I am new to PMK; I developed two rolls of film in PMK and made some trial prints over the weekend. The films were FP4+ in 120 and T-Max 100 in 35 mm. I used the development times and agitation recommended in the ‘Film Developing Cookbook’ and the instructions that came with PMK.(posted 8264 days ago)Previously I was working with TFX-2 as a film developer (Glycin-Metol, Non-Solvent) using a semi-stand development. I was interested in trying PMK because my current developer/agitation technique produces high micro-contrast, and because of Pyro’s reputation for separating nearly adjacent tones. I was suprised by my initial results; the prints were less sharp and grainier with no apparent improvement in graduation.
Since I was able to print with a Number 2 filter on Multi-Grade IV FB with the contrast that I wanted, development times with PMK were close to ideal. The FP4+ stained more than the T-Max, although the stain on the T-Max was enough to require doubling the exposure time vs. my non-stained negatives. For the record, I print with a condenser enlarger, and I used TF-4 alkaline fixer.
Obviously PMK is a fine developer or it wouldn’t have the following that is does. Are the some processing techniques that I should be aware of? Any help would be appreciated.