[Leica] Adox ATM49

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

If I was going on a trip or doing some critical or otherwise worthwhile
photo shoot I'd not try out some new developer combination on it and see how
and if it comes out. It seems frivolous. What about the photographs? Don't
we want them to "come out"? Isn't that the first priority? Not what chemical
combination we can some up with for this batch.
Its not any more about playing with are darkroom chemistry sets than it is
about watching the eBay results on our separate computer monitor. It needs
to be about love of image making. You need to get very familiar with the
results of a developer and a film and how that works with a paper and that
developer or how that scans and prints.
This whole "I wonder if this will come out" thing is what you do your first
year into he darkroom. After that the fun comes from knowing what your
doing; not wondering if "the magic" is going to happen. "The magic" is luck
and luck comes to those who can afford it. I cant. I very need the next
batch of pictures I take to "come out"..


Mark William Rabiner



> From: Marty Deveney <benedenia at gmail.com>
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:01:52 +0930
> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Subject: [Leica]  Adox ATM49
> 
> ATM49 is very similar, probably the same as AGFA Atomal, which I've tried.
>  Calbe A49 is also likely close.  I have no idea what you can and cannot 
> buy
> off the shelf anymore, since I only really buy Xtol and mix everything else
> up myself.  Don't confuse Atomal with Atomal FF; they are totally different
> developers - the latter is a phenidone HQ developer.
> The formula for Agfa Atomal is:
> 
> Package A:
> Oxyethyl-ortho-aminophenol 6g
> Pyrocatechin 10g
> Hydroquinone 4g
> 
> Package B:
> Sodiumsulfite anhyd. 100g
> Sodiumcarbonate anhyd. 25g
> Potassium bromide 1g
> Sodium metaphosphate 1g
> 
> Dissolve in 750 ml of water at 50? C.  Add cold Water to make 1 litre.
> 
> It seems unnecessarily complicated to me.
> 
> The o- aminophenol correctly is a silver solvent, not an active developer.
>  One of the Windisch formulae uses 0-phenylenediamine in a similar way in
> an extra-fine-grain developer where Metol is the main developing agent.
>  o-phenylenediamine is not an active reducing agent but is an effective
> solvent of silver halide.
> 
> In my experience all the Agfa formulae lower midtones more than I want most
> of the time.  I was thinking that I would develop some photos that I will
> take in Prague later this year in Rodinal or Rodinal Special to take
> advantage of the dark look, but having seen this maybe I'll try Atomal.  I
> think  mostly I prefer Xtol for providing the finest grain with excellent
> acutance.
> 
> You can also get a VERY similar look at much lower cost by adding 3 mL of
> Rodinal per litre of Xtol 1+4 or 1+5.  If you get fog or signs of 
> infectious
> development due to lowering of the pH and activation of the ascorbate in 
> the
> Xtol alone by the hydroxide in the Rodinal, add 1-2.5 g/L of borax.  This
> brings the pH back down while maintaining alkalinity and activity.
> 
> Irrespective of the developer, the photos look great.  Keep at it,
> 
> Marty
> 
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