Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/11/11

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Subject: [Leica] General Processing comment
From: Bob_Maxey@mtn.3com.com
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 22:22:19 -0700

There is a lot of discussion about developers and films. I think people
loose sight of the fact that it is not enough to say that one developer is
better than another. Do not get into the habit of using the same material
all the time. Bear in mind that the reason we have so many developers and
have had so many in the past, is because they are designed for different
applications and situations. I favor Microdol - X but I also use a lot of
DK-50 in Deep Tanks for sheet film. I love D-76, but preferred Ethol in
35MM dip and dunk tanks.

For example, if sharpness is the main concern, you will use one developer,
that might not give you full emulsion speed. If you favor fine grain, some
developers are better than others, but if you use the better developer, you
might loose something else. There are hundreds of developer formulas and
Eastman offered far more developers than they do now.

So, my advice is to decide what you want and choose the proper one. Become
familiar with developers and see what works. One developer is never
suitable for everything, if you seek everything from your negatives.

RM