another vote for ansco 130 -- 1:2 73º + ...
i use it for outdated azo ( does that even exist ?), ilford fbmg ( + rebranded p-warehouse )
kodak polyfiber, kodak polymax fiber, agfa, seagull, ilford. sorry, i don't have any in-date paper.
another vote for ansco 130 -- 1:2 73º + ...
i use it for outdated azo ( does that even exist ?), ilford fbmg ( + rebranded p-warehouse )
kodak polyfiber, kodak polymax fiber, agfa, seagull, ilford. sorry, i don't have any in-date paper.
If you print the same image with Dektol and Ansco 130, you will be surprised at the difference. Dektol seems to truncate the shadow details.
More complex formulas (like Ansco 130) have been relegated to small suppliers, and to those people who mix the formulas themselves. In fact, when you get the 130 formula from Photographer's Fomulary, you mix it yourself, out of several packets - unlike Dektol, which is contained in only one envelope. Unlike Dektol, the 130 formula needs to be shipped as separate ingredients.
I am no expert, but my recent read of the Darkroom Cookbook has introduced me to the notion that manufacturers (like Kodak) often value the economics of scale and simplicity of manufacturing, when considering their product line. In other words, some of the developers that are still manufactured, are chosen for profitability over final print quality.
I am just getting into mixing my own, and I am just getting into LF contact printing. My understanding of Amidol (from the Darkroom Cookbook) is that it really works on certain kinds of paper, like AZO, but for most papers, it doesn't make that much difference. Is that correct?
KODAK D-72
Water, 125F/52C 500 ml
Metol 3.1 g
Sodium Sulfite (anhydrous) 45 g
Hydroquinone 12 g
Sodium Carbonate (anhydrous) 67.5 g
Potassium Bromide 1.9 g
Cold water to make 1L
Versus Adam's version of Ansco 130
Water (125°F/52°C) 750 ml
Metol 2.2 g
Sodium sulfite 35 g
Sodium carbonate (mono)* 78 g
Potassium bromide 5.5 g
Glycin 11 g
Water to make 1000 ml
Neither looks more complex/simpler to me. Kodak allegedly put some effort into figuring out how to ship D-72 the way it ships. Now I agree Kodak sells what makes them money but then who doesn't?
Does Kodak still sell D-72 nowadays ?
I don't have my book at hand, but online sources such as this one say that D-72 is "similar to" Dektol. They do not say it is the same.
Is the formula for Dektol in the public domain ?
"Now I agree Kodak sells what makes them money but then who doesn't?"
You are completely right.
All the choices we make can sound petty to the casual observer, but when we add them up, apparently minor differences in film, paper, lenses, and presentation amount to something. That something, is what has drawn many of us to Large Format in the first place.
Dektol and Ansco 130 both give great results with Forte or Adox Vario G I have found that max black with Dektol is about about 30% shorter exposure. The same exposure with 130 gives about 4 more steps of density. I use Dektol for lower contrast images and save the more expensive 130 for the high contrast images.
not sure about forte nd, but on fortezo, my very favorites are ansco 120 and ansco 130 (easy to mix ... you can find the formulas anywhere). amazing control from a soft/hard pair of developers. i tried a few different amidol formulas, but they were almost indistinguishable from the 130. only worth the added hassle and toxicity in couple of cases, when i needed slightly more contrast in the shadows.
among pre-mixed developers, one that i really liked was agfa neutol wa ... not sure it's still made. gave a nice scale and beautiful warm tone on fortezo.
if you experiment, be prepared to discover that many formulas (particularly off the shelf ones) are barely distinguishable from each other.
"among pre-mixed developers, one that i really liked was agfa neutol wa ... not sure it's still made. gave a nice scale and beautiful warm tone on fortezo"
See my second post in this thread.
Sprint also has a nice product line if your into the pre-mixed! I find it the same as dektol, although i haven't priced it or used it lately for an over abundance on Dektol, it may be more pricey?
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