Digitaltruth Photo

what is in your oppinion the most suitable developer for ilford 125 fp4+ film? i'm looking for fine grain, long tonal scale and economy.

You will be very pleased using Clayton F 76 plus developer.
Dilute 1+9
process for 5 minutes

Well I used microdol X (1+3) for 23 minutes and got really fine grain and adequate contrast. However as a trade off I always use D76(1+1) for 11mins. Gives great tonal range and contrast but just a bit grainy.

Rodinal is my current favourite with FP4+. Depending on the contrast, tweak the dilution from 1:50 to 1:100.

I'm starting to experiment with Fuji Artdol - it has a superb tonal scale on Fuji Acros but unfortunately there isn't much information about it with Ilford FP4+ - yet.....

I love FP4+ and I develop it only with Perceptol (1+1). But now it is hard to find it so I use ID-11.

As pointed out most D76 (F76, IDII, Kodak D76) type developers will give resonably fine grain & a good tonal scale without losing ISO speed.

This is for small Paterson type tanks.
I use Kodak D76 (1+1) 11min. @ 20°c.

Agitation for the every 5 sec. first 30 sec. Tap the tank to dispearse air bubbles.

Then a double inversion every minute.

Xtol straight or 1:1 works beautifully. Excellent all-around film and developer combination.

I think all the developers suggested here are a good choice. Another choice that is quite popular in the UK where I live is Paterson Acutol which formulated to help enhance image definition. Ilford Perceptol which is similar to Microdol-X is now readily available once again.

milhouse wrote:what is in your oppinion the most suitable developer for ilford 125 fp4+ film? i'm looking for fine grain, long tonal scale and economy.

Almost any developer works well with medium-speed films. I like Acutol and D-76 and UFG.

What is UFG, Powder or liquid, MQ or PQ, Solvent or non-solvent type?

Keith Tapscott. wrote:What is UFG, Powder or liquid, MQ or PQ, Solvent or non-solvent type?

Powder, solvent. Was available as liquid in the past and may still be so.

Starting with your last requirement, economy, and working backwards, the most economical developers are the ones we can make up at home, and that will last forever on the shelf. Fine grain is a relative term, and since FP4+ is inherently fine grained, there are likely a number of general purpose developers that will satisfy that parameter, including the ones already mentioned. The "tonal scale" is a function of the film's charactristic curve and the contrast to which it is developed, so developer formulation will have far less impact than exposure and degree of development in any developer. All that being said, the closest thing to an ideal, general purpose developer I know is Pat Gainer's PC-TEA. PC-TEA is a single solution developer that is simply diluted with water to make a working solution, like Rodinal or HC-110. The concentrate will last forever on the shelf, and is almost completely non-toxic. PC-TEA produces sharp negs, with very fine grain (similar to Xtol 1:1), and excellent gradation. The only downside is that it is not commercially available, and must be made up from bulk chemicals. This is very easy to do, and well worth the effort. PC-TEA contains only ascorbic acid and phenidone, dissolved in triethanolamine (TEA). A liter of concentrate contains 90g of ascorbic acid and 2.5g of phenidone, and will make 50 liters of working solution at the normal dilution of 1:50. If you decide you'd like to make some up, and have any questions about the formula, the mixing procedure, or development times, feel free to contact me. Good luck.

Jay

In my opinion, without a question, Pyrocat HD, both for sheet and roll film. I got really nice 12"x16" prints from FP4 35mm developed in PyroHD.
Another very good developer would be Fine Art Photo Supply FA-1027. 9 minutes @ 20*C/68*F at the 1+14 dilution.

- Thom

I've had good results with PMK Pyro from Photographers' Formulary. I develop it anywhere from 11 to 13 min depending on the image. Pyro isn't for everyone, so I'll add a second plug for Clayton F76. You also can't lose with Xtol and Kodak HC110. HC110 can be diluted to vary the outcome.