Non-Pyro Developer recommendations

[David_5527]

I'm just starting to work with 14x17 negs and am looking for a developer for fp4 and tmax400...development in trays.

I'm in Israel, and Pyro chemistry doesn't seem to be available here: I have found d-76; HC-110 and T-Max developer. I suppose the T-max developer would work best for the tmax film...right?

Any recommendation for the fp4?

I've scanned previous threads, but answers seem pretty even with those who like the d-76 and those who like the HC110....

I will probably try to order some Pyro here, but in the meantime am stuck with what is available...

Thanks.

David

[Kevin Crisp]

Well, you are stuck with perfectly adequate choices. TMAX films work very well in d76 (often diluted at least 1:1) and both D76 and HC110 will do a fine job on the Ilford film. Xtol is an excellent developer for both if you can get that.

[MIke Sherck]

My own personal preference for both FP4+ as well as Tmax films in trays is D-76, straight. My experience with Tmax developer was that the negatives came out rather flat.

Mike

[cdholden]

How are you planning to print your negatives?
Some processes will work with different types of developers better than others.

[Ken Lee]

Asking for anecdotal recommendations has advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that anyone can make a recommendation without showing any evidence to support it. A disadvantage is that without any evidence to support it, the recommendation is questionable, and may introduce more confusion than clarification.

If you prefer to avoid testing, you might find it helpful to find someone whose images you admire, and find out how the images are made. It can be a very effective short-cut.

[Jay DeFehr]

David,

Which general purpose, non-pyro developer you use to process 14x17 film doesn't really matter much, so use whatever is convenient. There might be an advantage to using a developer you don't have to worry will be discontinued, forcing you to switch/ learn another developer, which means compounding your own from bulk chemicals. There are many general purpose, non-pyro developer formulas published, and a good strategy might be to determine which chemicals are most readily available to you, and choose a formula that utilizes those. D-76 type developers composed of some combination of metol/hydroquinone/phenidone/ascorbic acid with sodium sulfite and a mild alkali like borax or sodium metaborate are numerous and well documented. That being said, switching from one general purpose non-pyro developer to another, should that become necessary, is probably not such a big deal, and of all the decisions you'll make in the process of making an image, this one is not very critical. Good luck, and have fun!

[Brian C. Miller]

I have found d-76; HC-110 and T-Max developer.

Yes, all of those work just fine. Seriously, you don't have a thing to worry about with any of those. However, Kodak doesn't recommend T-Max developer for sheet films. Here's Kodak's "Black-and-White Tips and Techniques for Darkroom Enthusiasts" (pdf) publication, which lists some of the developer characteristics and compares them.

[false_Aesthetic]

Xtol 1:1 and FP4.
And then the Ilford equiv of Xtol.

I wish I had the time to go through my negs/prints to post an example but I have a plant to catch in 3 hours.


I like Xtol a lot. If it came in spread form I'd put it on toast.

But . . .

What Ken and Jay said.

[jp]

I've used both d76 (1:1) and hc110 for tmax400; no problems. hc110 might work a little faster, which is handy as I find tray processing in the dark kinda boring and tedious.

hc110 is best diluted/mixed prior to putting it into the tray, as it's hard to mix from concentrate in a shallow tray.

Tmax developer I have not tried for a long time, but it's a little expensive, and works fine.

PMK or pyrocat HD you could order from B&H or formulary. I have no idea whether that stuff ships to where you are. In addition to doing a good job, the pyro developers are relatively inexpensive, though that doesn't sound like a big concern if you're using 14x17 tmax film :-) (I'm a fan of 8x10 tmax400 film)

[Drew Wiley]

The correct TMax developer would be TMaxRS. It has to have the RS designation for
ideal sheet film use. Otherwise, either HC-110 or 76 work perfectly well. You'll get a
little straighter curve shape with HC-110 but possibly a bit more graininess. You'll
also need to adjust your film speed for good shadow detail. I found Ilford's published
ASA of 125 to be unrealistically optimistic, and generally use ASA 50 for these devs.