D23 question

[Ben Calwell]

I plan to start using D23 developer again for Tri-X sheet film. I used it years ago with a second bath of Kodalk, and if I remember correctly, I used that two-bath scheme for long-exposure scenes that required a lot of contraction to keep the high values from blowing out.
My question is, can D23 be used alone as a basic film developer or should it always be used in conjunction with a bath "B" of Kodalk (or borax)? My sense is that it would do a good job as a sole developer, but wanted to get some input from the experts here. Thanks in advance.

[brouwerkent]

Ben

I have to wonder why you are choosing D23. I believe there are many better choices. There will be lots of opinions...but I suggest you take a look at Pyrocat. D23, while soft working, has poor film speed...and you will not get optimum image sharpness.

In Pyrocat or some of the other pyro developers, they provide better film speed and much better compensation...while retaining superior acutance.

Cheers

Phil

I plan to start using D23 developer again for Tri-X sheet film. I used it years ago with a second bath of Kodalk, and if I remember correctly, I used that two-bath scheme for long-exposure scenes that required a lot of contraction to keep the high values from blowing out.
My question is, can D23 be used alone as a basic film developer or should it always be used in conjunction with a bath "B" of Kodalk (or borax)? My sense is that it would do a good job as a sole developer, but wanted to get some input from the experts here. Thanks in advance.

[Ken Lee]

According to my tests, D-23 1:1 gives a film speed of 250 with both TMY and HP5+ for scenes of normal contrast and development. In that respect (and in several others) it is quite similar to "old standards" like D-76, HC-110, etc.

You might find this article interesting.

[mdarnton]

I have used one-solution D-23 on and off for years. Periodically I get drawn into the ease and cheapness of it, then I remember that the sharpness isn't all that great (attributed to the solvent effect of the sodium sulfite) and the highlights, for me, always lack the kind of local contrast that I like to see, and so I always wander back to D-76 with slightly shortened times and an EI of 250 or so.

[imagedowser]

D23 is fine... you can't get more basic (your word) and flexible a developer AND it's what you are use to using.

[Ben Calwell]

Thanks for the comments. Based on my experiences with D23 some 20 years ago (when I used it solely in conjunction with a "B" bath of borax) to tame high contrast scenes, I really liked the results I got with it. I've read about the "solvent" effect, but I never really noticed a lack of sharpness with my sheet film negs, although I'm sure that effect is well documented. In the past, I had always used D23 in conjunction with a second bath of borax, but never used it by itself without the B bath. I'm guess I'm wondering if the borax bath is vital to get the most out of D23.

[BetterSense]

I used D23 replenished with DK25R for quite a while. I lived in Texas and shot small formats and speed was never a problem. I loved it. Eventually I switched to Xtol when I realized it gave more speed at similar grain levels.

Here is an ancient web page with zoomed-in example pictures

Chazmiller.com/projects/devtest.html

[Ben Calwell]

Ken -- thanks for the link to that article. If looks like D23 is fine when used alone without a second bath of borax.

[Ken Lee]

When you purchase the BTZS Plotter program, you get a wonderful collection of test data for a large number of film/developer combinations.

Above is the "family" report for Ilford HP5+ developed in D-76 1:1. Below is a report for the same film developed in D-23 1:1. I developed the film and Fred Newman of the View Camera Store did the sensitometry.

Perhaps I have overlooked something, but the results seem quite similar - almost indistinguishable. Both developers give results that are fairly linear.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but looking over the BTZS data files which accompany the Plotter program, I found it remarkable just how similar the various film/developer combinations are. Given the same film and choosing a different developer, it seems we can get the same tonality with simple adjustments of time and temperature. The few differences we see in film speed (from using one developer/dilution over another) are rarely more than a fraction of an f/stop.

Sandy King expressed this very well the other day in the thread entitled Pushing and Pulling effect on tone curve

"Getting the look you are after is more a matter of process than of specific materials. TRI-X and PMK might work for some, others would get what they want with Puke-a-Pan and D-FartyOne"

[Taija71A]

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Hi Ben,
Just in case... You have not come across this article on D-23 (*And its many variants...):


http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/DD-23/dd-23.html

BTW... Metol is a great 'Reducing Agent'!
--
Cheers,

-Tim.

“You know you’ve achieved perfection in design... Not when you have nothing more to add -- But when you have nothing more to take away.” ~~ Anotine de Saint-Exupery ~~
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