You probably all have those moments when you want to smash something, today is one of mine. Lately my negatives (6 x 6 medium format) are grainy. I know my camera is capable of being sharp, (Mamiya 330S and Hasselblad 501 CM). The pictures are sharp at 5 X 5 but really are not worth enlarging beyond that. Using XTOL 1:3 and Ilford FP4 film. Always use distilled water, at 68 degrees. I know it's not my enlarger, I eliminated that with some older negs, printed just fine.(posted 9007 days ago)I can see by examining the negative that the focus point is on the subject, but the detail is fuzzy. I have an older book that says reticulation can be caused by tempeture variations, (how much) and overused fixer (is that true?). I am on well water were I live, and the temp is usually four or five degrees of the develop temp. (68),I rinse the film in this water, then back into distilled water for a final rinse. (BTW, using small tank, invert 10sec./per min. for 16 mins.)
I have tried rating FP4 at 125, 64, 32. Seems like the quality goes up with the lower ISO. I compensate by shortening the developing time. Has any one experienced this? Any suggestions?