Developing Chemicals - Your recommendation

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I've almost fully acquired my home developing kit. I've got the tank, film holder, changing bag, measuring jugs, thermometer and timer. All I need is some good developer, stop bath and fixer.

The films that I will be developing over the next 6months are:

Ilford Delta 3200 BW
Neopan 1600 BW
Velvia 50
Ilford 400 BW

in both 135 and 120 formats.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated :)
 
Personally, I've found Ilford rapid fixer to be perfectly adequate. As for developers, I tried ID-11 and microfen, but didn't really like them all that much. I don't know if it's well suited to those films you are trying, but Rodinal is a great developer, and rather cheap as well!
 
Woodsy said:
Personally, I've found Ilford rapid fixer to be perfectly adequate. As for developers, I tried ID-11 and microfen, but didn't really like them all that much. I don't know if it's well suited to those films you are trying, but Rodinal is a great developer, and rather cheap as well!
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Thank you for the help. Theres so many options to choose from, its all very confusing!

I've read lots of good things about Rodinal, Diafine and Xtol. But unsure if they are right or suitable for the films I'll be trying. :bang:
 
Caffenol, suitable for anything and easy to make, but I'mBiased, as is everyone. If I wasn't using Caffenl I'd be using Xtol or HC110.
 
Give Rodinal a go, it's cheap, easy to use and lasts for ages.
 
Another Rodinal reccomendation, if you are doing lots of fast films however i would consider some Ilford DD-X as its a fine grain developer :)
 
ok guys, so rodinol is on the shopping list. I understand its a B&W developer only. So what about some of my colour films like superia or portra.

What about fixer and stop bath (or can I stick to water for that?). Thanks again for all the help, really appreciate it :)
 
colour films = take to lab, very few people can be arsed to faff around with colour at home.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
colour films = take to lab, very few people can be arsed to faff around with colour at home.
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oh, why is that? I was hoping to shoot shed loads of 120mm colour film (got 40 rolls rotting away somewhere!) lol
 
Three main reasons: the chems are fairly expensive, they don't have the best shelf life and you have to very very exacting with the temperatures or you'll get colour shifts. Plus you would have to buy two different chem sets as you've got both C-41 colour negative films there and E-6 reversal films.

To start with just do B&W processing and when your a bit more experienced, if you want to try C-41/E-6.

If you want to try a nice simple 'one shot' all around B&W developer, then try Patterson Aculux 3 as it gives nice fine grain negatives with a good degree of sharpness. Plus its a bit cheaper than Ilfosol 3. I'm currently working through some of that as my first developer and was recommended it by AG Photographic.
 
s162216 said:
Three main reasons: the chems are fairly expensive, they don't have the best shelf life and you have to very very exacting with the temperatures or you'll get colour shifts. Plus you would have to buy two different chem sets as you've got both C-41 colour negative films there and E-6 reversal films.

To start with just do B&W processing and when your a bit more experienced, if you want to try C-41/E-6.

If you want to try a nice simple 'one shot' all around B&W developer, then try Patterson Aculux 3 as it gives nice fine grain negatives with a good degree of sharpness. Plus its a bit cheaper than Ilfosol 3. I'm currently working through some of that as my first developer and was recommended it by AG Photographic.
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that explains it then! thank you :D
 
I've tried D76 and Ilfosol 3 on tri-x, tmax, FP4+ and HP5 and so far I've preferred ilfosol 3 every time and has produced some lovely greys and almost non-existant grain. Horses for courses though my partner prefers the grainy contrastyness of the D76!
 
Colour is as easy as BW, just make sure you have a decent water bath to keep temp stable.
C41 kits last for ages, unlike the older versions.

E6 is a different matter....

Just my 2p, don't try lots of different dev/film combinations, you will never get a proper comparison. Most films will need rating at lower than box speed.

Start with the industry standards, XTOL or Id11, get to know them and then if you feel a need, try other developers. It will take you a while to dev to your shooting style.
Scanning or wet printing will also determine how you dev as well.
The only change I've made in 25 years is going from ID11 to XTOL.
 
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For my {mostly} Ilford films I've been using Ilford DDX Developer & it's been working real well for me :}
 
Edtog said:
Colour is as easy as BW, just make sure you have a decent water bath to keep temp stable.
C41 kits last for ages, unlike the older versions.

E6 is a different matter....

Just my 2p, don't try lots of different dev/film combinations, you will never get a proper comparison. Most films will need rating at lower than box speed.

Start with the industry standards, XTOL or Id11.........
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I couldn't agree more. C-41 is almost as easy as black and white these days. I'd certainly recommend that you stick to one developer until you get into a good routine. ID-11 is an excellent starting point and works well with nearly all black and white films. Rodinal (or R09) is cheap and has a long shelf life but isn't great with all films though it's a matter of personal choice. For colour, the Tetenal "Colortec" C-41 kit is dead easy to use and does a lot more films per litre than the data sheets would have you believe. You should easily get 16 35mm films from one 1l kit if you're careful and use a stop bath after the developer. I've managed to squeeze 18 to 20 films before with useable results but then I'm a tight-arse....... :o)
 
i've settled on microphen as I believe it will work well with my high iso films. Am I right in understanding that it is used neat, but can be reused a few times?
 
Ronan said:
For colour, the Tetenal "Colortec" C-41 kit is dead easy to use and does a lot more films per litre than the data sheets would have you believe. You should easily get 16 35mm films from one 1l kit if you're careful and use a stop bath after the developer. I've managed to squeeze 18 to 20 films before with useable results but then I'm a tight-arse....... :o)
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would you mind to share more of your experience regarding dev colour and b&w films?what should we be aware of ?thanks
 
I'd use XTOL, and then Rodinal when you're shooting slower films. Personally I use Diafine, saves me a lot of money over the long run plus you don't need a stop bath for it.
 
FruitFlakes said:
I'd use XTOL, and then Rodinal when you're shooting slower films. Personally I use Diafine, saves me a lot of money over the long run plus you don't need a stop bath for it.
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Diafine is great stuff - nice and easy to use and lasts aaaaaages but I do think it's best to start off with one of the standards.... My 1 litre batch of Diafine has finally been used up and it's not too easy to find it in the UK. :'( (unless someone knows of a cheap supplier?)
 
hoftwi said:
would you mind to share more of your experience regarding dev colour and b&w films?what should we be aware of ?thanks
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I'd say the main thing to be aware of when developing colour is that it's not nearly as hard as some would have you believe. The C-41 kit I mentioned can be used with your normal b&w developing equipment. You may need an extra jug or two for pouring/emptying but that's about it. Stick closely to the temperatures quoted in the instructions (I develop at 86 degrees F) and use a water bath (washing basin) to keep things constant. A fish-tank digital thermometer is fine for keeping an eye on things.

For black and white just bear in mind that you CAN re-use fixer. I use Ilford Rapid Fixer and at first I was chucking it out after every use! DOH! Expensive mistake and not exactly environmentally friendly!

My recommended b&w developers:
1: ID-11 - it's a standard and you know what to expect
2: Diafine - Dead easy to use, economical and great for pushing film
3: Rodinal (R09) - Cheap, lasts forever, good for stand developing but can give grainy results on faster films
4: Caffenol - Everyone likes a bit of mess from time to time :D
 
thanks for your suggestion!! i am still hesitate whether to start dev films by myself, i don't want to ruin the photo that i have shot!!

i will look into it more and hope i can start soon.
 
Ronan said:
Diafine is great stuff - nice and easy to use and lasts aaaaaages but I do think it's best to start off with one of the standards.... My 1 litre batch of Diafine has finally been used up and it's not too easy to find it in the UK. :'( (unless someone knows of a cheap supplier?)
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I got mine from here, it's in Germany, but the price is good (or so I was told) and they deliver to the UK :) ...

Link ...

I'm just waiting to finish up a couple of rolls of film (and for my new Kaiser dev tank to arrive) and then I can try it out :naughty:. The idea of being able to push Tri-X 400 to over ISO 1000 :eek: and still get very 'scannable' negs is what drew me to trying Diafine. Hope it works :D.
 
I went into process supplies and was sold Ilfosol 3. Is it still pretty decent at keeping grain to a minimum with fast films? Also when I have used the fixer once, do I pour it back into the bottle with the unused or should I keep it in a seperate bottle?
 
hsuffyan said:
I went into process supplies and was sold Ilfosol 3. Is it still pretty decent at keeping grain to a minimum with fast films? Also when I have used the fixer once, do I pour it back into the bottle with the unused or should I keep it in a seperate bottle?
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Store your used fixer in a separate bottle. As for ilfosol 3, don't use it with faster films, the grain will go out of control. Then again I don't really like ilfosol 3 for slower films either! ;)
 
menthel said:
Store your used fixer in a separate bottle. As for ilfosol 3, don't use it with faster films, the grain will go out of control. Then again I don't really like ilfosol 3 for slower films either! ;)
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hmmm, I'll probably have to take it back then. Although they are very helpful generally, I did feel that they didn't listen to me thoroughly. I did say that I will be developing faster films and had Microphen in mind for that stuff, unless they went another option was more suitable. I was unsure of ilfosol whilst in the shop but thought 'nah these guys know they're stuff', plus I got home to find out that ilfosol goes off in 6months!
 
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Get a sachet of D76 (note I have not used it myself but many here have). It is cheap and will work with slow and fast films. It also doesn't make up a huge amound of developer, so if you don't like it you can try something else!

The only difficulty with it is mixing initially but it only involves heating some water and them mixing until its all dissolved.
 
Also remember, as mentioned a couple of times already, film and developer combinations are a very personal thing. You may well find something that you really like that other people will hate - there's no universal solution! Though coffee seems disturbingly close...
 
If yoy imagine a middle ground between HC110 and Xtol and take out almost all the grain, that's where Coffee gets you. You can make Xtol yourself with ingredients including Antifreeze and Vitamin C!
 
hoftwi said:
thanks for your suggestion!! i am still hesitate whether to start dev films by myself, i don't want to ruin the photo that i have shot!!

i will look into it more and hope i can start soon.
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Just do it! I took the plunge recently and can't understand why i didn't do it earlier. I had a stack of old delta 400 to practice on but in honesty didn't need to practice as its so straight forward. You will have plenty of help here, just gotta ask the old hands what's what when your stuck.
Well once i got it sussed i was away and have devved a roll every day for the last two weeks! Gutted now as their all done.
 
Simon photo said:
Well once i got it sussed i was away and have devved a roll every day for the last two weeks! Gutted now as their all done.
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It's nice watching a "to be developed" pile gradually turn into drying negatives, and then into a bunch of storage sheets. Once had a pile of about 12 rolls of medium format that got done in a batch like that, good fun!
 
I just had delivered a roll of adox chs 25. I got it to try out as something tells me it would make nice film for some still life work with lights.
I've read good things about developing this film in rodinal is this right. Any suggestions or heads up would be much appreciated.
The last project i wanted rough grain and very high contrast i got that from pushing tri x to 1600 devved in id11, now im looking for good contrast but fine grain.
I've got some ilfosol3 handy but people don't seem too fussy about it, why's that?
 
i did my first roll today!! Neopan 400 in 120 format. Overall very very pleased with the results but I managed to get watermarks, dust and scratches on the negatives :(
 
hsuffyan said:
..Overall very very pleased with the results but I managed to get watermarks, dust and scratches on the negatives :(
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It happens to the best of us. Are the negatives cleanable? I hope so!
 
hsuffyan said:
i did my first roll today!! Neopan 400 in 120 format. Overall very very pleased with the results but I managed to get watermarks, dust and scratches on the negatives :(
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Dust should be easily displaceable with a rocket blower type gizmo, scratches is something that gradually will disappear as you continue to develop (my first roll was basically like a police fingerprint card) and the watermarks - did you use any wetting agent? As you live in London the water is incredibly hard, so a wetting agent is almost a necessity.
 
Deffo need wetting agent in London- the water is too hard and will leave drying marks. In fact, even with a wetting agent you may still get some!
 
menthel said:
Deffo need wetting agent in London- the water is too hard and will leave drying marks. In fact, even with a wetting agent you may still get some!
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Indeed, even with wetting agent I have to be careful to ensure no streaks. A bottle of PhotoFlo type product (I use FotoSpeed RA50) costs very little and will last you for hundreds of rolls. It's a no-brainer :thumbs:
 
freecom2 said:
Indeed, even with wetting agent I have to be careful to ensure no streaks. A bottle of PhotoFlo type product (I use FotoSpeed RA50) costs very little and will last you for hundreds of rolls. It's a no-brainer :thumbs:
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I can think of a certain lab in SW London that could do with taking this advice on board! ;)
 
What I found fascinating was that the film starting curling along the sides about half way through the drying stage, so i went off looking for solutions to the curling by searching the net. An hour later the negatives were dead straight and no curl at all!
 
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