Low grain FP4 developer

[BadRad]

I'm using ID-11 to process FP4 from a Pentax 645. Wondering about advice re: lower grain developers from Ilford, etc. and any tradeoffs? Thx.


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[john.margetts]

FP4+ hopefully - unless you are like me and have 50 feet of very old film.

ID11 is a fine grain developer - use it more dilute and it should produce finer grain. I use it diluted 1:3. The Pentax 645 is a medium format camera so I would have thought grain was closer to invisible anyway.

 

[timor]

I'm using ID-11 to process FP4 from a Pentax 645. Wondering about advice re: lower grain developers from Ilford, etc. and any tradeoffs? Thx.

Hi.
Do you print in darkroom ? Or just scan and go digital ?
Fine grain may come with trade-offs like contrast and acutation. ID-11 is a copy of D76. The way this developer works is to over-produce grain and then dissolved some of this silver. Grain, when enlarged big looks not to nice. Diluting developer 1+1, and some goes even 1+2 improves look of grain but cuts into contrast. If you go digital contrast matters more. If you wet print there are others way to grow grain nicely.

 

[Light Guru]

Stand developing will produce finer grain.

 

[compur]

There's usually a trade-off between fine grain and acutance.

Have you tried XTol? It's quite good with medium to fast films ... or any film for that matter.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

I have been running FP4 in DD-x and really like the results. Ill admit its not super low grain but its far lower than the rolls I have run in Rodinol.

If you want really fine grain give PanF (Ilfords ISO 50) film a try. Ill admit its tough in low light but its by far the best if you are looking for fine grain.

You can take a look at my album here as well as the one here all we developed in DD-X and should be tagged with the film type (its either PanF or FP4 on pretty much everything). Scans were done on my V800 (please excuse the dust on some of them).

 

[timor]

I have been running FP4 in DD-x and really like the results. Ill admit its not super low grain but its far lower than the rolls I have run in Rodinol.

If you want really fine grain give PanF (Ilfords ISO 50) film a try. Ill admit its tough in low light but its by far the best if you are looking for fine grain.

You can take a look at my album here as well as the one here all we developed in DD-X and should be tagged with the film type (its either PanF or FP4 on pretty much everything). Scans were done on my V800 (please excuse the dust on some of them).

i like pictures in your albums. are you using camera with inbuilt meter ?

 

[Dave Colangelo]

i like pictures in your albums. are you using camera with inbuilt meter ?

Depends on the photo. All of the medium format stuff is with my Hasselblad 500C/M or a Rolleiflex 3.5 for those I use a hand held Gossen Sixtomat meter. The 35mm stuff is mainly with a Nikon F3 which has an internal meter and is almost always run in A mode (which is auto but really aperture priority). There is some stuff out on there as well that I shot with a Rollei 35, mine does not have a working meter so the Sixtomat was used with that.

 

[timor]

i like pictures in your albums. are you using camera with inbuilt meter ?

Depends on the photo. All of the medium format stuff is with my Hasselblad 500C/M or a Rolleiflex 3.5 for those I use a hand held Gossen Sixtomat meter. The 35mm stuff is mainly with a Nikon F3 which has an internal meter and is almost always run in A mode (which is auto but really aperture priority). There is some stuff out on there as well that I shot with a Rollei 35, mine does not have a working meter so the Sixtomat was used with that.

It is nice looking lightmeter. I don't want to hijack this thread but if you are willing to post pictures from Vermont Collection in own thread, maybe in Darkroom section, we might discuss few things about them.

 

[timor]

To add to the main topic. A good read is always valuable.
The Online Darkroom: Barry Thornton articles
photo technique magazine » The Evolution of Exactol: How I Created My Special Monochrome Developer
Barry Thornton is well known photographic alchemist and he was in the business of selling his formulas. But he was deep down an honest guy at the bottom of all noise he admits. It is not that important which formula one is using, more important is how one is using it. In this matter far too many guys is just stuck with factory recommendations only.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

It is nice looking lightmeter. I don't want to hijack this thread but if you are willing to post pictures from Vermont Collection in own thread, maybe in Darkroom section, we might discuss few things about them.

Im happy to discuss any of them, please feel free to start a thread with which ever ones you want to discuss and ill throw in some info on how they were captured.