Re: Staining developers and scanning?
Sandy,
I know what you mean. I've been developing Acros in Hypercat 2-bath, and the sharpness is impressive. It's difficult to quantify, but I seem to get greater sharpness with a dilute solution of high pH, than with a more concentrated solution of lower pH. Maybe there's some local neutralization happening, in addition to the local exhaustion? You might be right about the difference in Stoeckler's developer and the ones we're using, but I would be very surprised if ours were significantly impacted by the addition of the few grams of sulfite necessary to eliminate staining.
I've been working with GSD-10, my glycin developer for stand development, and the sharpness it produces is somehow different than that produced by Hypercat. I can't say one is sharper than the other, but there is some qualitative difference.
Re: Staining developers and scanning?
Two questions for you guys: Can the divided processing be done in a rotary drum, and where can I read more about this stuff?
Re: Staining developers and scanning?
Scott,
Yes, two bath development can be done in a rotary drum. In fact, I don't recommend rotary processing with Hypercat, except when used as a two bath developer. Of course, 2-bath development works at least as well with intermittent agitation as it does with rotary agitation. As for reading, most of the major authors on photographic processing address 2-bath development. Barry Thornton was an advocate, and wrote about it in his book, The Edge of Darkness.
Re: Staining developers and scanning?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Scott --
Two questions for you guys: Can the divided processing be done in a rotary drum, and where can I read more about this stuff?
If you can locate a copy I wrote an article on two-bath development that was published in View Camera a couple of years ago. The complete reference is, Sandy King “Two Bath Development: Exposure and Development Strategy for Scanning,”: View Camera, July/August 2008, 55-58.
In the article I discuss rotary two-bath development.
You can also find lots of information on two-bath development by doing a google search. The problem with lots of the stuff you read on two bath development is that it has just been regurgitated by someone who did not take the take to test for themselves.
For the article in View Camera I tested Diafine and divided D23.
Sandy King
Re: Staining developers and scanning?
Much of what you will read about 2 bath development is simply not true. You will read that it does not work with modern emulsions, and that other forms of development are clearly superior. It does work with modern emulsions, and as Sandy's work shows, other forms are not clearly superior.
In my opinion, the best (and most helpful) discussions of two bath developers are in Sandy's article in View Camera magazine, Thornton's "The Edge of Darkness" and in the threads you will find discussing Sandy's 2 bath approach with various Pyrocat formulae.
Re: Staining developers and scanning?
You may want to select the blue channel (and override eventual channel select/mix) automatisms in the scanner and software if you scan stained negatives and desire results similar to a wet darkroom print - the stain usually is brownish, and will affect the other channels much less.
Re: Staining developers and scanning?
Dave,
The credible experts I've read don't claim other forms of development are "clearly superior", but many question the advantages, and to be fair, most of what I've read was written before the advent of film scanning and hybrid workflows, when the relative advantages of 2-bath development were less compelling.