Hi,
I'm new to 4x5 large format camera. I'm using Ilford Delta 100 film. Kodak D-76 is my current developer for 35mm and 120mm films. I did try to use for 4x5 film developing, but the negative film is a little bit softer than my friend who use HC-110 to develop. I'm not sure which developer can provide sharp and nice results to Delta 100 film. Please give me some advises. Thank you!
Check that the ground glass is properly positioned, tripod is sturdy, you have appropriate focus and aperture selection, etc.
People use D76 for 4x5 film all the time. You should eliminate all other things that could cause the image to be soft first.Originally Posted by jianglinxi
Zak Baker
zakbaker.photo
"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."
Ansel Adams
You may also want to check the distance on the film holders also. I once had a graphmatic holder that had a distance different then my 2 sheet film holders thus causing all the images I took using the graphmatic to be slightly soft.
Zak Baker
zakbaker.photo
"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."
Ansel Adams
If your negatives are too soft just increase the development time. HC110 will always produce negatives with a punchier look than negs from D76. D76 has a longer toe giving lower shadow contrast. HC110 will give higher edge acutance, enhanced sharpness at boundaries between light and dark. It's best to stick with one developer till you're happy with the results before experimenting with other developers. Note well my first sentence.
I shot one of my most interesting negatives (in terms of acutance, sharpness, and tonal subtlety) on Delta 100 (8x10) with a 19" Apo Ronar lens, and developed it in ABC Pyro.
Hi, Linxi!
When you use the term "soft" it can mean that the image is not sharp, like blurry, or it can mean that the negative does not have enough density.
If you have a negative that is soft like blurry, then you may have a problem with your camera. You need to find out where your camera actually focuses its image. This is a problem that I had with my camera. Put a ruler on a slant, and photograph the midpoint with the lens wide open, like f/5.6. If the negative does not show that the midpoint is in focus, then the ground glass needs to be adjusted.
If you have a negative that is soft like there is not enough image, meaning density, then you need to give the negative more time in the developer. The developer does not affect whether the image is in focus, it just develops the film.
"It's the way to educate your eyes. Stare. Pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." - Walker Evans
Heck I use Rodinal with my Delta100 and don't have any sharpness issues. If you're having issues it must be in the taking..
Rodinal is a high-accutance developer, therefore it will make images appear sharp.
Back to topic: I've been using Ilford Delta 8x10/4x5 and I've used Ilfotec HC for over a year now, it's a good combo.
Ilfotec HC which is similar to Kodak's HC-110 is recommended by Ilford for max sharpness. It's also my developer of choice.
Linhof Kardan re
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