Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Thread: Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Oslo
    Posts
    189

    Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

    Hey,

    This is just out of curiosity... are there any developers similar to PQ? In regards of strength, character and content? I use PQ mainly for black and white reversal development.

    Cheers
    Peter

  2. #2

    Re: Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

    Quote Originally Posted by pkr1979 View Post
    Hey,

    This is just out of curiosity... are there any developers similar to PQ? In regards of strength, character and content? I use PQ mainly for black and white reversal development.

    Cheers
    Peter
    Try this.

  3. #3

    Re: Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

    Quote Originally Posted by pkr1979 View Post
    Hey,

    This is just out of curiosity... are there any developers similar to PQ? In regards of strength, character and content? I use PQ mainly for black and white reversal development.

    Cheers
    Peter
    The vastness of options particularly when you open the door to mixing ones own chemistry is simply enormous. Add to that the subjectiveness of varying degrees of "get an improvement in this area and sacrifice something at the other end" and you can easily spend many months in a circular iteration. Murphys Algorithm #5. The end of an extensive inquisitive iteration in pursuit of "a better tool" usually leads the individual back to where they started the journey. Been there and done that and threw out the various chemicals I bought that I know now I no longer need.

    The ability to be up and printing with PQ in two minutes from a concentrate and the marvelous results it produces lets me buy it in the gallon bottles with one constantly in reserve. For me LF and ULF is about efficiency from exposure to finished print and PQ is an integral part of that process IMHO.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    2,707

    Re: Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

    Quote Originally Posted by pkr1979 View Post
    Hey,

    This is just out of curiosity... are there any developers similar to PQ? In regards of strength, character and content? I use PQ mainly for black and white reversal development.

    Cheers
    Peter
    For off the shelf, Ethol LPD is another excellent PQ developer. Experimentation will reveal any similarities.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Oregon now (formerly Austria)
    Posts
    3,397

    Re: Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

    FWIW, I use ID-62 quite a lot as a print developer (the developer Raghu Kuvempunagar linked to above) and find it very similar to Bromophen and the old Zone VI developer. I haven't ever used it for film or for reversal processing. Maybe someone here can compare Bromophen to Universal PQ?

    Best,

    Doremus

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Oslo
    Posts
    189

    Re: Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

    Thanks,

    I'm probably not going down the mixing-chemicals-myself road. The Ethol LPD seems interesting though. I have the impression that Tetenal Dokumol serves a similar purpose, but I have no idea regarding their similarities in content.

    Cheers
    Peter

  7. #7

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    London
    Posts
    73

    Re: Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

    I also used to use Ilford PQU for reversal and for processing direct positive paper. I found, though, especially with DPP it needs to be sparkling fresh, even week old developer would seem to lose effectiveness and really got fedup with it. I found similar comments on various boards and learned that Ilford PQ is formulated using Dimezone-S which apparently goes off quicker that Phenidone. I have now switched to Fotospeed PD5 which is phenidone based and haven't had the same issues.

    When I first began experimenting with reversal I used Champion Suprol because it was cheap but tended to produce more warm toned slides.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Oslo
    Posts
    189

    Re: Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

    Quote Originally Posted by richydicky View Post
    I also used to use Ilford PQU for reversal and for processing direct positive paper. I found, though, especially with DPP it needs to be sparkling fresh, even week old developer would seem to lose effectiveness and really got fedup with it. I found similar comments on various boards and learned that Ilford PQ is formulated using Dimezone-S which apparently goes off quicker that Phenidone. I have now switched to Fotospeed PD5 which is phenidone based and haven't had the same issues.

    When I first began experimenting with reversal I used Champion Suprol because it was cheap but tended to produce more warm toned slides.
    I assume you are using Fotospeed PD5 for BW film reversal and DPP? What kind of adjustments did you have to make when you switched developers?

  10. #10

    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    SooooCal/LA USA
    Posts
    2,802

    Re: Ilford PQ Universal alternatives?

    For reversal processing, a contrasty process developer is generally used, as the film Dmax gets low after bleaching due to depth removal of silver, so an energetic semi-line developer is used for max black...

    I have posted before that B/W reversal is difficult to shoot in a variety of lighting situations due to a pronounced "reciprocity" effect at different common outdoor light levels, it rough on metal and plastic processing gear, and is toxic...

    I think one is better off shooting a normal neg, and contact printing a dupe from it, and development in a vigorous semi line dev instead...

    Steve K

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 19
    Last Post: 15-Mar-2024, 10:41
  2. Alternatives to PS - what they can and can not do?
    By Matus Kalisky in forum Digital Processing
    Replies: 67
    Last Post: 7-Sep-2015, 08:56
  3. Mod 54 alternatives.
    By Boscoe in forum Darkroom: Equipment
    Replies: 28
    Last Post: 1-Oct-2014, 10:39
  4. Century Universal 8x10 Universal Value?
    By FlyingGiraffes in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 29-Mar-2013, 13:33
  5. UV alternatives
    By Albert.Adderley in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 7-Apr-2011, 14:52

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •