Ohh, it's been so long....well, not really.

[Jason24401]

I went to photography school in 1997 and studied the zone system with Bruce Barnbaum. I shot sheet film using the system and Bruce's development procedures (Tri-X, D-76 and HC-110) for the next three or four years until I became ill and had to give up my commercial studio and darkroom. I haven't shot much of anything since 2000. I still have all the notes and literature, but after going through the previous posts, I was wondering if I should try something new. I'm sort of a pick one and learn everything about it kind of guy, if I'm not happy, I'll move on. I'm thinking of giving Xtol and TMY a try, but I'm not sure how this combination will react to adjusted development times, or even how to adjust for n+1, n+2, etc. The previous post turned me on to this combination, but I would like some advice on the merits of TMY and Xtol and also some starting points and agitations for shooting with the zone system. I will be using hangers and tanks (4x5) for developing and I never minded a little grain.

Thanks all,
I'm ecstatic to have found this site!

[Tom Westbrook]

I'm sure you know that the real answers to your question are a matter of personal exploration. One thing that might reduce testing time (but set you back about $50) is to use the View Camera Store's film testing service (see http://www.viewcamerastore.com/default.php?cPath=35). I haven't used their service but it's been discussed elsewhere here. That will give you personal dev times.

I love TMY and dilute Xtol (usually 1:1), but I use a Jobo processor, so can't advise with start times. Check with the Massive Dev Chart (http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html) for some ideas.

[Ted Harris]

You can also get a film/developer testing kit from Bruce Barlow to DIY. Cost is 10-12 see the details at www.circleofthesunproductions.com