Rodinal - is anyone happy with their results?

[Randy]

Back story: I used it back in the 90's for 8X10, 4X5, 120, and 35mm. I must have been satisfied with the results (and the economy) because I kept using it. Then who ever I was ordering it from (probably B&H) tacked on a hazardous materials fee that was more then the cost of the little jar of concentrate, so I switched to HC-110. Then a year or so ago it got more costly to order HC-110 so I ordered a couple bottles of the Adox Rodinal. Not long after I got those I was given a unopened bottle of Agfa Rodinal (I guess it was bottled not long before Agfa stopped making it). I have been using up the bottle of Agfa and have not opened a bottle of the Adox yet.

I have not been happy with the results I am getting. I have processed some 35mm Ilfords, some Foma 120, and just yesterday, 9 sheets of Arista Ultra EDU 100 shot at 100. I processed in trays 1:50, 7 minutes at 68°.

My complaint is grain. The 4X5 I just did yesterday is obnoxiously grainy (for ISO 100 film) - and I was expecting it to be (but hoping for a miracle) because that has been my experience with everything I have processed over the past year since I started using Rodinal again.

I guess my question is - is there any hope of getting a negative with "acceptable" grain from Rodinal? If yes, how? If not, is there a comparatively economical option that will give less grainy negs?

[uphereinmytree]

I use rodinal 1:25 and 1:50 with efke IR820. I'm able to maintain the often blown out highlights that Ir film can have when exposing for shadow detail which can often be very empty with IR film. I process 2 4x5 sheets at a time in an 8x10 tray. agitation is lifting the neg out, letting it drain a moment, and setting it down once per minute. Grain is noticable, but not objectionable in 16x20 prints. I've used d76 with IR820 efke and had less grain, but often too much contrast so it's a trade off in my case.

[Greg]

Old way of taming Edwal FG-7.... instead of water use a 9% solution of Sodium Sulfite. Same applies to Rodinal. Developing times seem to vary greatly with photographers processing diluted Rodinal in a 9% solution of Sodium Sulfite. I think the biggest variable is accurately diluting Rodinal. I personally have settled on using a 1:75 ratio. Suggest shooting 4 sheets of film of the same scene at manufacturer's ISO/ASA. Process together pulling sheets for development times of 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes.

[DrTang]

I like the grain... that's what I use it for

it's more apparent on Ilford products than kodak.. and I wouldn't use it on 35mm... but I like the grain

[koraks]

Arista Ultra EDU 100 (Fomapan 100) can indeed be quite grainy in Rodinal. I don't mind this in 4x5 personally, but I can see it's not to everyone's taste. The loss of speed is a dealbreaker for me, though. There's sufficient choice of developers not to stick with something that doesn't do what you want it to do. I personally like Foma100 in Pyrocat, but there's many combinations to choose from.

As for Rodinal, I quite like what it does to TMX. Grain is not an issue with that film, particularly in 4x5.

[locutus]

I do 5x4 Ilford FP4 at EI 100 in Rodinal 1+50 and i have been very happy with the results although i only print ~8x10 sized.

For 35mm Tri-X in 1:50 at EI320 works nice too but it *is* quite grainy, for me this works and is part of the aesthetic i want.

So all in all, yes for both those cases it works for me, extra benefits are longevity of the chemistry and ease of use.

[Randy]

When I was a young USAF photographer in the late 70's and thru the 80's, we used HC-110 and D76. I always preferred the results I got with D76, straight especially, but 1:1 was good also. I was not crazy about HC-110 but since Fred Picker swore by it I figured I wasn't doing something right.

Back to the drawing board...?

[Andrew Tymon]

I have used Rodinal 1to 50 for years in various formats 35 mm through 4x5 and never found it grainy until I started rotary processing sheet film. The grain was terrible and switched to Pyrocat M. I found this article http://phototechmag.com/film-overexp...nt-graininess/. I never exposed my film at box speed Fp4 @80 and T-max 100 @50 . Reading the article seems like I have been pulling the film all this time. Randy maybe you can try rating the Arista at 50 to see if it makes a difference. I never found the Arista to be a fine grain film to start with.

[karl french]

I love it with at 1+25 for Ilford FP4+. I only make contact prints, so grain is not really an issue for me. The negatives seem very sharp with a pleasing tonality.

Yes, definitely lower the EI on your Arista to something like 50. I shot a box of 8x10 Fomapan 100 a couple years ago. Processed in rodinal at 1+25 and Xtol 1:1. In the end I was most satisfied with the sheets rated at 50 processed in Rodinal.

[SergeiR]

Yes. I use it as 1:75-1:150 and i would not trade it for anything else. Consistent results. Good shelf life. Cheap.