BW Film Developers for Jobo & Film Scanning Workflow

[C Hatter Photo]

Thank you for the feedback.

Bruce - Appreciate the info and you are spot on with the need to test, which is definitely the plan.

[Peter De Smidt]

I did a bit of this, too. I mainly used Xtol or DS-10 (which is a similar DIY developer). Scanning tends to exaggerate grain size, and so I wouldn't use a developer that leads to larger than D76 grain size. If you use Xtol, I recommend 1+1. Going more dilute can lead to problems having enough developer in a Jobo tank. More dilute Xtol tends to give coarser grain, high acutance and a slight increase in film speed over more concentrated solutions. For scanning, the first two are (minor!) negatives. I would simply aim for a negative density range that's good for a condenser enlarger on grade 2 paper. Even consumer flatbeds have plenty of dynamic range for that. (It's easy to test with a Stouffer step wedge.) Giving less development will lead to less grain, but it will also lessen film speed and tonal separation. As usual, it's a balance between many characteristics as opposed to just optimizing one of them. With your scanner, you might find that different scanning resolutions have a big affect on the appearance of photographic grain, the noise visible in a photographic image when enlarger enough. (Not grains of silver! They're too small to capture with a scanner.)

[Bormental]

HC-110 is easily controllable in any Jobo tank, if you use higher dilutions; dil H, for example.

Nope. It is not "easily controllable". In fact, it's not controllable at all. Dilutions do not make any difference to the density curve. All dilution+time combinations will produce the same image apart from the grain appearance. Dilution is a grain control lever, nothing more.

[Alan9940]

Nope. It is not "easily controllable". In fact, it's not controllable at all. Dilutions do not make any difference to the density curve. All dilution+time combinations will produce the same image apart from the grain appearance. Dilution is a grain control lever, nothing more.

What I meant was that higher dilutions will, generally, enable longer development times. Dilution B with constant agitation yields development times of under 5 mins, in my experience.

[SergeyT]

My experience is very similar to Alan9940's
I develop all my B&W (regardless of emulsion) in HC-110 for 10-12 mins at 68F, constant rotation in a JOBO tank. 1:100 and having at least 1 ml of concentrate per 4x5 sheet (4 ml per 120 roll, etc)