RO9 special/ Studional three months on.

Out of date Fomapan 200

Another month on and I'm back to using the turquoise Studional and a further cutting from the Fomapan 200, only this time there are couple of dozen images to muck up. The chances of something going wrong diminishes as you get used to the way the developer works, the only spanners are out of date film and senior moments, if it all go's wrong I may learn my lesson.

Out of date Fomapan 200

So far the developer has been used seven times without it missing a step. When comparing the negatives with the naked eye or in this case a magnifier the density between the batches looks to be identical. As far as the compensation factor is concerned this is uncharted territory for me. The question is, does 20% allowance still apply two months on? Thinking on it carefully the answer is yes. My reasoning is that to increase it without knowing whether the suggested compensation worked or not does not make sense. I should test the information and not do my own thing.

 

The information on this developer states that once it is diluted one litre should be good for three months or 12 film processes which ever you arrive at first if stored properly. I will admit that the bottle this is stored in is to big leaving an air gap that will allow the developer to deteriorate more quickly according to the data sheet. I have not done this on purpose I didn't have a container the right size and yet it still works well. Obviously it is better to do what manufacturer recommends to get the best results but in the real world we all make compromises. So is it such a surprise that I'm getting good results? The real test will be at four, five or six months after dilution.

Out of date Fomapan 200

 I processed the negatives as previously mentioned and the results are just as good so much so that I also developed a roll of Agfa APX 100. It just so happens that the dilution for this film is 1+15 (the same as HP5+) or 1+31 for 4 and 8 minutes respectively at 100 ISO. With the 20% adjustment added it took all of five minutes in the developer to receive another set of good looking negatives.

 

 

 

The more I use this developer the more impressed I am with it.

 The table below shows ten popular film that use the 1 +15 dilution. The ones marked with * are the ones I have had good results with at the suggested times with the compensation added.

The double ** is my suggested time for this film at this dilution.

Dilution of 1+15
Film	ASA/ISO	TIME
Adox CHM125	100	3.5
Agfa APX 100 *	100	4
Fomapan	100	10
Fomapan **	200	6
FP4+ *	125	4
HP5+ *	400	4
Neopan	400	6
PAN F+	50	3
Rollei Retro S	400	8.5
Tri-X	400	05/03/05

All the images that appear in this post were Developed in RO9 special
Studional.

This image is from the Agfa APX 100 film mentioned.

Avoiding graininess

If you like your pictures smooth and grainless then you need to pay special attention to its avoidance throughout the process. The best approach is correct exposure, development and method; once mastered graininess will not be a problem. When you start using film speeds above 200 ISO it becomes more critical to get the exposure right in some cases a faster film has been used when a slower one would have done the job just as well. In this instance a fine grain or ultra fine grain developer will go a long way in inhibiting the clumping of the silver hilade crystals during the processing, allowing quite large prints to be made without the grain showing.

The main causes of grain growth are:

• Over exposure.
• Too highly concentrated developer solution.
• Too long a development time.
• Too high a temperature.
• Too much agitation during the development process.
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  This picture was taken using Rollie's R3 variable ISO film set at 1600 ISO developed using R3 developer. If I had used a fine grain developer the grain would not have been this exaggerated. This picture was taken late almost to late as the sun was just off touching the horizon. If I had set 400 ISO it would have been a blur. Apart from that I think it is a good shot caught just at the right moment.

Adox in PMK Pyro results.

Test stips at twenty and ten
Minutes

The results are in! This has turned out to be one of the most exasperating tests to date. There have been problems all along the way from getting the exposures right to developing the film. Having said that there have been some surprises.

As with the Agfa test the film was exposed at box speed ISO 100 in the Nikon F5. This is where the process changes apart from the test method. The PMK Pyro used was one I made from raw material that did not include EDTA disodium in the mix and a reduced amount of Sodium Metaborate in solution B.

Sequence of development:

●         Pre-soak - it makes no difference with this film. It is not prone to air bell/bubbles sticking to the film.

●         Developer - to be made up immediately before use at 21 degrees C.

●         Development times - for this test were 5, 10, and 20 minutes respectively.

●         Tank inversions - continuously for the first minute and then once every fifteen seconds.

●         Stop, Fix and wash - as normal.

●         After bath - was not used and would have made little difference with this mix.

Notes:

Adox CHS 100 PET 35mm is not like other black and white film it has a noticeable thinner film base which is coloured blue. The cassette this film came in was not light tight which almost ruined the test. I only discovered this after the film had been exposed, when removing the film from the cassette it fell to bits. I have read a forum thread saying that the 120 roll film has the same problem. Adox you need to up your game! It is appalling quality control.

Pre-soak water after use

If you use a pre-soak the water will come out blue.

The ten minute development time is the one suggested by Digital truth, which made it the reference time the other test strips were to be judged against.

Results

All the test strips including the one thats a no show.

The test strip to show the best density of negative is the twenty minute one, having said that they are still a bit on the thin side. This does not take away from the fact that they are fully toned and well defined. There is no sign of grain when enlarged to 485 mm (19”) by 340 mm (13.5”). When printing the negatives I'm having to use grade three, normally I would expect to be using grade two, this could be due to the lack of EDTA in the mix of Pyro used. I'm also disappointed that the five minute test strip shows no negatives at all, from previous experience the shorter/half development times have a faint out line. In this case I can only put it down to the faulty film cassette. The ten minute test strip is very thin when compared to the Agfa test strips it is thinner than the half development time. Which suggests that normal development in this case should be greater than twenty minutes.

Over sized enlargment

With all the time and effort put into this test the last thing I was expecting was to be let down by bad manufacture. Of the thirty six exposures on the film around about  ten frames are unaffected by some light damage luckily the majority of these are from the test exposures that put in an appearance. If there was going to be any question marks I was thinking it would be from the developer but it did not disappoint, the only thing to note was when i poured it from the developing tank it was a lovely pink rose colour.

Will I be using the film again? Yes! only because I have a roll of 120 on the shelf if the negatives show any light damage then I will not use it again. How can I say that when I use a lot of out of date film? With out of date film at least you know that the results could be iffy. You don't expect it from new in date stock.

Used PMK Pyro.

Timing development

You should always base your process time on the latest information available for your usual developer. Then be prepared to use these figures as a guide or starting point. You should check each set of negatives carefully, if they are starting to look dark/dense then you will need to adjust the process time by say twenty per cent. If they are looking thin/light then a slight increase in process time is needed. It is a good idea to stick to one make of developer and film until you understand what it is capable of. By doing so, you will be able to extract every detail from the negative that was originally captured. With experience comes knowledge.

What temperature?

20 degrees centigrade is the standard temperature that film development should be carried out at. It is also important that this temperature be maintained throughout the process. You may use a higher or lower temperature which will shorten or lengthen the development time. There is a risk that the negatives may not be fully developed; you should wherever possible follow the instructions as to time and temperature unless an alternative has been suggested by those instructions. With experience you will know what temperature and time combinations give good results. I personally always develop my film at 20 degrees C unless a higher or lower temperature is recommended.

Over development

The film has been processed for longer than it needed. The following can cause this:

• Too long a development time.
• Too high a temperture. ( thermometers can go wrong.)
• Too much agitation.

Attention to these factors should avoid this. If you know that a film has been under exposed then you can remmedy it by over developing.

What does developer do?

The function of the developer is to bring out the latent image held in the emulsion. This is achieved by a chemical reaction, acting on the silver, producing dark areas where it is light and bright areas where there is shadow. The negative is reversed later with the print. The two most important things to keep at the front of your mind are: the development time and the temperature. It is these two factors that ensure the ultimate image quality you later produce in the print. Too short a development time will produce too thin a negative, like wise too long a process time will make the negative too dence, leading to very short and very long print times.