Beginner Film Developer

[lightstalker]

I visited freestyle website, but the shipping cost is way expensive. and to my surprise, the film price is higher than here in Jakarta. around $2 higher than I usually pay. for example, I can get tmax 400 or delta 400 (36 exp) for $5 here.

[Vaughn]

...Some Fomapan (Arista), Tri-X, FP4 or HP5 would be the most-bulletproof place to start....

No disrespect intended, but this just made me smile!

"Bullet-proof" is not usually a good thing when referring to negatives, as it usually refers to totally blocked up highlights! I know you did not mean it that way and it does not even really read that way...but it still made me chuckle! Thanks!

Vaughn

[pgomena]

I'm puzzled by your film choices in the poll. A Chinese film of dubious quality, a rebranded film, and two high-tech films that are a bit much for a beginner to control. I'd pick Ilford PanF+ or Tri-X. Both are traditional films that are more tolerant of small errors.

Peter Gomena

[Elvis-isintheroom]

Oh freestyle in LA the US. There is nobody here in Bali selling chemicals or a (reliable) source of anything photographic.

[lightstalker]

I'm puzzled by your film choices in the poll. A Chinese film of dubious quality, a rebranded film, and two high-tech films that are a bit much for a beginner to control. I'd pick Ilford PanF+ or Tri-X. Both are traditional films that are more tolerant of small errors.

Peter Gomena

because those are the films that are easy to get here, unlike Tri-X or any Ilford films

[lightstalker]

Oh freestyle in LA the US. There is nobody here in Bali selling chemicals or a (reliable) source of anything photographic.

If it's hard to get in Jakarta, it's likely even harder to get in other cities..

[SMBooth]

If developer is hard to get in Jakarta, perhaps you could start using one of the coffee based developers, plenty of that it Jakarta.

[jnanian]

If developer is hard to get in Jakarta, perhaps you could start using one of the coffee based developers, plenty of that it Jakarta.

robusta / instant coffee might not be readily available,


but if lightstalker can get THAT and vit c powder and washing soda/sodium carbonate s/he should have it made.
if baking soda is available, not washing soda, just heat the baking soda in an oven low temp until it is dehydrated
it will then be converted to the soda you want ...

http://caffenol.blogspot.com/
might be of some help for proportions and recipes ..
but be advised it can be as addictive as drinking coffee
and give results as superior as store bought developers ...

[tkamiya]

I'm going to contradict myself.....

Despite the fact that I said earlier Tri-X and D-76 is easier and forgiving therefore my recommendation, the difference between films and developers aren't as big as they are often made out to be. With possibly exception of Lucky brand (which I have no personal experience but have heard some dubious reputations), they are all capable of producing fine results. This is especially true when one is not going to try to control one aspect of the combination or another.

If you are in a country/environment where wide variety of choices aren't readily available to you, just pick one that is easily and inexpensively available and play with it to your heart's content. With practice, you could do a fine job with any quality film.