumb but it has been a long time since I shot film and an even longer time since I developed my own . . .
Back in the 80’s I used Ilford film. The particular film that I used was rated at 400 (I think) but you could change the rating – on a single roll – while the film was still in the camera! The individual frames still turned out fine. As I recall it required a particular Ilford developer.
What was the film and what was the developer?
(At my age I could be making this all up??)
For both HP5 and FP4 I really like Clayton F76+. It is very similar to Ilfords DDX but a bit cheaper. Digitaltruth is a distributor. (http://www.digitaltruth.com/store/cart/Clayton-Chemicals-p-1-c-110.html)
This is going to sound dumb but it has been a long time since I shot film and an even longer time since I developed my own . . .
Back in the 80’s I used Ilford film. The particular film that I used was rated at 400 (I think) but you could change the rating – on a single roll – while the film was still in the camera! The individual frames still turned out fine. As I recall it required a particular Ilford developer.
What was the film and what was the developer?
(At my age I could be making this all up??)
I am not sure about the Ilford developer but you can use Diafine to do more or less the same thing. Do a search for Diafine here on RFF.
Glad to hear you're thinking about developing your own B&W again. HP5 and Pan F are both nice films. I like HP5 in HC-110 and Pan F in Rodinal. Both developers have extremely long shelf life so keeping both on hand is convenient.
Gene
mike goldberg
03-17-2007, 08:46
Hi Gene & all,
Yes, Ruben and I have been rapping about this...
And, markinlondon also suggested HP5 in HC110...
So many seem to like Rodinal. In fact, I noted a "Rodinal 1:50" group in flickr.
And Gene, I posted a comment on your shot of the Canonadian on an icy rock in running shoes. The detail & tonal range in that shot are superb.
Well now, there are boxes of lab stuff up in the closet. I need to find my
stainless tanks & reels, and there's a small graduate to measure small quantities
of developer in ml. ;)
Cheers, mike
Ronald M
03-17-2007, 08:50
ID11 will work fine with either film. Dilute 1:1 or 1:3 or undiluted.
The time on Ilford`s site are perfect for a diffusion enlarger. Subtract 10% for a condenser. The films speeds are also right on if your equipment is calibrated properly.
You've gotten quite a lot of helpful answers here already Mike, but just to add one more...
I really like my HP5+ in Ilford DD-X. I shoot the HP5 at 400 usually, but up to 800 on occasion and DD-X does just fine for me. It's a one-shot liquid developer, so you don't often reuse it (though instructions do exist for doing so). In any case, it works well for me.
Good luck finding something! There are many options out there...
I think George, in Post-10, was remembering Ilford XP2. That is a chromogenic film and is developed as C-41, the standard colour-negative process available in every outlet.
The film has a very, very wide exposure latitude and can be printed on normal b+w paper as the film-base has no orange tint to it - unlike the Kodak chromogenic b+w film. More details from the Ilford site (I don't work for them, honest).
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/20061301945161573.pdf
mike goldberg
03-17-2007, 13:21
Thanks all!
Toute le monde aime Samedie soire...
So far I've found stainless steel tank, reels, thermometers, etc.
from 12 years ago. Am still looking for a neat, small Paterson
graduate for liquid developers by the ml.
Ruben & I will pow-wow later this week. HP5 & Rodinal or HC110
are good starting points. It's beginning to feel like being reborn! :D
Cheers, mike
Hi Mike, as you obviously know, Paterson (and others I suppose) do a 45ml graduate. However, for small quantities of thick concentrates often it seems easier to use a syringe. You can probably find 20ml or 40ml syringes more easily than the graduate.
For really tiny amounts of concentrates (1:100 etc) then a syringe is the only way to go, unless you already own a titration-pipette or something esoteric like that....
mike goldberg
03-17-2007, 13:48
Hi Martin,
The syringe is a great idea!
I may have a few of those as well...
I used to work for a lab that threw them out.
Thanks, mike
amateriat
03-17-2007, 15:23
This is going to sound dumb but it has been a long time since I shot film and an even longer time since I developed my own . . .
Back in the 80’s I used Ilford film. The particular film that I used was rated at 400 (I think) but you could change the rating – on a single roll – while the film was still in the camera! The individual frames still turned out fine. As I recall it required a particular Ilford developer.
What was the film and what was the developer?
(At my age I could be making this all up??) Nope, you're not making it up. The film you're thinking of was Ilford's first-generation chromogenic (C41 process-compatible) black-and-white film, XP1. There was a special developer available for DIY'ers, but I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people who shot the stuff regularly took advantage of the fact that you could take the film to a pro lab or minilab and get it processed pronto. It was replaced by XP2, now known as XP2 Super. I use it a lot, and like it.
- Barrett
mike goldberg
03-17-2007, 23:07
Barrett & Martin,
If I can find XP-2 here, I'll try it with Lab development.
From what you guys are saying, it will come out looking
better than the Kodak 400 C41 equivalent.
Ruben, who already develops his own silver films, and I ...
are gearing up for my return to developing
my own HP5 Plus and others at home. See Link:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/film3.htm
A factor to be considered is economy...
and here are some issues:
- Cost of XP-2
- Will I have to go to Tel Aviv to get it?
- HP5 Plus or Tri-x is cheaper in a long roll...
- I already have a bulk loader and re-usable cassettes.
- The economy factor of a liquid developer such as Rodinal
is also important.
Thus, I think the picture is clear, to coin a pun :D
This photo by GeneW [aka Harbourlight] in flickr caught
my attention for wonderful detail and tonal range.
It is in flickr's "Rodinal 1:50" group.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdnphoto/421594992/
That's it for now. It's a bright day in Jerusalem, and I've got
some photographing to do.
Cheers, mike
ElrodCod
03-18-2007, 06:10
So far I've found stainless steel tank, reels, thermometers, etc.
from 12 years ago. Am still looking for a neat, small Paterson
graduate for liquid developers by the ml.
Mike,
For measuring small amounts by the ml, I suggest that you get a syringe at your local pharmacy. Some are sold as "oral" syringes that aren't supplied with a needle, primarily used for administering medicine to children. They're an absolute necessity for measuring those very small amounts of Rodinal for the 1:50 & 1:100 dilutions.
Gary
amateriat
03-18-2007, 14:37
Mike,
Sounds like a plan. I'd only add that, while XP2 is my fave chromgenic b/w film, I'll put in a nice word for Kodak's BW400CN. If XP2 is tough or impossible to find, give Kodak's film a try. My only major issue with BW400 is that it's not easy to work with if you wish to make wet-darkroom prints (due to the orange cast, which XP2 doesn't have). Although I digitally scan and print my work most of the time, I'd like to reserve the option of wet-printing.
- Barrett
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