Rodinal
I’ve been playing with Rodinal again lately. This TriX @ 200 in Rodinal 1+150 for something like 30 minutes.
I’ve also tried it rated TriX @ 400 in Rodinal 1+50 for whatever time the box said.
I can handle the grain, but shadow detail doesn’t seem great. Contrast seems really high in general. Somewhere on the web I found a formula for a split a Rodinal/Xtol. You get Rodinal’s acutance and Xtol’s smoother tonality. That sounds interesting, but I need to mix up some more Xtol first. And finish the rolls of Adox 50 that I shot @ 125 for Diafine. And try out FP4 at 250 in Diafine. Did you know you can soup XP2 in Diafine too? So many films, so many developers. Who needs digital?
Astute blog readers will notice from the properties of the images above that the first two were shot with an M6TTL. Yes, I bought one. It turned out that I did want a Leica, just not an M8. More on the M6 later . . .
Good on you, Matt!
Doing the right things: watching “Harold and Maude” for inspiration and life guidance, getting a Leica (I could tell right away on the first two photos … NOT!).
No, really, congratulations!
I find Rodinal (or it’s newer variant FX-70) useful when I want to emphasize grain and acutance on Fujifilm Neopan 1600. That one hasn’t any shadow details anyway, so no loss.
Best regards, Christoph
Hi Matt, I’m glad you are back experimenting with films, developers , and … cameras ;-)
The best shot of this lot is without any doubt the leg one, haha… it is half way between Bill Brandt and Robert Franck !
On a technical note: I am trying to simplify my life with films, and so standardize at least a bit the materials I use.
In the 35mm ISO 400 category I have tried Neopan, Delta, Tmax2, HP5+ and Tri-X, and although the Tmax2 is darn sharp and hise quite nice tonality in Rodinal 1+50, Neopan has good tonality and fine grain and Delta is generally good, I have opted for Tri-X, because it has the best shadow detail for the speed and can be shot easily at all kinds of speeds without a great loss in tonality.
I have decidec, that B&W film photography is sexy to me mainly because of the tonality, and the grain actually can make it better at times. Therefore the choice is to maximize tonality and sharpness at the expense of fine grain - if not strictly necessary.
This brings us to Rodinal, Prescysol EF (Pyrocat HD), Acufine and Diafine.
The first two give great tonality, but there’s some speed loss, like ISO 200-250 - Prescysol has great paintery tonaliy and fine grain, Rodinal is more dramatic, maybe you should try it at a lower speed. I like Acufine ( so far tried it at Iso 800) and will try Diafine too, maybe for the MF. Will keep you posted on my conclusions for the combinations that look good.
As for the Leica - yes it’s great, but you can’t see a thing through this damned VF, next time splurge on a ZI ! ;-).
Take care.
Christoph, I don’t have any Neopan 1600 on hand, but I do have quite a bit of Delta 3200. I’ll give it a try in the Rodinal.
Marek, even at 200, I didn’t feel like I was getting great tonality out of TriX in rodinal, although perhaps I was using it too diluted. I’m finishing up a couple of rolls of Delta 100; perhaps Rodinal will work well with it.
I’ve thought about trying Pyro developers, but I’ve been concerned about their supposed toxicity. I have to do a bit more reading before I feel comfortable.
I seriously considered the ZI, but I decided that after the Hexar RF, I really wanted something that I knew could be repaired. I think the verdict is still out on the ZI’s longevity. In any event, the VF on the M6 is a step up from the Hexar, so I’m happy. The film loading is another story.
Hi Matt, As an M8 user I was looking forward to you getting one and to seeing how you liked it. However I am sure you will be happy with the M6. My question is, are you still going to go along the digital road, bearing in mind your recent comments regarding scanning? Thanks again for a great site. Graham
Graham, I think for the time being I will be continuing with film, but I probably will continue to rant about scanning whenever I get to frustrated.
FP4 in Diafine is beautiful, but FP4 is beautiful in just about anything. I would’nt go further than 200, though.
Forget about XP2 in Diafine. It is a last resort at best.
Film loading on the M6 is an acquired taste, I’d say. After a while it is like riding a bicycle :-)
I have been through a number of cameras in the recent years, always selling to get the next one. I have kept the M6, unable to part with it. I am glad I did.
Congrats on your purchase.
‘I would’nt go further than 200, though.’
That’s good to know. The box says 250, but that seemed a little ambitious.
I’m not expecting much from the XP2, but I am curious.
I’m starting to get the hang of loading the M6, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to load it as fast as I could my Hexar.