Call for D76 users

[Ugo]

Hi everybody,
I need your help to develop the new 320TXP sheet film with D76 (1:1) in Jobo tank (hand inversion). For normal contrast, do you rate the film @320ASA? And what is your developing time?

Have you tried the Bergger 200 film with D76 (1:1)? What are you developing conditions? Do you like the result? Thank you very much for your help

[Jim Rhoades]

With the BTZS tubes at 70 I use 6 min. with a fast spin for N. For 8x10 with deep tanks for Alt. processing I go to 12 min. This keeps it contrasty. Film rated at IE 160.

[ronald moravec]

If you like your mom and apple pie, you will like Bergger in D76. EI 160 seems ok. 8 min at 68 deg with an agitation every thirty sec. 7 1/2 for a condenser enlarger.

Dilute it 1:1 and the grains pops up quite a bit. Tone reproduction is the same.

Full strength D76 is vastly surperior to 1:1 with every film I have tried including tri x.

TRi x in 35mm is 5 3/4 min at 68 for a condenser enlarger. My tri x sheet box has not been opened yet. I will go to K`s site and find a percent difference between 35mm and sheet and apply that to 5 3/4 min. This factoring has worked perfectly for me in the past with HC110.

I will never dilute D76 again.

My tanks include an Arkay water jacket, three stainless tanks, hangar rack, and hangars. I will also use a 4x5 Nikor inversion tank and used a Jobo 6 sheet reel before I obtained the other systems. The Nikor is just like an overgrown 35mm tank. Requires 32 oz for 12 sheets. It`s a gem if you can find one. I also use an Expert drum on a Jobo processor, but I favor it mostly for color work now. Old fashoned I guess, just like LF cameras.

[michael meyer]

Currently using HP5 with D76 1:1 68ish degrees in a combiplan tank for 7 minutes for normal (though my 35mm HP5 in a steel tank is 10 minutes). Film rated at 200 when shot, generally. Similar to Tri-X but not the same.



I used to use Tri-X for my 35mm and it was D76 1:1 in a steel tank for 10 minutes. Film also rated at 200. But I moved to Ilford film before I switched to 4x5 and haven't done 4x5 TriX.



But those are just my starting points. Sometime I extend or decrease the dev times depending on my negs, but not in a controlled n-1 or +1 kind of way. Also, I'm not big on a thermometer, I have a rough idea of how 68deg feels and go from there... More of an inutitive kind of process. I can almost feel the furrowed brows and raised eyebrows as people read this.



-m

[Brian Ellis]

Ronald Moravec said; "Full strength D76 is vastly superior to 1-1 with every film I have tried including tri x."

Would you mind elaborating on this a bit, ie in what ways is undiluted D76 "vastly superior" and what's the reason for its superiority? I've been using D76 1-1 with a variety of films for about ten years. I've done all the zone system testing so I know my temperatures, agitation, and times for each film to obtain plus, minus, and normal results with D76 diluted 1-1. That being the case, in what way would undiluted D76 be "vastly superior" and what are the
reasons?

I don't ask this to argue with you, just that I dont recall ever hearing that claim made before and don't offhand see why it would be true though I'm not knowledgeable about chemistry. I ask the question because if undiluted D76 is vastly superior in a way that's important to me I'll do a zone system retest for the films I use, which isn't something I want to undertake (or, more accurately, that I want to pay The View Camera Store to undertake for me) without more information about the superiority of undiluted D76 and the reasons for its superiority. Thanks.

[ronald moravec]

Brian,

I do a lot of 35mm and the grain structure is much finer than 1:1. Even Bergger looks decent at full strength. The previous best was 76 1:1.

I really disliked tri x until the first batch at full strength. It is way finer than HC110.

I know it is not so important with LF, but I may want to make 8x or more prints from 4x5 and then it is important.

There may be a slight sharpness loss, but not enough for me to see compared to 1:1. 1:3 will produce visually really sharp prints, but the grain get much worse.

All developers have strengths and weaknesses and for me full strength is the best balance.

I have passed this on to others on Photo-net and they write back that HC110 shouldn`t even be allowed to be sold.

Try a sheet or two for large prints and see for yourself.

[Gem Singer]

Brian,

From what Steve Anchell and Bill Troop say, diluting D-76, or ID-11, 1:1, or more, means that the development time needs to be increased, over using an un-diluted developer. The result is that the film remains in the sulfite, contained in those developers, for a longer time. Even when diluted, sulfite will dissolve the edges off of the individual grain crystals. The result is a negative that has less acutance. If you want to increase the appearence of sharpness, do not dilute those developers.