Compared to Kodak's D76, what film developer will provide finer grain?

TONY

-- Tony (tony1234@yahoo.com), January 19, 2002

Answers

D-76 already produces fine grain because it is a solvent developer. However, it strikes a good balance between graininess vs. sharpness vs. film speed. For a distinctly finer grain, use Kodak Microdol - X without dilution. You will lose some film speed (maybe 1/3 to 1/2 stop) and some sharpness.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), January 19, 2002.

Ilfords Perceptol is wonderful. However it's a low energy developer, so you loose 1 stop, and you should compensate accordingly.

-- Marc Leest (classicphoto@leest.net), January 19, 2002.

a good fine grain developer that also picks up half an ei or so is acu-one.

-- jim meisenbach (pacifica011@home.com), January 19, 2002.

I use Agfa Rodinal. Diluted 1:25 Films of preference: Agfa APx 25 (extinct, but available on e-bay ~~ $7/roll and Ilford Pan F (asa 50) both with excellent results. (I shoot mostly 120 and some 4x5)

-- Les (1fatcat@usa.com), January 28, 2002.

That's the first time I've seen Rodinal proposed as a fine-grain developer!

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), February 01, 2002.

Bob Fleischman, I've seen this statement that D-76 is a fine grain developer because it is a solvent developer so many times that I wish someone would prove it experimentally. Mix some home brew D-76 and start with, say, 25 g/l of sodium sulfite. Develop a strip of film. Add sulfite and do another strip. Repeat until you get up to 125 g/l. The effects of thse changes of sulfite might surprise you.

Pat Gainer

-- Patrick A. Gainer (pgainer@rtol.net), February 06, 2002.