I wouldn't trust my chemical knowledge, I'm a physics guy. So, I'm willing to be a simple consumer insofar as developers are concerned. Remember the Nike slogan "just do it !" . Concentrate on one step at a time; get prepared, put the film into the tank...then, you're committed. Go for it! Once you're in the grove, it'll be as if you had never stopped. Dave ________________________________ From: Aram Langhans <leica_r8@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Thu, July 1, 2010 4:03:39 PM Subject: [LRflex] Re: Darkroom / film-developer combinations I have 4 rolls of film waiting to be developed. Can't seem to get up the gumption to do it. One is 2 years old. You mentioned Rodinal. That for years has been my favorite developer. The grain is not too bad, and the sharpness is exceptional. In latter years I got to mixing a bit of a ascorbate, or in my case ascorbic acid neutralized with a bit of baking soda, if I remember correctly, and that decreased the grain quite a bit. If you can find some sodium ascorbate that is easier than the ascorbic acid approach, but with a bit of chemical knowledge it is not too bad.. Might give that a try and see how you like it. My film of choice was FP4. Maybe this summer I will get brave and soup my 4 rolls, then shoot a bit more for old time sake, since I still have some in the freezer. Aram -------------------------------------------------- From: "David Simms" <simmszee@xxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 9:27 AM To: <leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [LRflex] Darkroom / film-developer combinations > Recently, I picked up a nearly-new 28mm f2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH to go with the > 35mm Summicron ASPH that I had managed to get a very good deal on, several > years ago. I thought it was time to have a look at film-developer > combinations in order to be sure I was maximizing the potential of these > lenses. > Lately, my subject matter has been nature and I usually use a leica > tabletop tripod to stabilize the camera on nearby trees, rocks or whatever > is handy. > > I've done a fair bit of research and I'm willing to accept the word of > folks who have done extensive testing of films and developers because I > have no desire to reinvent the wheel. I simply want to have the materials > I need and to get to know them by using them and to be assured that the > results will be as close as possible to optimal. > > I've settled on Delta 100, developed in Ilfotec DDX, as my film of choice. > I have used Delta 100 in both Ilfotec HC and in HC110 and I found the > results to be satisfactory but I haven't done side-by-side comparisons > because I've changed lenses too. I am more than satisfied with the Delta > 100/DDX combination. > > I had been curious about Rodinal. It has the advantages of nearly infinite > shelf life, particularly when stored in glass bottles - not plastic- and > great edge sharpness -acuteness. It can also be used at different > dilutions in order to achieve particular effects. Nevertheless, I decided > to shelve Rodinal although I'd like to try using it with Pan-X or FP4. > Although it produces remarkable edge sharpness, Rodinal is considered to > be a grainy developer. I can appreciate that feature and I don't really > consider it to be undesirable but, this is a matter of the subject matter > and the photographer's taste. > > DDX is thought to produce amazing results with Delta 3200. I don't use > 3200 very often but under the conditions in which I would use it, it is > just about "the only show in town". So, i thought that standardizing on > DDX would enhance my limited flirtations with Delta 3200. > > I ran across an interesting tip for maximizing the shelf life of > developers. One individual adds glass marbles to his container of > developer as he uses it. This reduces the amount of air in the bottle and > slows down the oxidation of the developer. I'll try this and I'll also try > to find a suitable glass container in which to keep my DDX. > > So, this is just a report on my reading of different forums. It's nothing > earth shaking but, some may find it to be of interest. More, later. > > Dave, in Clearwater, BC > > > > > ------ > Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: > http://www.lrflex.furnfeather.net/ > Archives are at: > //www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/ > ------ Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: http://www.lrflex.furnfeather.net/ Archives are at: //www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/ ------ Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: http://www.lrflex.furnfeather.net/ Archives are at: //www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/