Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/08

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Subject: [Leica] Four Categories of high definition developers
From: Mark Rabiner <mark@markrabiner.com>
Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2002 11:56:38 -0800

ON page 55 of "The Film Developing Cookbook" Anchell/Troop has four
categories of high definition developers:

1. Highest Acutance:
FX1, HDD, Beutler, Neofin Blue, some Pyrocatechin developers.

2. High Acutance:
Patterson VX39, & Acutol (FX 14), PMK, FX2, Formulary TFX-2, FX37.

3: Good Acutance (slightly higher than D76 but not as high as categories
1 or 2):
Dilute DK 50, HC-110!?, Rodinal, Unitol, FG7.*

4. Solvent developers strongly diluted: good Acutance but less than
category 3.
D76, FX15, D23, Microdol X, Perceptol all diluted 1:3 or 1:4. They say
Kodak Xtol is a special case, offering a speed increase at that dilution
and unusually high sharpness for a solvent developer."

Our developer discussions on the LUG have been involved with categories
3 and 4 as that is what we are all using.
So many of us are using category 4 developers when we should be perhaps
using category 1!
We are three, count em,  three leagues away from  where we would like to
be or should be to take full advantage of our premium glass blah blah
blah and focused on a 24x36mm area to be magnified 5 to 15 times and so
on! 
Premium 35mm photography! I think that is why we are here!

Notice Rodinal does not make the top 2!
And Xtol even though they go out of their way to say wonderful things
about it is at the bottom of the barrel.  - in Catagoy 4.

maybe we should not be in catagoy 4 but 3;
not 3 but 2;
not 2 but 1!
Our glass easily deserves better. At least category 2 if not 1!

Mark Rabiner
Portland, Oregon USA
http://www.markrabiner.com

* this is a little unclear:
we assume they mean slightly higher than D76 1:1, HC-110 dilution B, and
Rodinal 1:50 or 1:100. And FG7 with no sulfite.
But we don't know for completely sure and there is some doubt.
I have a feeling they mean HC-110 at a higher dilution than B. Which i
by the way had no luck with. I got uneven development.
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Replies: Reply from "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com> (Re: [Leica] Four Categories of high definition developers)
Reply from "Mike Durling" <durling@widomaker.com> (Re: [Leica] Four Categories of high definition developers)
Reply from Nathan Wajsman <wajsman@webshuttle.ch> (Re: [Leica] Four Categories of high definition developers)