Another option I forgot about is Clayton F76, I have used it and like it very much. It is marketed as a lquid concentrate version of D76. I use a number of different Clayton chemicals and have found all very good. Their P20 developer is my primary paper developer and their Archival Fix is excellent.
Another option is to shoot 8x10 film. You'll use so much that your chemicals will appear to vanish right before your eyes, so you won't have to worry about the shelf life of your stock solution.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Wow, 6 pages on this. What you need to do is go to the Massive Development Chart and try ALL the developers and times and mixes for your film choice. Then ultimately you'll wind up at D76 and write a date on the bottle, and throw it away after 6 months.
But just to blur the waters even more, at home I use PyrocatHD and love it. Mix it myself. Lasts forever. Cheap cheap cheap. But at work, all I have is a bag of questionable ancestry Dektol. So if I develop b/w film at work, I mix 1 gram / 100 ml H2O, enough to cover the film, pour it in after a pre-soak, swish for 30 seconds and walk away from it for about 18 minutes. Stand development. Then I throw it away. Doesn't get any cheaper than that, and the grain and curve are really pretty nice. Aerial Recon Plus X.
I use a film developer with glycin in it. It keeps a very long time in its stock solution. A curiosity with this chemical since its shelf life as a dry powder is abysmal. No one has explained to me the cause of this backwards behavior.
I just bring up to suggest that some formulas do seem to oxidize more rapidly than others. Factors may include developing agents, preservative levels, ph, and solution concentration.
LOL yea also your wallet will appear to vanish also..... has anyone ever used 777 Panthermic film developer? http://www.largeformatphotography.in...film-developerOriginally Posted by John Kasaian
Another option is to shoot 8x10 film. You'll use so much that your chemicals will appear to vanish right before your eyes, so you won't have to worry about the shelf life of your stock solution.
How true, how true. I usually use Pyrocat HD but am out of town and shooting 8x10. Wanted to process my film and was able to pick up a package of D76 at a local camera store and sure enough I'm just about through a gallon. So just one more reason to shoot 8x10.Another option is to shoot 8x10 film. You'll use so much that your chemicals will appear to vanish right before your eyes, so you won't have to worry about the shelf life of your stock solution.
As far as developer I've been very happy with Pyrocat HD in Glycol, which is easy to use and has very good shelf life.
Roger
Roger
Wow. 6 pages just like Jim Galli remarked. I went through the same dilemma of throwing away stuff. Recently, I started making my own developers and couldn't be happier. I do not make a single cent from my photography. It's just for fun and at times I don't have anything to process for months.
I settled on 510-pyro, portrait pyro, and D-23.
Anil Bharucha
i usually process film for about 1¢ / sheet using a coffee based developer with about 1oz of ansco 130 in it .
stand develop for 30mins ... and reuse 2L of it for about 6months ... lasts about 200 sheets ( paper and film combined )
its almost as easy as jim's dektol trick ...
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Another vote for Sprint developer. Great, easy to use developer.
On the other hand, you can easily stick with D76 and just throw out the remainder after 6 months. It remains very inexpensive.
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