Great informative video. I use microphen and perceptol. I think you made a little mistake about perceptol. It’s designed for slow to medium speed film. You lose some speed of the film you use in turn for extremely fine grain negative. So normally you rate the film half of what it is to get the full range of tones. It’s good for pulling say hp5. Microphen is great for pushing film like you stated. Really enjoy your videos. This must of been a very time consuming process. Great work 👍🏾
Denae & Andrew no worries. These videos are very helpful for the film community. Keep up the great work guys👍🏾 I’m looking for to you xpan alternative video
Started in 73 with Ilford PlusX and Rodinal. I was studying photography at the time and went through libraries of photographic books. In the B/W category , I noticed an interesting thing in common with just about all the B/W pics , namely that virtually all of them were shot with Kodak Pan F or Tri X and developed in D76 . I tried it and the very first roll I developed and printed , I got great detail in both highlights and shadows . the Ilford/Rodinal combination resulted in chalky highs and muddy lows . After a bit of experimenting and with the very valuable help of my photoschool teacher , I finally got amazing pics with Tri X rated at 200 and D76 diluted ! plus 3 . Not a trace of grain on 16X20 prints and for portrait shots , I printed on Kodak Ektalure . What a Combination . Completely unbeatable ! Sadly , Ektalure seems to no longer exist. Incidentally , this was on 35mm film , using my Pentax Spotmatic which is still in use today and is used often !
When putting the cap back on the developer bottle, squeeze the bottle while screwing the cap on. Air will shorten the life of the developer. Some bottles of developer when they leave the factory already have the bottle squeezed to remove air from the bottle and have it in a bit of a vacuum.
You put a lot of effort and dedication into that test. My experience of developers is like that: The differences between developers are more subtle in reality than most people think. Shadow detail is determined by exposure - highlights by the developer/time. There is no magic bullett developer, you get something, you give something. Stick to 1-2 Films and 1-2 Developer and learn their characteristics - thats all you need. Cheers!
Hi David. I also asked Andrew the same question above but would like to get your opinion as well. I know you're not a huge fan of stand development, but do you have any perspectives on whether any of these developers is better suited for stand development (actually semi-stand to avoid bromide drag)
@@BriteTap Rodinal is the only one of these that I've tried for stand developing. Last night I was developing a bunch of film (some of the 4X5 in stand solution,) and looked at my developers. I was wondering if RPX-D (Spur PXD), Ilfosol 3, Silvermax Developer, and Adotech IV could be used for stand as their typical concentrations are in the same ballpark as Rodinal's. So I'll probably take some text rolls and experiment with different concentrations of those developers to see if they work for stand development. RPX-D is the one I'm most curious about for stand developing.
@@DavidHancock Thanks much David. If you try a few developers, please post the results. I'm a subscriber and will see the posting. I may also play around with several developers.
Worth noting: the cost difference you mention between Ilford Ilfotec HC and Kodak HC-110 is the other way round in the UK- and possibly elsewhere in Europe; so it's often a more affordable option here.
I came to your channel as purely a Fujifilm digital shooter. I stuck around for your film content. So now... Well funnily enough, my first bottle of developer (DD-X) arrived in the post yesterday. Thanks for the inspiration!
I absolutely LOVE D-76. Even more so since vacuum storge containers have become inexpensive. It's been my go-to developer for over 30 years. It's so easy to get good results, and to only mix what one needs for a developing session rather than mix more than is needed and have to store the excess. The newspaper I worked at used D-76 almost exclusively. It's worth noting that storing powdered developer in a vacuum sealed bag in a freezer prolongs the shelf life. As does storing liquid developer in a refrigerator.
I sure appreciate all that went into making this video and impetus behind it. Thank you! Been shooting film for a couple years now and when I first started I tried so many different Chems. I shoot medium format and, as of now, my go to chems are Rodinal and Xtol. Maily use the rodinal for semi-stand and Xtol for normal developing. Been loving the results. I think it is important to note that sticking with one film and developer for a while is a very good thing to do. Really helped me to nail my exposure and development process. To paraphrase what you mentioned in your video. The same film and developer combo can produce myriad results based on time, temperature, agitation, chem ratio, etc. Man, I love film! Thanks again
Some of the best comparative vids on RU-vid for film shooters. I’ll just add one more to your list that ticks the boxes for 1. Full film speed 2. Long lasting 3. High acutance 4. Low grain That is pyrocat Hd in glycol from photographers formulary. Very good developer that I may actually use as a standard when my other developers are gone.
I would consider Pyrocat to be more suitable for regular film shooters though, as it is quite tricky to use for beginners. Plus it's more toxic than most HQ-based developers. But definitely Pyrocat and PMK and other Pyrogallol-based developers are an interesting lot.
First I would like to say thank you so much for taking the time to do this video. Extremely helpful and well put together. Second I want to talk about KEH and my honest experiences, so far. I've had to return 3 Mamiya 645 bodies and 1 Nikon f100 body. 3 listed at excellent (two mamiya and the one nikon) and 1 at bargain. Mamiya bodies had mirror lock up and shutter issues and metered prism wouldn't work. I fully film tested them and replaced batteries, cleaned contacts, etc. The Nikon had a rewind fork issue and would not rewind the film... at all. All these issues could have been avoided and noted if it were properly tested before selling. I'm left to believe that, no, they do not properly test their cameras. I tried calling multiple times to see what condition the bodies were actually in and they refused to give me a detailed answer. I would strongly caution anyone before buying from KEH and to try and check thier Ebay store first to see if the item is listed and try and get detailed answers. Otherwise it's really just a big gamble.
You're welcome. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I've never had any issues with KEH. I would say used gear is a gamble no matter where you go. But the more data the better.
This "Spy vs. Spy" setup reminds me of the 1970's (?) "Black and White Is Coming To America!" ad campaign when Ilford arrived on the U.S. market. The highlighted "White Spy" and Shadowed "Black Spy"-type setting featured female models, a "peaches and cream" White and "Dusky" Black in cheeky poses. Ilford claimed that FP4 could handle the 7 f/stop range easily, which created a set of stunning visuals. Eastman Kodak, caught off guard by these ads, had to hastily proclaim that this tonal range could be handled by Plus-X Pan, as well. Nevertheless, the campaign established Ilford in the U.S. market, and one didn't have to rely only on Freestyle Sales for foreign film. Addendum: Photo Color, a 2 solution plastic bottle C-41 process began challenging Unicolor for the "home darkroom" market about this time. On Monobaths: A photography magazine writer turned on his stopwatch to see how fast he could go from dry, unprocessed film to damp, processed, ready-to-print negatives. In "How to Process Under Pressure," this "stop the presses!" approach to film photography got across the finish line in about 5 minutes.
Second time I have watched this video - first when I was just starting out and now again today. Great information so thanks for your efforts. A tip to make containers airtight for storing liquids and maximising shelf life is to use concertina bottles to expel the air and run a bit of plumbers teflon tape around the top so the cap remains airtight. I also store my chemicals in the refrigerator (much to my wife's disgust).
I think this video is great. I feel like it's a LOT to wrap your head around as well, especially if you're new to this. I bet a chart for only everything mentioned in this video would be a HUGE help. A list of each developers specs and also a cross reference to what you get with each film per developer. To advanced users this may seem like common sense. But, to someone who wants to confidently develop a roll of a certain film without fear of losing their one of a kind shot, memories, a loved one, etc., a chart would be greatly appreciated and invaluable! Your knowledge is
Delta 3200 is actually an ISO 1,000 film if you check out the technical datasheet. The manufacturers' dev times are great, but I have found deeper blacks and really nice shadow detail when pushing 1 stop when shooting at ISO 3200. This film with DD-X is an absolute dream combination!
Keep these coming. I find myself coming back to these for refresher courses. To date I’ve used and love the Rodinal and HC110. These videos tend to have more core value than the other videos where people record themselves talking about themselves, their equipment, their trips and walking around with hokey music. In the end they offer about 2 minutes of mediocre content at best.
Excellent and concise summary. Thank you for sharing. I like D-76 1:1 and DD-X for the results but always have HC-110 and Rodinal on my shelf due to the long shelf life. Rodinal is also good for shooting unknown old and expired films using stand development.
Hey. Thanks a lot for this video. Exactly what i was looking for and couldn't find elsewhere. I already tried c41 processing but thanks to you, i'm going into rodinal :D
Dude y’all are continually putting out good work! Thank you for what you do, these film guides and comparisons are absolutely amazing, and the heart behind it is evident!
Thanks for the review! After looking through your files I liked XTOL the most. Also noted for myself specifically for the T-Max film: Cinestill Fd96: Good shadows, but less dynamic range Kodak XTOL: Best dynamic range, but less sharpness Ilfotec HC: Good DR, best sharpness, decent shadows Kodak HC-110: Similar to Fd96, but better DR (also good for the Tri-X film for the best sharpness while maintaining decent grain)
I have been wanting to get into B&W developing but was confused by the hundreds of developers to choose from. This video is great and answers all my questions.
This video is so damn important. This is the only video I've ever seen that catalogs this many films ISOs and types with this many developers. I can actually match delta 3200 with Ilford Perceptol (for example) thanks to this video. Stellar. Thanks!
I used Rodinal initially, the shelf-life is amazing and it's a really easy to use, no-fuss developer. Eventually I made the switch over to Xtol because I often found Rodinal unflattering. Xtol + Tmax400 results in contrast that is easy to control in post, pleasantly fine grain and high sharpness for 135 film. It actually made me pick up my medium format cameras less frequently because I'm finally pleased with the look of my 135 negatives.
One question, I didn't know that professionals would suggest developing at 75F, although some development charts include these temperatures. Is there any advantage in doing so other than saving some time that I'm not aware of? Cheers..
I'm really not too sure why. I have just heard that many of the pro dip and dunk processing places use higher temperatures. The only advantages I could see is that you can develop more quickly.
Thank you for all the effort and time that it takes to make these guides. The duel exploration of the art and science of photography is what draws me to the pursuit. Seriously, thank you again.
The modern Rodinal hasn't got the long shelf life anymore, some additive(s) aren't available/allowed anymore. I believe one was carcinogenic. ID-11 can be cheaper if you buy the 5 litre package, here in Europe it costs the same as 2x the 1 litre packages. I use ID-11 1+3 as my standard developer for my most used films; FP4+, HP5+ and Delta 100. In this dilution at 20° C, you get a development time of 20 minutes, quite long, but for these 3 films the development has the same time. So I can mix these films in the same tank. And with long development times you won't see little mistakes with the development timing on your negatives. When your using a tank like the Combi-plan, short development times are not working. It takes almost half a minute to drain or fill it, so the bottom half of your sheet film will be longer developed than the top.
Awesome video. My personal (very biased) favorite is Replenished XTOL at 75F in a JOBO. Hands down, the gold standard developer. Very few other developers make negatives that look like negatives ran through replenished XTOL.
@@AndrewGoodCamera Full film speed, and grain characteristics that are just buttery. Think what you see with D-76 1+1 or XTOL 1+1, but better. On top of that, each 80 square inches uses 70ml of developer, so it's also economical if you shoot a lot. Once you go replenished XTOL it's hard to go to anything else. The only downside is that you have work out development times for films that aren't in Kodaks J-109.
@@AdrianBacon Could you, please, share more information on how to develop in Replenished XTol right from the start? I haven't even used ordinary XTOL before. Also, is it possible not to dilute all the powder at once? I don't shoot bw film that often.
@@alexeitarasov5608 1. you have to mix the whole two bags of XTOL all at once. 2. Kodak publishes a manual for XTOL (google Kodak J-109) with full development times and directions. 3. If you want to replenish XTOL, it's a bleed replenishment system, meaning you keep a bottle of working solution and a bottle of stock solution. Pour a bunch of XTOL out of the working solution to use, put 70ml per roll of mixed stock solution in the working solution bottle, use what you poured out to develop some film, then pour it back into the working solution bottle until the bottle is full. Dump any left over down the drain. Keep doing the same thing for every roll. The stock solution mixed from the powder bags is both the working solution and the replenisher. I've run close to a thousand rolls of film through my bottle of working solution and it is extremely consistent and reliable with excellent results. Replenished XTOL is one of the simplest and easiest replenishment systems out there and gives excellent results.
@@AdrianBacon, thank you for your prompt reply! Please, answer me a few more questions: 1. Is saving money the main reason you're using the replenished XTOL or maybe it's also better in terms of quality? 2. What was the volume of your initial working solution? 2.5l of working solution and 2.5 of stock solution? Then the working solution remains the same and stock solution is decreased the more films you develop? 3. What concerns me most of all is the expiration of the stock solution (as well as of the working solution). I don't shoot bw film too much, maybe 15 rolls a year. What's your experience with the XTOL's expiration?
Thanks for a great job! I was searching for information about film developers and I feel I've hit the mother load. I now have a PhD in developers (twelve of them anyway), or at least now I can understand what they are talking about on the different forums, I even learned what 'acutance' means. Thanks again and I will check out your other videos.
Great vid!I use HC-110 with most expired films because it has some fog suppressant. And the bottle of syrup seems to last forever since I only process a 2-3 rolls per month. If I need the detail with fine grain films I use Ilford DD-X. Nice to see a visual comparison of others though. I think we all appreciate your time & effort
Thanks for all the effort you put into this comparison. From my own experience Rodinal is good enough for "traditional" films like HP5+ or Fomapan. For "modern" films like T-Max or Delta Ilford DD-X is much better (although expensive). DD-X also pulls great.
Like to add my thanks for the video, I am just getting back into B&W Films and I did want to start developing my films. I did do developing many years ago in college. You did an excellent job making life in selecting a developer much easier.
Sweet video. I shot 35mm black and white, took a break and have been shooting digitally and now am going back to film, this time on a medium format camera. ACROS was one of my favorite films in 35 and through doing some research I've heard that Fuji should be re-releasing the film this year, named ACROS II. I'd love to see a review on it when it comes out. I'll certainly be buying up some of it as soon as it comes out. Great channel! Long live film!
Your videos are great -- really helpful contributions to the vast body of information on film photography. I really appreciate the systematic and thorough approach you take.
I'm a neophyte to home developing and appreciate your breakdown. It's certainly given me good direction. Thank you for the strong work. Suggestions? You could always go into greater detail with a specific film and developer. It would create more channel content.
Nice work. My own experience: All the well known brands produce good developers (and bw films). My combination is Rodinal with APX Agfa 100 ISO 135 film. Stay with your set up and experiment and gain experience with your combination film developer. Professional photographers have good results because they know the material they use in and out and they know the limits. It is more the experience and not so much the camera or film or developer they use. There are many developers (film brands, cameras, objectives.....) but this is MY developer. Anyway I really enjoy the clip and the work you have done. Great.
Another great review! Soo much work you've must have put in and you should know that it is highly appreciated! My favourite developer is DD-X, but then I only use Ilford Delta 100, 400 and sometimes 3200. (I do not see any softening in either the 100, 400 or 3200) I used to use Kodak T-Max, but after testing Ilford for me there was no going back! Put simply: I am an Ilford guy! :)
Hi Andrew. Thanks again for this video. I started off developing TriX 400 in Adox Rodinal. Since a while I develop TriX 400 with a 1 + 1 dilution of Xtol. It gives such clean results. I will probably never go back to Rodinal. Finer grain, beautiful highlights, great sharpness, more shadow detail,... For people who love shooting TriX it is a really awesome. The only downside is the 5 liter jug. But even then it is so easy to use. No seringue. Just easy mixing. Cheers man.
Excellent information - thanks for all the hard work - I know this couldn't have been easy! I have settled on HC-110 mainly because I do not have the time to test all kinds of developers for various situations/film types. I know it gives good results, and hey! Ansel Adams preferred it, so it can't be bad! Cheers!
As far as I know Perceptol was not designed for fast films, on the contrary, it is well suited for low to medium speed. It does actually decrease film speed thus needing to overexpose a bit. Great guide btw!
Watch out for Blazinal. I was enthusiatic when this product got available in Canada. The sad thing about this formula is that it doens't last. After some 2 years, it ended up doing a sudden death of my film (comparable somehow to the XTol) even though I was using it as a one shot developer. Same thing happened to a friend of mine using Blazinal. I finally got hold of a distributor of Adox in Canada and order from him their Rodinal. Keep your good work!
I would add Fomadon Excel which is Xtol clone and it's cheap in Europe, I think it's the best one from whole Foma's lineup. Very nice results, I use it for everything from slow to fast films, it gets me good film speed with detailed shadows and low grain. There should be also more from Adox, for example the Silvermax developer which works best with their Silvermax film (that's a little gem in itself since it's old Agfa? stock with high silver content which if remade today would be several times more expensive) delivering wide tonal range. Xtol isn't contrasty developer itself but with films like Rollei RPX 25/Retro 80s or Fujifilm Acros (sadly discontinued already) you will get tons of contrast for your pleasure.
I have used nothing but Tmax Dev for the past six years. Once my current stock runs out I will be making the switch to Xtol as I shoot mainly Tri-X. The smoothness and tonal range via Xtol + Tri-X is something that is much more desirable.
djnato10 I’m not a huge fan of the Tmax developer. Which is strange to me because I primarily shoot tmax100. I have gotten much better results with rodinal, which is what I use at home. I also want to try xtol as I have heard it works well with tmax
Everytime I watch your videos I am blown away. Huge undertaking for film, not even including the digital editing. There are so many ways to develop, its mind blowing. Im lazy so I do Stand development with rodinal or my homemade rodinal. Xtol with anything over 400. Is HC-110 still made anymore ? I always hated that syrup ! Mixing it is a pain. I have always used kodak developer but I have started using Ilford.
Denae & Andrew Well that is great news ! Last time I heard about it like 5 years ago the rumor was they were ending it. I will go look for it. I do like the liquid developers. Xtol is the only one I mix and store all developers in these: www.freestylephoto.biz/1618202-Premier-Storage-Tank-2-Gallon
Thank you fo making the video, I plan to start developing my black and white film in the upcoming month. Still deciding whether I should use D76 or Kodak HC.
Kodak recently discontinued HC110 and XTOL!!! Why?!?! those were the best two! I came back to this video after years of using XTOL and I guess I'll go with D-76 or Rodinol...
Looking at the prominent health warnings on the Ilford containers, it would be nice to have a video that outlines recommended methods for safe handling and disposal of the chemicals.
Found at the right moment. Wanted to buy some new developer and without this video I had to try them out 1 by 1. Hope for a second video with Rollei, Tetanal (Ultrafin (+T-plus), Blue), Compard (R09 Special) maybe Spur. Whatever thank you and your sponsor! just like your film comparison, it helped me a lot.
Great video! In the EU, you can get a bottle of HC110 for about €29, if you reuse your chemicals (dilution B) 4 times, as stated on the bottle, you can get about 400 rolls developed with one litre, which works out at about 7c a roll! Great all purpose developer that last a good while. of course other developers would be better for specific looks or tasks
Great video! Personally I use xtol, I do find it does have a slight yellow 'ish tinge at the end of its life. Powered developers are also super cheap to ship too! You are right, about 8 months is all I get before it expires.
I like the Cinestill DF 96 it may not be particularly faster but it is easier and I get good Negatives. I used to use D-76 all the time. Great comparisons! I will try Rodinol.
Very nice job, thanks. XTOL and Rodinal for me. I would agree with one of the comments below - my recent experience with KEH has been mixed at best. If they inspect, some of their inspectors need to be retrained.
Nice compilation and great (consistent) sample pictures. However, I think you forgot (to at least mention) Caffenol - I would have loved to see it compared to some of the commercial ones. Thank you very much for your efforts - I enjoyed this a lot.
@@AndrewGoodCamera ...but why? It has 4 ingredients. D76 has only three... Is it because you can buy them at Walmart? People (with some skills and scales) get consistent results that are no better or worse (but subject to the same questions of taste) as commercially bought ones. And the recipes (some basic ones) are as publicly available as Talbot made his...
I'm sure it's fine. But it's easier to make rodinal at home with better results, imo. So I feel like people are interested in it simply for the novelty. That serious photographers wouldn't use it. I could certainly be wrong. That's just been my impression
@@AndrewGoodCamera Sounds like you never tried it. You would be in for a big surprise. IMHO Rodinal does not per se give you better (or worse) results. It's all in the process (you know that). It just surprises me that you're putting it off as "not serious", "novelty", "not easy", when you have not even tried it once. (...and while citing the per frame price for the other developers, there's another good reason to at least mention it...) Keep up the good work!
Did you tried Ilfotec LC29? I am using ID-11, but I do not like the sort self life, and now I am reusing it, but I want to use a one shot developer instead, It can be done with ID-11 to, with 1:1 or 1:3, but LC29 seams easier to use for that purpose. (I heard bad things about the Ilfosol 3)
Thank you for this great video. Taught me a lot of things I didn't know. Personally I love the HC110, but I also have Xtol and Rodinal at hand which I also use frequently. At the moment I am experimenting with Fomadon Excel, and so far I am impressed by this one in terms of fine grain, but it seems to be a bit weak on shadow detail. I normally shoot box speed, but when pushing I use HC110.
@@AndrewGoodCamera I'm very happy with it actually. It's is an Xtol clone and the price is not that different, but the foma one is available as 1L packages which is very convenient. On the negative side I find excel more difficult to mix.
In the past D76 and Ilford Ilfosol s (now 3) but nowadays Rodinal if I want to have a grainy look or XTol as an all rounder, easy to print negatives and nice contrast especially in bright situations
