Kodak D-23 developer

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Does anyone have any experience in using homemixed D-23 developer for 4x5 negatives? I use a JOBO processor with continous agitation and will probably opt for Delta 100 film. The litterature I have does not explain the capasity of the developer. May be a 1:1 one shot dilution is the best? I want a fully developed negative that doesn't block the highlight and I am conserned with good contrast in the middle tones. Is a two bath variant of this developer good for Delta 100 films?

-- Sverre Aurstad (sverre.aurstad@bokklubbene.no), January 06, 1999

Answers

Being myself a D23 user since 20 years ago when I started seeing/reading Adams images/literature, presently my experiences have been with TMax100. Perhaps useful for you as starting points here are "MY" ( TMax100 4x5 with D23 ) standards: ( N-1) D23 1:3 EI=25 9min 20 C ; ( N ) D23 1:3 EI=50 12min 20 C ; (N+1) D23 1:1 EI=100 12min 20 C ;

Developing method : ordinary PVC tubes (see thread : Older messages/Darkroom/4x5 processing techniques/Robert Patrick jan26 1998)

If you try that, let us know the results. Good luck.

(Sergio Caetano)

-- Sergio Caetano (thgardin@uol.com.br), January 06, 1999.


Good thinking but the flaw is continuous agitation; this will prevent any compensating action that otherwise would occur. I've used 9'30"/68F intermittent agitation for Delta 100, EI 100, for D-23 1:1 with good results, but the curve shape is still fairly straight. Although there's a slight shoulder, it's not going to have whole lot of effect compared to the dead-straight-line curve shape of, say, Xtol, and continuous agitation would probably remove that shoulder. Yes two-bath works. Try using 30g borax/liter for the second bath. I've gotten "normal" contrast with 9'/75F in part A 3'/75F part B, down to a very usable N-3 with 3'/75F in part A and 3' in part B for EI 50. This yields a straight but low-contrast curve shape.

-- John Hicks / John's Camera Shop (jbh@magicnet.net), January 07, 1999.

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