Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Frank- The times are whatever developes out the silver to the fullest extent without fogging. I use 2 minutes with RC paper, but then, most have an incorporated developer, and the RC base makes the action faster. FB papers always seemed to have a thicker emulsion- some are even advertised as such! and may require longer development. I use longer times for Gallerie. The trick is to find a particular time for your paper, and STICK WITH IT. Make adjustment with your exposure only, minimizing the variables makes for more consistant results. If you use an enlarging meter, meter the light from your enlarger so the exposure would be the same as for the greatest shadow detail- open two stops, and exposed several strips of paper to the same light. Mark them 1 to whatever, 5 or 6, however many strips you do at one time. Put them all in the developer at once, turning once to completely wet them, agitate normally face down. At the end of one minute, take the one marked "1" and put it in the stop. At the end of minute 2 put the one marked "2" in the stop and so forth. Fix them, wash and dry as usual. The shortest time that shows no increase in density between it and the next longest time would be the optimum time for that given temp and developer, and would be your 'standard time'- usually darkrooms remain pretty much the same temp, so this would be your working time for that temperature, in that developer and at that dilution for that paper. This is why, if you want consistant results, the best plan is to limit your paper choices to the ones that give you the results you want. Get to know them and what they do- stick with them. Consistancy is next, only to cleanliness, in the darkroom! OOOPs- Fell of my soapbox! Dan :o}~ - ----- Original Message ----- From: Frank Filippone <red735i@earthlink.net> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 1999 10:30 AM Subject: [Leica] Re: Print Development Time > I know this is a bit late to get involved, but the times given among you are > quite short to me... > I also use Ilford MG IV Fiber Based paper. Developer is Ilford MG. > Dilution is 1:14. Development temp is the old... room temp. ( Gotta get me > one of those fancy Zone VI developer timers). > > My development time was the recommended 3 minutes. But extending this to 4 > minutes improves the blacks and also seems to give more depth to the > highlights, effectively lowering the local contrast in the highlights. 5 > Minutes does this a tiny bit more. And my large sky areas that have minimum > detail are not grey but show like zone 2 density. > > Your times of 60 seconds really does seem short to me, as at 60 seconds I am > really quite developing still. > > I also use RC paper for contact sheets, and the recommended times are 2 > minutes, dilution 1:14. These times disagree with the labels, but I found > them on the Ilford Site. > > Frank Filippone >