Beginner!!! Plan to develop own film - Am I missing anything?

[andybarton]

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On 4/15/2022 at 3:34 PM, ejg1890 said:

Now that I plan to develop my own film (due to development costs) additional research and understanding of the film/developer relationship is needed. I have learned there are different types of film not just film speed as well as types of developers. For best results the needs to be an appropriate match between the film type and speed with the target group of that developer. If you prefer to shot multiple types of film then you may need to have 2-3 different types of developer depending if you shot high speed, fine grain, T-grain or push/pull your film. 

Quite right.

Even today, when you consider the number of films still available, the number of developers, the ability to push and pull film almost as many stops as you like, differing development techniques (stand, six inversions a minute, two inversions a minute), different developing times, etc, etc, the combinations are huge.

You HAVE to start from a known point and you HAVE to write everything down - your recipe book, if you will. You will come across a film and developer and technique that gives you exactly what YOU want. Hang everyone else - everyone has their own opinion, and taste. If you like a grainy, contrasty, blocked out image, then who is anyone else to say that is wrong?

On 4/15/2022 at 4:11 PM, Doug A said:

The best bet to get started is to select a film and a developer from the same manufacturer, shoot the film at box speed, and follow the manufacturer's processing instructions to the letter. Ilford HP5 Plus film with Ilfotec DD-X developer would be one good choice. (Despite what I have written on this topic I have _never_ recommended Rodinal as a first developer.)

The best online source I have found for film and chemicals is Freestyle.

Good advice for a starting point here. As is the Massive Development Chart - that is what I used.

[ejg1890]

I did it!!!!  Success. I developed my first 2 rolls of B&W tonight. There are images on both rolls of Ilford HP5+.  Really only 2 problems:

1. After several successful test attempts I went for real and immediately ran into problems. I eventully realized the reel had not been locked into place and as I got near the end the film came off track and had to respool. Their happened twice before realizing the 2 sides where not properly locked into place. The 3r respool on that roll was successful. No issues on roll 2.
2. After developing and hanging the rolls to dry both ended up on the floor. Never crossed my mind to practice hanging the film!!!!  One of the rolls has a couple of photos that may have gotten creased when they fell as they aren’t hanging right.

No I have no way at the moment to know how they really turned out but there are distinguishable items on the roll that I know what, when and where they were taken. So that’s a start for the first couple of rolls.

Thanks to all for your information and suggestions, etc. It was greatly appreciated.

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[Aryel]

3 hours ago, ejg1890 said:

I did it!!!!  Success. I developed my first 2 rolls of B&W tonight. There are images on both rolls of Ilford HP5+.  Really only 2 problems:

1. After several successful test attempts I went for real and immediately ran into problems. I eventully realized the reel had not been locked into place and as I got near the end the film came off track and had to respool. Their happened twice before realizing the 2 sides where not properly locked into place. The 3r respool on that roll was successful. No issues on roll 2.
2. After developing and hanging the rolls to dry both ended up on the floor. Never crossed my mind to practice hanging the film!!!!  One of the rolls has a couple of photos that may have gotten creased when they fell as they aren’t hanging right.

No I have no way at the moment to know how they really turned out but there are distinguishable items on the roll that I know what, when and where they were taken. So that’s a start for the first couple of rolls.

Thanks to all for your information and suggestions, etc. It was greatly appreciated.

Congratulations 😊

I also did number 2 😂.

Hope the negatives will turn out to be great!

[Sandokan]

Both these testers have posted images by which to judge. 

https://skrasnov.com/film-developing-rodinal-fomadon-r09/

"Despite its long history, Rodinal still remains a very popular film developer thanks to its advantages:

1. High edge sharpness and low veil. Film negatives developed in Rodinal look much sharper than those developed in Kodak D-76. It is especially visible when zooming scanned images to 100%;

2. Contrast control with different dilutions of the concentrate;

3. One-shot development leads to stable results;

It is believed that the processing with the Rodinal developer results in grainier film negatives. However, it is a subjective feeling. In fact, the grain is the same but Rodinal makes it more clearly visible because of its high edge sharpness."

https://www.seawood.shop/blogs/seawood-blog/developer-comparison-hc-110-vs-xtol-vs-rodinal/ 

"Rodinal is also a liquid concentrate which is known for lasting a LONG time and has a number of dilution options. It tends to have a much more course grain when used with higher speed films and is not recommended for pushing film. While it is considered grainier, the edge acutance can give more punch and more perceived sharpness. These tests were done at a 1:50 Dilution. "

[Ornello]

On 5/1/2022 at 3:15 AM, Sandokan said:

Both these testers have posted images by which to judge. 

https://skrasnov.com/film-developing-rodinal-fomadon-r09/

"Despite its long history, Rodinal still remains a very popular film developer thanks to its advantages:

1. High edge sharpness and low veil. Film negatives developed in Rodinal look much sharper than those developed in Kodak D-76. It is especially visible when zooming scanned images to 100%;

2. Contrast control with different dilutions of the concentrate;

3. One-shot development leads to stable results;

It is believed that the processing with the Rodinal developer results in grainier film negatives. However, it is a subjective feeling. In fact, the grain is the same but Rodinal makes it more clearly visible because of its high edge sharpness."

https://www.seawood.shop/blogs/seawood-blog/developer-comparison-hc-110-vs-xtol-vs-rodinal/ 

"Rodinal is also a liquid concentrate which is known for lasting a LONG time and has a number of dilution options. It tends to have a much more course grain when used with higher speed films and is not recommended for pushing film. While it is considered grainier, the edge acutance can give more punch and more perceived sharpness. These tests were done at a 1:50 Dilution. "

Rodinal is the devil's work!

[Sandokan]

5 hours ago, Ornello said:

Rodinal is the devil's work!

But it is not boring