Good Film Chemicals for Ilford Delta 100 and HP5 400

[psreilly]

Anybody got suggestions on good chemicals for the two 120mm films (B&W)? I prefer a little higher contrast, but not too much. I heard D-76 was pretty good with contrast. Also suggestions on stop wash and fixers would be appreciated

 

[ann]

HC110 solution B, any stop bath, kodak or ilford. I like Ilford fixer as the times are shorter for fixing, (different chemical ratios than Kodak)

 

[gsgary]

Ilfotec DDX

 

[timor]

D76 and HC110 used by the book are good, but not great developers. DDX is much better, my choices would be even more exotic like Exactol Lux. If you are total beginner you might make mistakes with mixing HC110 solution B, I would suggest to use syringe and mix directly HC110 concentrate just before use. I use it at 1+49 ratio (6ml + 294ml of water) and for Delta 100 time at 20C would be 8.5-9.5 min with normal agitation. D76 will make mashed potatoes from Delta grain, in turn that will lower the sharpness. Films like Delta or Tmax do not need fine grain developers, more important is preserving the grain structure. Use D76 at 1:3 ratio FilmDev | rbit9n's recipe | Ilford Delta 100 in Kodak D-76 1:3

 

[psreilly]

Thanks for the replies all