Super thin negatives

[butterfly]

Ready to explode here, but first thought I'd ask..

Fuji Acros exposed at 100 developed in HC-110 Dilution B (36ml to 1200ml total volume), 5 minutes at 20 degrees.

Taken today in overcast but bright light, so I would expect good contrast.

The negatives look almost transparent!!!!

Anyone used this combination?

Have I done something wrong with dilutions or time?

I don't think it was poor exposure. I took great care over metering.

REALLY peeved tonight. A whole day probably wasted :-(

Steve

[butterfly]

Having said all of that, a quick update. I picked one of the negs and dried it quickly (bad idea I know).. It seems to scan ok. Decent tonal range (sharpness/grain is fine).
Do Acros negs always look so thin??

Near heart attack over, would still appreciate any input.

Regards

Steve

[drew.saunders]

I've shot a few rolls of 120 Acros 100 recently, all in my GA645zi, using aperture priority and trusting the meter, then dropped the rolls off at my local camera shop who does in-house B&W film developing. They're all good and dense, one or two frames are possibly a tad too dense even. Mostly sunny, non-overcast days. In short, no, it's not supposed to be a thin negative, but I can't help you with your chemistry or times.

Drew

[Patrik Roseen]

No the negatives should not look 'almost transparent'...though I know from experience that such a negative can still print well, however often one needs filter 5 for good contrast.

Sounds to me you should either rate it lower (50-80) or investigate your chemistry.

What setup are you using for developing (tray, tank, rotor) and how many sheets are you developing with this chemistry? Also are you using stock solution or concentrate etc...

Here is a good link for more information regarding HC-110.
http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/

[Ash]

HC 110 should give nice thick negs. I'm pretty sure people at college only use it when pushing film, so your concentration and timing might be wrong.


I'd recommend looking through every step and checking all your times and methodology matches up....straight down from exposure. Last time something like that happened to me it was exposure that was wrong :)

[Henry Ambrose]

Acros will look thin compared to standard films.
I'd think about rating it at 64-80 and developing less to accommodate that exposure. But you'll know better after you try to print what you've already done.

[Toyon]

Could be developer failure. I've had this happen with XTOL stock solution that was more than 2 months old.

[Daniel_Buck]

this might sound silly, but maybe your light meter was set to a wrong ISO, or is not working properly? Once, I read my meter as 1 second, instead of 1 minute. Won't do that again :-D

[Jon Shiu]

Hi, if you are using the European HC110 500ml bottles the dilution would be different, ie 1:9 from concentrate.

Jon

[Gene McCluney]

While HC-110 will keep almost forever in concentrate (syrup) form, once it is mixed into working solution it has a very short life. It does not change color as it ages, so it can look fresh, even though it is exhausted due to age. Most people use HC-110 as a "one-shot" developer, mixing just what they need for one processing run, then dumping the used developer down the drain. This ensures accurate, repeatable results every time.

I use HC-110 dilution "E" in a 3.5 gallon tank to process 5x7 negatives. I don't keep it for more than a couple weeks or so. Once I experienced exactly what you experienced, even though the previous processing run of a couple of days earlier was just fine. Luckily I only process one side of each film holder at once, so I had another set of negs which I processed in fresh developer. (I shoot 2 sheets of every set-up)

[chilihead]

Acros 100, for a Zone I density above .10 is rated at an E.I. of 50

[G Benaim]

You might try toning in Viradon or similar sulphide toner, will get you some density up to 1.5 degrees of contrast more, won't help w underexposed areas though. Are they underexposed as well as underdeveloped?

[butterfly]

Well thank God there are great people on this forum! I used a web site which clearly lists two charts for the amount of concentrate, and YES, I had used the US quantities, even after checking the item code on my bottle of HC-110 to make sure I had the European version!! Grrr..well at least I know now - learn by my mistakes!

I used 38ml of HC-110 when I should have used 120ml !!

I'll print off the European chart and stick it on my fridge..

The negs are still printable, but scan really well considering.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Regards

Steve