Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/02/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 09:51 AM 2/22/2002 -0500, Rolfe Tessem wrote: >Just what is it about this developer that is supposed to be so >wonderful? > > From the published literature I've read, it would seem that Xtol is the >only truly significant advance in the last 30 years in that it gives >fine GRAIN, high SPEED, and high ACCUANCE all at the same time. With >every other developer I've read about or used personally, it would seem >that you gain advantages in GRAIN/SPEED/ACCUANCE only at the expense of >one or both of the other factors. > >Rolfe In my 50+ years in the photography/darkroom business, it has become quite obvious that everyone has their own favorite film/developer combination. What I like, many dislike. What I hate, many love. Etc... I hate Microdol-X. I love Rodinal 1:100, Willy Beutler and Hans Windisch soups, hand developed in a SS tank. And I like throwing in a little vitamin C occasionally (APX-25, Efke 25.) I like Xtol 1:1 and Rodinal 1:50 in my JOBO (Tri-X, APX-100, Efke 100.) I like D-76 1:1 by hand in a SS or hard rubber 4x5 tank (Tri-X, APX-100, Efke 100.) A developer that I can't get, which someone else likes, is of no great interest to me. People rave about Dixactol. I can't be bothered learning yet another new developer even though I can get it. So AM50... nah! We all are tuned into a particular look. A look that we get with the stuff that we keep on using over and over and over. If we didn't like it, we wouldn't use it. Jim - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html