LC29 equivalents?

[cardiff_gareth]

I started off using Ilfosol 3 and then read up on LC29 and how it was a more punchier developer so I bought a bottle of that and immediately was impressed with it over the results from the Ilfosol. I don't shoot a lot of film and having gone to develop a film, the LC29 has turned a dark brown colour so I've binned it. Luckily only about 100ml or so as I was nearing the end of the bottle anyways.

Today I looked the replace the LC29 and I'm not sure if it's me but the price seems to have risen somewhat, Wex for instance has Ilfosol 3 at £12 a bottle and LC29 at £26 a bottle. It was a while ago I bought the LC29 so potentially I paid that for it then but I can't remember!

So before I take the plunge, I was wondering if there is a cheaper LC29 equivalent please?

Some of the powder developers look interesting such as Adox Atomal as I presume they don't go off but can you just mix what you need or do you mix it in one hit? If so, what is the shelf life of the Adox?

Thanks.

 

[StephenM]

I can't comment on different developers or costs; but as far as powder developers go, they are a mixture of different chemicals, and if you divide up the powder you probably won't get the correct proportions of the different components. Hence, the whole packet should be mixed at once.

If by "punchier" you mean that the contrast is higher, you can increase the contrast with any developer by increasing the development time.

 

[Peter B]

STORAGE
Always store chemicals in their original containers and away from unsupervised children and pets. In cool, dry
conditions, 4–20ºC (44–68ºF) ILFOTEC LC29 developer concentrate should keep in good condition for:
24 months in full tightly capped bottles, 4 months in half full tightly capped bottles.

Page 8 of 8 Aug 2019
ILFORD ILFOTEC LC29 FILM DEVELOPER
AVAILABILITY AND CAPACITY
ILFOTEC LC29 is available worldwide in 500ml (34 fl oz) bottles.
ILFOTEC LC29 One-Shot /Reused
At 1+9 16 / 50
At 1+19 32/ 50
At 1+29 50/ NR

The above info comes from the Ilford datasheet on LC29, and I guess it depends on how old your bottle is and whether you took steps to exclude air by topping up with marbles or decanting to smaller bottles? I think the nearest alternative is Kodak HC110, but that's probably dearer than the LC29. I think value really comes down to cost per film processed, and I'm still using a bottle of HC110 that must be at least 3 years old and is definitely an orangey-brown colour. The photo below is a 2012 roll of HP5+ developed in that HC110 (dil E) on Thursday, so it's still working fine.

 

[The Oldun]

I am halfway through my first bottle of LC29 and it has also started to go brown. Research tells me to keep using it, so I will persevere until it is either finished or affecting the film. Ilfosol 3 is normally a 1+9 dilution and LC29 is normally 1+19, so the costs are very similar per film developed. I will be investing in some concertina bottles for storage before my next developer purchase.

 

[cardiff_gareth]

Thanks all, so powder is out then.

Looks like I'll be getting another bottle of LC29, unless there's another brand that's similar but cheaper?

I always dilute my LC29 in a 1+9 ratio

Peter, I like that marbles trick to bring the liquid level up as to expel the air from the bottle.

 

[Peter B]

Thanks all, so powder is out then.

Looks like I'll be getting another bottle of LC29, unless there's another brand that's similar but cheaper?

I always dilute my LC29 in a 1+9 ratio

Peter, I like that marbles trick to bring the liquid level up as to expel the air from the bottle.

Hard one Gareth, since Ag Photographic have HC110 and Ilfotec HC at about £46 for 1 litre, whereas LC29 is £33.58 for only 500ml. Others may differ on pricing.

 

[Kevin Allan]

SpeedGraphic and Firstcall Photographic both have HC110 at about £37 per litre. I haven't done all the sums but I have a hunch that HC110 works out as one of the cheapest developers per litre of working solution. Using Dilution B (1+31) a 1 Litre bottle will produce 32 litres of working solution. My smallest developing tank requires 250ml to process one 35mm film so 32 litres will develop 32+4 = 128 films. If the cost per bottle is £37 then that works out at 29p per film. I often use Dilution "H" which is 1+63, which will halve the cost per film.

Of course it is a relatively high initial purchase cost but the solution lasts forever so you don't need to worry about the bottle going off before you use it all up.

 

[ChrisR]

HC-110 is incredibly good value since you use so little for each film, although it is a steep initial investment (and, I gather, more expensive and hard to find than it was. However, I paid £30 in 2018 (still going strong), and you can get it now for £38 from Parallax Photographic. I use 6.2 ml per film, and G$$gle tells me that's good for 160+ films!

I did use Ilfosol 3 before, and it went off after less than a year each time.

Might possibly go for Ilfotec HC next time, just to keep things a bit more local. Same developing times and shelf life?