Which developer for 4x5 B&W sheet film

[BetterSense]

To a first approximation, all B&W film developers are the same. Use whatever you like. Right now I'm using Rodinal because liquids are more convenient for me at the moment.

[Leigh]

To a first approximation, all B&W film developers are the same.

That is certainly not true of shelf life.

As I should have mentioned in my earlier post...
Both Rodinal concentrate and Diafine working solutions last indefinitely.
Rodinal is a one-shot, while Diafine requires replenishment by adding a small amount of fresh after each run.

Shelf life of other developers varies all over the place, from hours to years.
That characteristic should be investigated for any candidate developer if it matters to you.

- Leigh

[Regular Rod]

Getting back into developing film after many years out of the darkroom. I'll be scanning the film, so only developing film, not making prints in the darkroom.
I'm asking because although I see that D-76 and HC-110 are still available, I assume it is only surplus stock that is being sold. I want a developer which I can standardize on and have a reasonable chance of getting 10 years from now. Thanks!

You could make your own developers from the raw ingredients and so protect yourself permanently from the vagaries of the market.

Here's one of my favourites: http://freepdfhosting.com/aa330a94ce.pdf

Here on page 2 is how I use it: http://freepdfhosting.com/3e906fe75d.pdf

RR

[Rollinhofuji]

I'm totally happy with XTOL - easy to mix (I buy a 5l tank of distillated water and mix it right in the tank), long shelf life when stored in completely filled 1l bottles, use it 1:1 ( a friend prefers 1:3 for even better sharpness).

[jbenedict]

The cool thing about 4x5 is you can develop exposures individually. For each shot you set up, you can make two exposures and develop each differently- time, temp,developer. To start out, I would use the suggestions of others in regards to developer, film speed and time/temp. This should get you some good exposures. Read about different developers try a few that seem interesting to you. You can compare something that works with another combination.

Personally, I use Tri-X 320 in 4x5, 5x7, 8x10 and roll film HC110 @ 1:15 from stock, 7 min @ 68F, ASA/ISO 160. This is for my N development. I have only done a little bit with HP5 but the process looked fine when I have.

I also like D-23. A lot. A simple developer, can be used as a compensating developer (or like a compensating developer. There was quite the dust up over D-23 here a month or so ago), easy to mix and use. It must be mixed from raw chemicals and "straight" D-23 only uses two ingredients. There are some variants which use two or maybe three ingredients. Here's a page that talks about D-23, how it works and compares it with two other popular developers. It also has some suggestions for development times, temperatures and film speed. http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/DD-23/dd-23.html

[Leigh]

Speaking of times and temperatures...

The Massive Development Chart is an excellent on-line reference that covers almost any combination:
http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart...er=&mdc=Search

- Leigh

[Heroique]

I'll be scanning the film, not making prints in the darkroom.

I’m a tray developer, and I also love Rodinal. And HC-110.

But if it's T-Max 100 film, exposed well, then it's T-Max rs developer for me – not just for Epson 4990 scanning work, but for Omega D-2v darkroom work, too. Overall, this is also my favorite film + developer combination.

Sometimes, it's the match that makes the magic!

[Leigh]

Sometimes, it's the match that makes the magic!

True.

For me, it's Acros in Rodinal 1:50 with minimal agitation.

Absolutely beautiful, and you can't blow the highlights.

- Leigh

[Patrick13]

Chiming in from the low shooting volume, tiny darkroom group I'm enjoying HP5+ and pyrocat HD in a drum. Six months in the glycol version doesn't feel any different from when I first opened the bottle, but keep in mind that I'm very unscientific about these things. It seems very forgiving, though when I forget my basics I do have to fight to get as contrasty end result as I sometimes want

The only bad thing I could say about pyrocat is that reading negatives like I used to be able to do in high school is impossible, I really do need test prints to get a feel for how well I gauged the exposure.

[sanking]

If you are a newcomer to large format photography and hope to be working with film 10-15 years from now I would recommend spending a little time learning the language of film developers, which is not brand names or specific formulas like D76, Pyrocat, Xtol, PMK, Diafine, etc. but the qualities of different reducers (metol, hydroquinone, pyrogallol, pyrogallol) and how to control the energy with an appropriate accelerator (borax, sulfite, carbonate, etc.). If you understand this language you will always be able to find the necessary chemicals, mix your own developers, and use the proper dilution to achieve a desired result.

It is highly likely that in 10-15 years one will have to mix their own developers as the number and variety of different formulas will almost certainly be much reduced from what is currently available.

Sandy