Need help with starting to develop my own film.

[paul stimac]

I’m starting to do my own processing at home. I have paid labs up to this point. I have some darkroom experience but it’s always been either in a class darkroom or someone else’s darkroom where the chemicals where just there.

Now I have to decide what to use. There are so many options that it’s making my head spin. 10+ different film choices, 20+ different developer choices and 20+ different paper choices - that's 4000+ possible combinations.

I’m using ilford hp4 sheet film. I also shoot tmax 100. Will probably switch to arista (same as ilford hp4?) because it the cheapest I can find. I'm not attached to any specific film though. I will tank process and contact print. I eventually want to use azo paper – I like the prints I’ve seen made with it – unless someone knows of something better? Should I dive into azo or warm up with some other paper?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,

Paul

[phil sweeney]

For film you might want to look at the photowarehouse film. Its about $1 less per sheet than FP4 in 8 x 10 size and supposedly it is FP4. I just got some for 7 x 17 but want to try it for 8 x 10 also and get a first-hand comparison to FP4 since that is my preferred film. I use AZO for contact printing. If you tailor your negs to AZO you could print alt processes also. PyrocatHD (developer) is very popular these days and inexpensive to use.

[Mark_3632]

you will get a lot of information here, but until you are used to the process stick with what you know. Good ol' D76 or ilfosol is a good place to start until you get used to doing this on your own because it is pretty cheap. Warm up with regular paper. AZO is too expensive IMO to jump in with.

It is too early in the game for you to become brand specific. Here is what I was taught In the beginning choose cheap and develope your skills. get used to working in the processing environment, because you will screw up. I can't count the number of 35mm, MF, and 4x5 negs I screwed up one way or another. When you do it and do it well then experiment.

I think a film and developer combination is as personal as certain paints and canvases are to painters. You learn to choose what will fit your vision

DO you mean daylight tank or in the dark dunking tank? I like my day light 4x5 tank-hard to load but never had any uneven development.

[MIke Sherck]

The profusion of choices can be confusing, I'll be the first to admit. There appear to be two main methods of dealing with this problem: try everything and increase the confusion (especially for a beginner,) or pick a film and developer and stick with it until you've learned. My own experience leads me to believe that the latter method is better: pick a film known to be forgiving of exposure and processing variations and a similar developer and concentrate on getting your processes to the point where you can accurately repeat them in your sleep. One suggestion is Tri-X and D-76: it's difficult to avoid getting some sort of image with these.

I started with the first method, counting on my experience with smaller formats to guide me, and decided after a year or so that I wasn't getting anywhere. Too many variables to juggle -- was the difference due to a different film, a different developer, a different paper, a different paper developer, or maybe the way I developed the film was responsible? Too confusing. After I did my film and paper exposure and processing tests (one film, one paper, one developer for each. I chose what was available off the shelf at my local camera store, just to keep things simple.) I concentrated on the process with the goal of producing an expected result every time. No more darkroom surprises. I still get surprises but now it's pretty easy figuring out why, and being able to eliminate the bad surprises and repeating the good ones.

Best of luck! The most important lesson I learned from my year of experimenting was that it wasn't so much the materials as it was how they were used. Most folks are smarter than I am: it probably won't take you that long.

Mike S.

[paul stimac]

Mark, I will be diping and dunking.

Phil, What do you mean by tailoring my negs to azo?

[phil sweeney]

Paul, AZO requires a negative with more net density than enlarging papers. Though it is more expensive than VC papers its not much more than graded papers. Of course D76 will be fine. The only thing I buy premixed is dektol.

[Jon_2416]

Hi Paul,

Have you read this:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/chasing-magic-bullet.html

I started in LF two years ago and I'm following the 'stick with a film and deveoper until you get to know it' method... Hp5+ in Hc110 in a Unicolor drum.

Cut your variables down.

[paul stimac]

Jon, I'm not looking for a magic bullet. I like my pictures. I just want to give my bw negatives the best home possible. Paul

[Bob._3483]

Erm... HP4 was discontinued in the 70's I believe... So many codes, so little time before they get discontinued or superseded...

Anyway, probably the most obvious choice for FP4/HP5 is ID-11. You may as well start off with a general purpose developer, and may as well use the one made by the same people as the film. That way you get the most out of the manufacturer's years of testing experience.

ID-11 is also fine for Tmax 100 but a lot of people seem to prefer HC-110 which is a liquid concentrate with a good shelf life (so I am told).

D-76 is essentially the same as ID-11, so use that if it is easier to obtain in your part of the world, although ID-11 seems to dissolve in water easier.

Cheers,