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Development problems


baalan

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Hi everyone. Just developed my FP4 negs today using D76 and after I took them out to hang them up I sould hardly see the image. Development time for this film is supposed to be 8.5 min at 1-1. Is it possible that it was over developed? The developer is fresh and so is the stop bath and fixer(both Ilford). Anyone have any ideas as to what could have happened?

 

Dean

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Is the negative thin or weak (clear with just a little image) or heavy (very dark over entire negative also with little image)? I believe thin or weak would be too short a development or too cold a developer, and the opposite for a very dark negative. What was the temperature too?

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Clear with just a little image. The development times I used were from a couple of web sites but both listed time of of 8.5 and the temp was dead on. This is the first time this has happened to my negatives so I was a little shocked. I'll try Ilfords time of eleven minutes with my next roll. I'm also trying FP4 rated at 200asa and developing at fifteen minutes according to their data. Guess that's tomorrows project. Thanks for the info.

 

Dean

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I expose FP4 at the recommended 125 ISO, and according to the Massive Development Chart, I develop it in D76 (1+1) for 11 mins, agitating on the minute, stop, then fix for 5 mins and their recommendations work out perfectly for me. Well developed negs and easy to scan.

 

On the last roll the developer was a couple of degrees C too warm but reducing the time slightly corrected that.

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Hmm.. thinking back to yesterday I think I over agitated as well. I'll scan the negs and see if I can salvage anything. I've developed quite a few rolls of Delta and FP4. I don't know what I was thinking of at the time:rolleyes:. I'll do my next roll today.

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Hmm.. thinking back to yesterday I think I over agitated as well. I'll scan the negs and see if I can salvage anything. I've developed quite a few rolls of Delta and FP4. I don't know what I was thinking of at the time:rolleyes:. I'll do my next roll today.

 

If you over agitated, the negatives would be more dense, not less dense. Over agitation on 35mm film may result in denser areas extending from the sprocket holes.

 

A difference of development time from 11 minutes to 8.5 minutes is not enough to result in extremely thin negatives. (Assuming yours are extremely thin - I can't say without seeing them.)

 

Either your developer was not mixed correctly, was old, or your film was significantly under-exposed.

 

You could try using chemical intensification.

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If the temp was less than 20C that will also influence development time.

 

Questions:

- Can you read the markings above/below the sprocket holes clearly?

- Is the leader that was exposed to light as you loaded the camera properly black?

 

Carl

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Well, just finished my second roll. It's better and scanable but it's still not what a normal neg should look like. I think it's my developer. It's fresh but I don't think it was mixed right. The negs come out looking underexposed. I know my R8 meter is spot on and my daughters previous negs I developed turned out. I'm going into Vancouver on Sat to get some new developer. I'd like to get something that I don't have to mix a gallon quantity up. Other than D76, what Ilford developer is a good match for FP4?

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Well, just finished my second roll. It's better and scanable but it's still not what a normal neg should look like. I think it's my developer. It's fresh but I don't think it was mixed right. The negs come out looking underexposed. I know my R8 meter is spot on and my daughters previous negs I developed turned out. I'm going into Vancouver on Sat to get some new developer. I'd like to get something that I don't have to mix a gallon quantity up. Other than D76, what Ilford developer is a good match for FP4?

Hi

 

Any of the Ilford developers will do for FP4 the ones sold as liquids are easier to keep but dont last for ever if you are only shooting one cassette per month.

 

I use Rodinal or one of its clones as they will all last for decades.

 

Noel

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The only problem with Rodinal that I have found is that, in my experience, it can give you grainy negatives.

 

Rodinal from the 19C is still capable of developing negs though, so it should outlast most of us here... :)

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