Re: Film/Developer recommendations for BTZS
Thanks all!
To be clear, I am definitely planning on using the BTZS tubes for development and I am very interested in BTZS for exposure metering, etc. I have purchased the BTZS book by Phil Davies and am working my way though it in a non-linear way.
The only reason why I mentioned BTZS is the 2 ounce (60 ml) capacity of the BTZS caps which hold the developer. I know that some highly diluted developer solutions such as Rodinal 1:100 might become exhausted because there isn't enough active developer.
Although I liked XTOL, I do prefer the convenience of a liquid developer. I may give DD-X another shot. It's also readily available where I live.
As for film recommendations... As I mentioned, I really like Acros, especially for its reciprocity characteristics, but I question Fuji's commitment to film. I feel slightly more confident in Kodak film, since there recent sell-off. Ultimately I feel like I should support Ilford because they are the most committed to continuing film.
I realize nobody can predict the future. I should probably just shoot the film I enjoy and not worry about it.
Re: Film/Developer recommendations for BTZS
The point of high-dilution Rodinal is to get adjacency effects and compensation, which implies (semi-)stand development. BTZS tubes are for continuous agitation only, therefore they're fundamentally incompatible with stand development: both in the agitation pattern they require and their liquid capacity. If you like the semi-stand approach then try a MOD54 tank or similar. More-concentrated Rodinal is fine for rotary; I use 1+50 regularly in my Jobo.
I find XTOL extremely convenient; I mix up the 5L into a spring-water bag-in-box thing and leave it on the shelf under my Jobo; it lasts for a year or more. Developer on-tap, straight into the graduated cylinder and far more convenient than faffing about with syringes and syrup and trying to get the damn HC-110 to go into solution instead of staring up at you insolently from the bottom of the beaker.
I too love Acros in 120 but its pricing in 4x5 (as much as a chrome!) is stupid. TMX is sorta-kinda similar and Delta 100 not far behind. Acros is between those two in terms of grain but has the best reciprocity characteristics by far. Delta is grainier (but this is LF so who cares?) and has better red sensitivity than Acros, so I would suggest that as a starting point if you want to support Ilford. I personally love TMY2 - it's quite fine enough in the larger (6x7, 4x5") sizes and the extra 2 or 3 stops is really handy. Pricy though at nearly 2x as much as Delta or HP5.
Re: Film/Developer recommendations for BTZS
If you are thinking of Ilford, you should check out Delta 100. It's a film that Phil Davis really like the film curves.
For reciprocity Phil Davis did an article for the D-Max Newsletter (Volume 9, Issue 4) and the results are really surprising. Reciprocity varies depending upon the developer used. It is the only actual test of reciprocities of different film & developer combinations I have ever seen. The reciprocity data is part of the ExpoDev file that is exported from the Plotter for PC program.
I did a video showing ExpoDev on my youtube channel - using it on my iPad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At4v...60JeQ&index=13
Phil David loved photographing at night & every workshop we did we would take the students photographing at night.
I think that is why he did the reciprocity testing.
Fred Newman
Re: Film/Developer recommendations for BTZS
Quote:
Originally Posted by
frednewman
The reciprocity data is part of the ExpoDev file that is exported from the Plotter for PC program.
What films does ExpoDev have reciprocity data for?