So many kinds of developer, which one...

[MrEd31]

I have only used t-max and sprint developer at school. I am thinking of buying my own developer. I would like to get something that reduces grain size. I understand that Ilford's Perceptol works well with fp4+ and pan f?

Sometimes when I've manipulated my development time, or tried to enlarge to 11 x 14, I lose more resolution than desired.

Can anyone recommend a certain developer for this purpose?
thanx in advance!

 

[Mitica100]

I used in the past Xtol made by Kodak, with very fine grain development. If you're really into shooting 35mm with grain so small that it cannot be seen unless you enlarge negatives to 11x14, 16x20 (and then very little) I would recommend using Technical film developed in its own special developer. It's a little tricky when agitating but once you master it, it's fine.

Right now I use Rodinal, back to the basics, I guess. I love the crispness of the prints and also the contrast. Tmax has always been somewhat of a problem for me, although when I drop an occasional BW film to be done at the lab (and they use Tmax) it comes out alright. I guess it is me, after all...