HP5 in ABC Pyro for Pt/Pl and POP

[Fragomeni]

Hi all,

Variations of this question have been asked and I've read most but I'd like to ask about this specific combo for pt/pl and POP specifically. I am interested in hearing people's experiences using HP5 and ABC Pyro (not a different pyro variant) to produce negs for pt/pl and POP (Azo is applicable as well).

There are two very different schools of thought regarding HP5. One says that it shoulders off and blocks up highlights. The other says that the shoulder is negligible (hence barely a shoulder depicted in the data sheet chart) and takes very well to increased density without blocking up. I have to assume that these drastically different reports come from the variations of using many different developer combinations. As we know, the curve of a film is different for any film/dev combo and the data sheet charts are a starting point based on recommended developers from the manufacturer. So, lets move past all of that and get to my specific question. I would like to hear from people who use or have used HP5 in ABC Pyro, standard and non standard ratios (1-1-1-7 VS 2-1-1-15, etc), to print in pt/pl, POP, Azo, processes that require an expanded negative contrast range.

I'd like to try to keep this concise and on topic so lets try not to spin off into into other things.

As an FYI regarding my purposes, I shoot 11x14 primarily and some 8x20 and 8x10. Film availability in 11x14 and 8x20 is for the most part limited to Efke Pl100 (which I use and understand how to work with) and HP5. Those are typically the two films that don't require a special order and long wait in my experience. I have two boxes of HP5 in 11x14 (can't get ahold of Ekfe at the moment) and I'd like to get the most out of it.

I look forward to reading your thoughts. Thanks!

[Vlad Soare]

I didn't make platinum prints, but I made vandykes, which require higher contrast than platinum. I have a few HP5+ negatives developed (actually grossly overdeveloped) in ABC, which print beautifully on vandyke. I even have one or two which are too contrasty for vandyke, and on which I can still see fine details in the highlights even though I can't print them.
I can't remember the dilution, though. I think it was 1+1+1+7, but I can't swear it.
So no, HP5+ doesn't block up in ABC. It may in non-staining developers, I don't know about that, but in ABC it definitely doesn't.
I currently use HP5+ with ABC diluted 2+1+1+15 and print on Lodima.

[wiggywag]

I currently use HP5+ with ABC diluted 2+1+1+15 and print on Lodima.

Why did you choose this dilution and not the "standard" 1-1-1-7 ? Are your subjects very contrasty?

[Vlad Soare]

No, but the 1+1+1+7 dilution is too strong for my taste. It gives me development times of six to eight minutes, which I find too short to work comfortably.
The same happens with TMY-2 (a friend of mine uses that).
1+1+1+7 may be OK for Michael's and Paula's long-expired Super XX, but apparently not for new, modern films.

[Philippe Grunchec]

Why don't you use Wephota NP22 (Fomapan 100)?
You can contact Dieter Grohmann and use my name if it can help.
They also sell Wephota F05, which is an ortho film and Wephota NP15 (Efke 25).

[Vlad Soare]

Fomapan 100 is too slow for 8x10". Much too slow. At the small apertures you normally need to get decent depth of field in 8x10", and considering Fomapan's extremely strong Shwarzschild effect, anything but strong direct sunlight would require exposures of tens of seconds. No problem with landscapes, but big problem with portraits.
I used Fomapan 100 for a couple of years. It's indeed a very nice film, but for 8x10" I need something faster.

[Jim Noel]

I keep and use ABC along with other staining developers. It is the one I go to if extreme expansion is needed, for instance low contrast subjects on a very cloudy day, but never for portraits. I don't believe it is the best for use with portraits and HP5+, and much prefer PCat or W2D2 for these negatives.
Jim

[wiggywag]

Vlad, what is your normal development time for HP5 in ABC with your preffered dilution?

[Vlad Soare]

I don't know exactly. It's somewhere around twelve minutes, give or take, at room temperature. I develop by inspection, and the highlights usually start appearing after about ten minutes (I start looking at eight minutes, just to be on the safe side). It takes a couple of more minutes for them to get to the expected density. But this is just a rough approximation.