DD-X: what is the minimum amount per film?

[Robert Ridyard]

The fact sheet for DD-X gives the following information: "Used at 1+4 for one shot processing DD-X will develop 16 135/36 films." Does this mean that a minimum of 62.5 ml of DD-X is required to develop one roll of film, regardless of the dilution used? (1000 ml divided by 16 rolls yields 62.5 ml)

[Bob-D659]

See page 8 and 9 for extending tank times for dilution of 1+4, http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/...7124733149.pdf

[Robert Ridyard]

Pages 8-9 concern re-using DD-X rather than using it as a one-shot developer. I want to use DD-X as a one-shot.

I used to believe that D-76 at 1:1 meant that you could develop two rolls of 35 mm film in a 16-oz tank using 8 oz of stock solution diluted in 8 oz of water. This is not the case, according to the fact sheet for D-76: "You can develop one 135-3 roll (80 square inches) in 473 mL (16 ounces) or two rolls together in 946 mL (one quart) of diluted developer."

A minimum of 8 oz of D-76 stock solution is required to develop a roll of film, whether you use D-76 straight or diluted 1:1.

Could this also be the case with DD-X, since the fact sheet clearly states that a litre will develop 16 rolls?

[6x7]

The minimum amount of developer depends on your tank and the number of rolls being developed. In my Paterson Universal, it is roughly 60mL of developer (tank capacity is 290mL per roll of 35mm, but I round up to 300mL for easier measuring) to 240mL of water (1:4) for a single roll of 35mm.

Doing it this way, I can indeed develop 16 rolls of 35mm from a 1L bottle of DD-X.

[Sal Santamaura]

The fact sheet for DD-X gives the following information: "Used at 1+4 for one shot processing DD-X will develop 16 135/36 films." Does this mean that a minimum of 62.5 ml of DD-X is required to develop one roll of film, regardless of the dilution used? (1000 ml divided by 16 rolls yields 62.5 ml)

Yes, for one-shot use, that's the correct minimum quantity of concentrate per 80 square inches of film.

There are many who will report that they use less and doing so "works fine." If you too wish to gamble, follow their example. Only by using the minimum quantity of concentrate can you absolutely count on repeatable results regardless of what the scenes you photograph exhibit in terms of average brightness. Using less developer means that, depending on scene makeup, you might under develop or you might not.

Some other developers' minimums (concentrate or, for powder developers, stock solution) are:

Xtol - 100 ml

D-76 / ID-11 / Perceptol: 250 ml

Rodinal - 10 ml

HC-110 / Ilfotec HC - 6 ml

Shoot craps or be confident; the choice is yours.

[Bob-D659]

Even if there is enough "developer" in 30 ml of stock solution, diluting it to weaker than 1+4 reduces the activity of the solution. So you have to use enough stock to make a 1+4 mix to cover the reel in the tank. The pages I mentioned indicate there is an excess of developer as extending the times for multiple rolls indicates. The one shot use is for optimum image quality and consistency as the document indicates. BTW, active developing agent consumption during processing depends on the amount of exposed silver in the roll. A roll of film exposed to room light will likely exhaust a tank full, an unexposed roll not so much.

[Aron]

A die-hard Rodinal user would never say 10 ml. I've got a 500 ml bottle in front of me (AgfaPhoto Rodinal) and on the box it says:

"Working capacity: For 30 to 80 rolls of 35 mm films with 36 exposures depending on dilution."

500/80=6,25 ml. Usually they state 7 ml is the official, but 5 ml works just fine.

[Robert Ridyard]

I used to use 5 ml of Rodinal at 1:50 to process one roll of Tri-X and it worked fine.

[Sal Santamaura]

...There are many who will report that they use less and doing so "works fine." If you too wish to gamble, follow their example....Shoot craps or be confident; the choice is yours.

I used to use 5 ml of Rodinal at 1:50 to process one roll of Tri-X and it worked fine.

OK, follow "their" (your own) advice, shoot craps and be happy.

[pentaxuser]

There are users who claim good consistent results at 1+9. It requires longer times of course and Harman doesn't list 1+9 times. Do a search here and you'll find info. Try the Massive Development Chart. It lists 1+9 times if I recall but of course they are simply user times and not "official manufacturer times

pentaxuser