HP5+ in HC-110

[Regular Rod]

Have you considered using OBSIDIAN AQUA instead of HC110? It is much less money for much better negatives...

RR

Better in what way? Can you show some examples?

Yes certainly, the film speed of 400 ISO is still maintained (no need to overexpose by rating it at 320, 200 etc.), the contrast is better, the negatives are sharper and the range of tones possible is greater than the results from negatives developed in HC110. OBSIDIAN AQUA costs less to make up, lasts indefinitely (as does HC110) and at 1:500 standard dilution is very economical in use.

Here is an example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/regular...in/photostream

RR

[LuisR]

Yes certainly, the film speed of 400 ISO is still maintained (no need to overexpose by rating it at 320, 200 etc.), the contrast is better, the negatives are sharper and the range of tones possible is greater than the results from negatives developed in HC110. OBSIDIAN AQUA costs less to make up, lasts indefinitely (as does HC110) and at 1:500 standard dilution is very economical in use.

Here is an example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/regular...in/photostream

RR

Is Obsidian Aqua commercially available as a premixed developer or is it strictly a brew-your-own basis? Thanks.

[Regular Rod]

Is Obsidian Aqua commercially available as a premixed developer or is it strictly a brew-your-own basis? Thanks.

It is a recipe that you mix yourself. It is very easy to make up, (or I wouldn't be able to use it).

Check this out including the comments. Jay the inventor of OBSIDIAN AQUA is a very generous man with his time and proved very helpful to me when I started out using it. http://hypercatacutancedeveloper.blo...dian-aqua.html

Here are the quantities I use when I make up the stock solutions and the dilutions for working solutions:

OBSIDIAN AQUA

Solution A
Distilled Water - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 300 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - -350 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - -700 ml
Sodium Metabisulphite - - - - - - - - - - 8 g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 g
Catechol - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 100 g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 125 g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 250 g
Distilled Water to make - - - - - - - - - 400 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -500 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 litre

Solution B (Concentrate)
Distilled Water - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 litres
Sodium Carbonate Anhydrous - - - - - 1 kilo
Distilled Water to make - - - - - - - - - 5 litres



Working Solution
Solution A - - - - - - - - - - - 1 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1.2 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 ml
Solution B - - - - - - - - - - - 12.5 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - -15 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - 25 ml
Tap Water to make - - - - - -500 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - 600 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 litre

"Try 12 minutes @ 20 deg C semi-stand to start with..." (this is my N time and routine, for all films, you can even develop different emulsion films together in the same tank/tray you don't need different times for different emulsions, you will still need to determine the time that suits your work best, just as you do with any developer the first few times you use it...)


RR

[Ari]

Rod, thank you for the explanation, the link, and you have a great little set of photos.

[Regular Rod]

My Pleasure and thank you too. I've just edited the post above to include the quantities I make up, usually I go for the 400ml Solution A ...

RR

[selmslie]

Hey randy ....tell us how it turns out.... just got a box of HP+ myself.... considering Tmax RS or HC110 in a jobo... Kodak is getting to expensive

I just finished a comparison of developers for 4x5 FP4+ in a tray, one sheet at a time in 500ml. I tried HC110-B and H, Rodinal 1+50 and T-Max 1+4. All had similar grain, sharpness and contrast.

Only the Tmax came out a little soft - just as well since it would have also been the most expensive to use.

I would expect HP5+ to be only slightly grainier.

[photobymike]

selmslie ...was that tmax regular or was it tmax rs? you tested? The dilution of any developer has a big effect on grain and sharpness perception.

[StoneNYC]

It is a recipe that you mix yourself. It is very easy to make up, (or I wouldn't be able to use it).

Check this out including the comments. Jay the inventor of OBSIDIAN AQUA is a very generous man with his time and proved very helpful to me when I started out using it. http://hypercatacutancedeveloper.blo...dian-aqua.html

Here are the quantities I use when I make up the stock solutions and the dilutions for working solutions:

OBSIDIAN AQUA

Solution A
Distilled Water - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 300 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - -350 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - -700 ml
Sodium Metabisulphite - - - - - - - - - - 8 g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 g
Catechol - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 100 g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 125 g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 250 g
Distilled Water to make - - - - - - - - - 400 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -500 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 litre

Solution B (Concentrate)
Distilled Water - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 litres
Sodium Carbonate Anhydrous - - - - - 1 kilo
Distilled Water to make - - - - - - - - - 5 litres



Working Solution
Solution A - - - - - - - - - - - 1 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1.2 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 ml
Solution B - - - - - - - - - - - 12.5 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - -15 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - 25 ml
Tap Water to make - - - - - -500 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - - 600 ml - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 litre

"Try 12 minutes @ 20 deg C semi-stand to start with..." (this is my N time and routine, for all films, you can even develop different emulsion films together in the same tank/tray you don't need different times for different emulsions, you will still need to determine the time that suits your work best, just as you do with any developer the first few times you use it...)


RR

You've posted this a few places, are you sure YOU'RE not the inventor haha, I've never heard anyone talk about this except you haha

[Ken Lee]

While we're on the subject, I'd be pleased to see it give us a film speed of 400 with HP5+. I notice that the examples referenced here were made with stand development (which should increase film speed over normal development). Even so, on my calibrated monitor many of those images look underexposed and overdeveloped.

[h2oman]

Ken,

I don't ask to be argumentative - what does one see that indicates underexposure and overdeveloped? I'm trying to refine my exposure and development times, and I'm not really sure what to look for. I scan my film, and often the entire histogram lies in the acceptable range even for different EIs. I'm thinking that maybe when I rate the film slower I get a more gradual rise at the low end, though. I'm interested in what to look for in both a histogram when scanning and a developed image.