Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/07/06

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Neopan 1600 first attempt
From: Johnny Deadman <john@pinkheadedbug.com>
Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2001 17:20:06 -0400

on 7/6/01 4:14 PM, George Lottermoser at imagist@concentric.net wrote:

> Just as with the Neopan, I hear you all raving about xtol, and
> I'm tempted to try it. But I'm just so tired of "trying"
> everything and really want to lock down and just photograph. And
> I feel like I'm just about there with DDX and the Ilford films. I
> also have gotten spoiled with liquid developers, after decades of
> mixing from scratch. Which brings up another question: Does
> anyone have the recipe for the the renowned xtol? I'm sure I've
> got all the ingredients.

yes the recipe is in a US patent (the no. is in the archives someplace, and
in the Antscherl book). It's fundamentally a sulfite developer with a sodium
ascorbate derivative as the developing agent, plus some chelating agents and
maybe some buffer and the usual stuff Kodak throws into its commercial
developers.

The thing about Xtol is, though, that it just darn flat-out WORKS. I do use
other developers from time to time for particular applications but Xtol is a
fire-and-forget developer. I love it to bits. I haven't used anything else
seriously for 3 years now.

On Neopan 1600 the slight (real) speed increase you get with dilute Xtol
plus the compensating effect plus the sharpness of the grain all works
together gosh-darn beautifully.

- -- 
John Brownlow

http://www.pinkheadedbug.com

ICQ: 109343205