The Best Developer

[aaronmichael]

But I do think it's a mistake to chase "the best" developer rather than a "good enough" developer. They all turn activated halides into metallic silver, after all, which ultimately is the name of the game, right?

That's a very good point you have there. Like I said in my original post though, I wasn't necessarily asking for the "best" develop, but rather the most well rounded developer. From the replies it seems like the two that we have in the lab (D-76 & HC-110) are the two most well rounded. Which makes sense since they're the two supplied for us to use. I think I might do some more research on PC-TEA and try that out if I get a chance since multiple users said it's a affordable well rounded developer. I've never mixed my own developer though, so that would be something new.

[ruilourosa]

it´s easy!!!!!

an electric heater (those used for food), an erlenmeyer in pyrex, trietanolamina, phenidone and vitamin c

follow the instructions on the web

good and convenient developer...

cheers

[2F/2F]

You'll do just fine with either one of those two. I would not have any reservations about them.

What school do you attend, BTW? Just curious, as I live in L.A.

[aaronmichael]

You'll do just fine with either one of those two. I would not have any reservations about them.

What school do you attend, BTW? Just curious, as I live in L.A.

I'm a junior at Cal State Long Beach. It's only about 6 miles away from my place which is always nice when I want to head into the lab on weekends to get some work done or just mess around.

[Crashbox]

I'll throw in my two cents' worth here. I think both D-76 and HC-110 dilution B are probably the two most versatile film developers for producing negatives of normal film speed and contrast. The HC-110 has additional flexibility WRT dilution and resultant contrast levels- I have used dilution E on Panatomic-X many years ago... HC-110 also has (or at least had) crisp grain structure going for it, too.

Though I have not used either developer in a very long time since I'm mainly a pyro man now, D-76 and HC-110 IMO have a very substantial level of versatility.

[Lanline]

The developer that is available, and you know the best, is the best.

D76, HC-110, Rodinal, etc - these developers have been good enough for some of the legendary masterful printers out there. There is absolutely nothing wrong with HC-110 or D76; they are as good as any other developers out there. The difference lies in mastering the use of them. You will find that the limitations of the outcome of your print seldom lies in your materials, but rather in how we use them.
As a student you are far better off just picking one of those developers, and use it to your heart's content. They are all good. The rest is nearly academic. As interesting as it may seem, the changes you see due to alterations in your technique far outweigh the differences you see between different developers.

Good luck.

Great advice.

[Gerald C Koch]

Some developers are better than others but there is no best developer. You are trying to seek the holy grail of developers. Only madness lies down this path. Eventually you will stop taking photographs entirely and only test developers.

[nworth]

There is no such thing as a "best" developer, or even a "best" developer for a particular film. You find a film-developer combination that you are happy with, and then you keep with it - for the most part. Experimentation and variation for a particular purpose are certainly encouraged. The two developers you mention, D-76 and HC-110, are excellent choices that work well with almost every film. They both have a long track record of outstanding photographs, and they are a very good place to start.