Kodak D-76

Peter · 09-13-2004

Has anyone used Kodak D-76 before? Diafine is really difficult to get in Singapore and I have heard that D-76 is really easy to use in different temperature.

back alley · 09-13-2004

it's the first developer i ever used.
and yes, it's easy to use.

what else is available there?

joe

Stanton · 09-13-2004

It's easy to use and here where it is very hot in summer, it is fine once you adjust accordingly.

Todd.Hanz · 09-13-2004

I use it 1:1 at 22 deg C. Most of my images in the gallery are souped in it, looks good with Tri-X, gives less grainy appearance when compared with Rodinal though I like Rodinal for that reason.
It's easy to use but not as forgiving as Diafine.

Todd

taffer · 09-14-2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Peter
Has anyone used Kodak D-76 before? Diafine is really difficult to get in Singapore and I have heard that D-76 is really easy to use in different temperature.

Peter, did you have any problem with your last Diafine shipment ?

Mine was shipped via surface (3 weeks), maybe there are some regulations against shipping these kind of things by airmail.

I have enough for making 8 liters, hope that will last some time, how many boxes did you order ?

Peter · 09-14-2004

No problem as I have already used some for the Delta 3200. But it is so expensive and the local stores here have Kodak D-76 and it is so much cheaper than Diafine and it could be used for push development! So I have one more carton of Diafine and I am considering to change developer after it runs out. What do you think of the D-76?

GeneW · 09-14-2004

One thought on this. If your local stores carry Kodak HC-110 it has very similar characteristics to D76 but has the advantage of being a liquid concentrate with long shelf life. It is an excellent all-around developer and can be used to push films.

Gene

Pherdinand · 09-14-2004

On photo.net, a few days ago, i've just read that xtol is generally more preferred than D76.
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-...?msg_id=009Rxk

pshinkaw · 09-14-2004

My favorite film developers are D-76 and Microdol-X. I tried HC-110 for a couple of years because I thought it would be convenient to make up small batches for 1-2 rolls of film at a time. Turned out that it was very difficult to measure the small quantity of the syrupy HC-110 needed, typically 0.5 -1 ounce, thus making it hard to have a consistent concentration of the working solution. It was easier to deal with the gallon quantities of D-76 and Microdol-X.

-Paul

GeneW · 09-14-2004

Paul, did you try the method for measuring shown on Michael Covington's site on HC-110?

http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/

I use a baby syringe to measure the concentrate and can eyeball to the nearest .5 mL with little problem.

Gene

taffer · 09-14-2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Peter
No problem as I have already used some for the Delta 3200. But it is so expensive and the local stores here have Kodak D-76 and it is so much cheaper than Diafine and it could be used for push development! So I have one more carton of Diafine and I am considering to change developer after it runs out. What do you think of the D-76?

Peter, I'm just a newbie in the darkroom so my only experience so far is with Diafine

However, it's said to last for a long time, how many rolls of film have you put through yours ? I considered some other readily available ones but then temperature was my problem.

As Todd said, it's that forgiving nature of diafine what called my attention, I'm somewhat sloppy for these things

pshinkaw · 09-14-2004

Gene:

I used a very similar method for awhile and then decided that it was easier to deal with a single one gallon jug of D-76.

-Paul

HelenB · 09-14-2004

Peter,

I used D-76 at 29 to 30 degC when I lived in Singapore (I lived near Dhoby Ghaut station, on Mt Sophia) with T-Max films, mostly TMZ. I found that at those temperatures it was important to keep all stages at the same temperature to avoid reticulation.

I switched to Xtol when it became available in Singapore because I preferred the slight speed/fine grain edge that Xtol seems to have over D-76. It is important to use distilled water when mixing and diluting Xtol - but that's easily available from FairPrice etc. Xtol is also fine at around 27 to 29 degC.

Best,
Helen

Peter · 09-14-2004

Thanks guys for the valuable information and experience. HelenB, your experience in of developing in Singapore is very important to me as temperature is a problem here and reticulation could be a problem. I guess I would have to stick with the ultra forgiving Diafine despite of its price!

taffer · 09-15-2004

Peter, I've read (fiction?) stories about people using the same liter working solution of diafine for a year. At $13 for a 4 liter carton that's around $3 per year on developer, not bad