Need advise on home processing

[bbarna]

Hey everyone,
I arrived to the decision to develop my negatives at home.
Being totally beginner I need some advise.
I use Foma 100 and Adox 100/50/25 (4X5) films and thought to use Pyrocat-HD developer. Does this developer suit these films? I chose this developer because 1. it is cheap, 2. if I understood correctly the posts over here it is possible to store for quite some time (which is important because I would develop a few negatives once per month). I have no drum or xxx dollar amount to buy one, so I will be using trays or try the 'bag' method as was supposed here in an other thread (see Film processing in a small apartment).
What is the correct N, N-1, N+1 developing time for this developer? And what about the agitation? How long time should I have the negatives in the stop bath and in the fixer? Any suggestions what fixer or stop bath to use?
Thank you in advance for every reply.
B

[Greg Blank]

my advice is not buy thing because they are "cheap" that is an asshole approach to
doing what you ultimately hope to care about. I have never done "cheap" I have done less, and have done thing not so desirable, but cheap is not a word I bandy about.

People want instant glory - it does not come cheap. Why not show some imagery with your relative concerns before asking for a fix!

Hey everyone,
I arrived to the decision to develop my negatives at home.
Being totally beginner I need some advise.
I use Foma 100 and Adox 100/50/25 (4X5) films and thought to use Pyrocat-HD developer. Does this developer suit these films? I chose this developer because 1. it is cheap, 2. if I understood correctly the posts over here it is possible to store for quite some time (which is important because I would develop a few negatives once per month). I have no drum or xxx dollar amount to buy one, so I will be using trays or try the 'bag' method as was supposed here in an other thread (see Film processing in a small apartment).
What is the correct N, N-1, N+1 developing time for this developer? And what about the agitation? How long time should I have the negatives in the stop bath and in the fixer? Any suggestions what fixer or stop bath to use?
Thank you in advance for every reply.
B

[David de Gruyl]

my advice is not buy thing because they are "cheap" that is an asshole approach to
doing what you ultimately hope to care about. I have never done "cheap" I have done less, and have done thing not so desirable, but cheap is not a word I bandy about.

People want instant glory - it does not come cheap. Why not show some imagery with your relative concerns before asking for a fix!

I disagree with how you said this, but agree with what you are saying. To that end, I am going to paraphrase:

being cheap costs more. Specifically, buying crappy tools costs more. You end up having to buy the right ones eventually.

Now, there are certain ways to develop film that cost far less than other ways. They are equally valid. (Using a staining developer because it costs less is not one of them. Typically Pyro is not a first time developer.) Using inexpensive trays is certainly cheaper than a Jobo drum. And arguably better.

If you do not mind standing around in the dark, trays work great.

Personally, I would suggest using HC-110 or Rodinal if you are only developing a couple of shots a month. Both of those can be used once through, and in very low concentrations. Or in higher concentrations to get shorter developing times. They are also insanely easy to mix.

On the other hand, you can't really go wrong with D76 1+1 (or ID11). And at <$5 / gallon it is not very expensive.

[Matthew Rolfe]

my advice is not buy thing because they are "cheap" that is an asshole approach to
doing what you ultimately hope to care about. I have never done "cheap" I have done less, and have done thing not so desirable, but cheap is not a word I bandy about.

People want instant glory - it does not come cheap. Why not show some imagery with your relative concerns before asking for a fix!

Greg, this is an asshole approach to a set of questions. Especially if the author of the thread admits to being a 'total beginner'.

"People want instant glory - it does not come cheap".......idiotic and pointless statement.

If you are developing once a month and only putting through a few negatives at a time, then cost should not be an issue. Shelf life is the greater issue. I wouldn't consider any developer to be expensive if used as little as once a month.
You will want a developer that will last and work well over a long period of time. The last thing you want is to buy a developer that is cheap, only to discover that it exhausts after using only half a bottle. So paying a little more will prove helpful in the long run.

I use Rodinal and I couldn't agree more with what was said about it's shelf life and ease of use. I haven't used hcc-110 so I can't comment, but I totally agree with Mike and Davids recommendation of Rodinal to suit your needs. As the others said, you need to do your own tests for development times.

I'm happy to admit that I hate film testing, but it's a necessary and crucial evil i'm afraid....

[Greg Blank]

Maybe so, sometimes peeple have called me worse, we are what we are warts and all

"People want instant glory - it does not come cheap".......idiotic and pointless statement.

I think its a valid statement, and not so idiotic. By instant glory I mean instant success, on one hand metaphorical on the other apropo. The internet gives so much info and opinions its very hard for a newbie to sort out. As you surmise nothing beats testing stuff yourself....utimately its what every great photographer has done

Greg, this is an asshole approach to a set of questions. Especially if the author of the thread admits to being a 'total beginner'.

"People want instant glory - it does not come cheap".......idiotic and pointless statement.

If you are developing once a month and only putting through a few negatives at a time, then cost should not be an issue. Shelf life is the greater issue. I wouldn't consider any developer to be expensive if used as little as once a month.
You will want a developer that will last and work well over a long period of time. The last thing you want is to buy a developer that is cheap, only to discover that it exhausts after using only half a bottle. So paying a little more will prove helpful in the long run.

I use Rodinal and I couldn't agree more with what was said about it's shelf life and ease of use. I haven't used hcc-110 so I can't comment, but I totally agree with Mike and Davids recommendation of Rodinal to suit your needs. As the others said, you need to do your own tests for development times.

I'm happy to admit that I hate film testing, but it's a necessary and crucial evil i'm afraid....

[Matthew Rolfe]

Maybe so, sometimes peeple have called me worse, we are what we are warts and all

"People want instant glory - it does not come cheap".......idiotic and pointless statement.

I think its a valid statement, and not so idiotic. By instant glory I mean instant success, on one hand metaphorical on the other apropo. The internet gives so much info and opinions its very hard for a newbie to sort out. As you surmise nothing beats testing stuff yourself....utimately its what every great photographer has done

It was never my intention to label you an a****** I simply reused your words

No, perhaps not idiotic but I just felt that "It does not come cheap" sends the wrong message to a 'newbie'. Sure you have to spend money, but money isn't the most important thing..

Regards

Matthew

[Eric James]

my advice is not buy thing because they are "cheap" that is an asshole approach to
doing what you ultimately hope to care about. I have never done "cheap" I have done less, and have done thing not so desirable, but cheap is not a word I bandy about.

People want instant glory - it does not come cheap. Why not show some imagery with your relative concerns before asking for a fix!

Real nice Greg.

[Greg Blank]

Yeah I went a bit off the deep end, its been a rough month.

Real nice Greg.

[MIke Sherck]

There are other developers with extended keeping ability, including Rodinal and Kodak's HC-110, so perhaps you could do some additional research before chosing. Or, you can do what I did and chose the products the stores local to me carried. Very convenient, if you have local sources. Personally, I've never tried Pyrocat so I can't help you with that.

Development times are always "suggestions" because none of us shoot or process film in exactly the same way. There are subtle variations, especially when developing only occasionally or with low-tech techniques such as trays, which make someone else's results a product of their own approach, technique, or even quality of water supply. Times and film speeds suggested by manufactures work well in their settings and can be considered to be good enough to start from, but you really should test your film exposure and developing numbers in order to understand your own personal quirks. There are quite a few methods (or really, lots of alternative explanations of the few methods which work,) on the web.

Mike

[Kirk Fry]

What Mike said. HC-110 tends to be very forgiving and used as a one shot. I use it in CHEAP pans, same way AA did. The concentrate keeps longer than I am likely to be alive. Don't go for the exotic stuff first. Kfry