> Any thoughts comparing ID11, Xtol and Ilfosol S?(posted 8135 days ago)My standard developer is D-76H 1:1 or 1:3; that's D-76 minus hydroquinone plus slightly more metol, and is functionally equivalent to D-76 or ID-11 as specified by the formulae and may not be the same as the packaged developers.
Xtol is a phenidone-ascorbate low-sulfite developer. With Delta 100 and HP5+ I found Xtol at dilutions from 1:1 to 1:3 to give about 1/3 stop more speed for films developed to the same CI and somewhat more graininess along with a commensurate increase in acutance. Note that whether Xtol gives more or less graininess appears to greatly depend on the film in use.
Ilfosol-S is a PQ-ascorbate developer; the interesting difference is that Ilford adds hydroquinone while Kodak doesn't. At any rate, at the 1:14 dilution with those two films I found it to give comparable speed to D-76H, perhaps slightly more graininess about the same or perhaps more acutance, as is normally expected from a phenidone developer. Specifically considering HP5+ and new Delta 400, Ilfosol-S 1:14 modifies the curve shape a little, inducing more of a shoulder.
This has the potential of making a particularly yucky combination; Delta 400 developed in Ilfosol-S printed on MGIV RC. Every component in the chain reduces highlight contrast.
At any rate, I suggest that any huge, radical differences in results from these three developers are most likely the result of film being developed to quite different CIs.