Film developers D-76, Rodinal, FX-1 and Pyrocat HD / Vlog 58

In this vlog I've mixed film developers Kodak D-76, FX-1, Pyrocat HD and Rodinal. OK, I will mix Rodinal before I will use it.
If you want to skip to the exact developer, here is the table of contents:
D-76 or ID-11 3:30 - 6:00
FX-1 6:10 - 12:30
Pyrocat HD 12:31 - 14:52
I don't know why I started this series and why I am digging so deeply, but with my vlogs I want to learn too, so I am curious to see how FX-1 and Pyrocat will do in comparison to my usual film developing choice D-76. I am not sure if somebody is interested in that, but if I started it, I will also finish it. Hopefully in my next vlog this will be done. But of course, I will keep on shooting and I will learn new things.
Workshops for the first half of 2019: www.topshitphotography.com/
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Wordpress blog with all the episodes in chronological order with comments. Original since 2003 with more then thousand of posts:
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[@maetwu]

Master, I've been waiting for this video all week !! Thank you!

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

I've been in Paris last week. Sorry.

[@alicnar2321]

thank you, Borut. I've switch to a pyro based workflow thanks to you that mentions the italian pyro seller. Love your work!!!

[@nickpetropolis5749]

been waiting all week for this, lol now I will keep waiting, thanks for making these, in 20 years these videos will be classics, and people not even born yet will wonder how you only had 7.5k subs when you made them

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

It's a conspiracy between me and PewDiePie. I take only the Crème de la crème subscribers and he takes the rest. The other theory around is because I am black...

[@nickpetropolis5749]

lmao there is some overlap, I am a 9 year old who also likes analog photographic process #subscribetopewdiepie@@BorutPeterlinPhotography

[@puppetyr]

Cool stuff. Pyrocat-HD is my current favourite developer; excellent tonal range and separation, as well as high acutance with minimal grain. Also, regarding longevity: it is best to make up part A using glycol rather than water. This way the shelf life of part A is essentially indefinite (oxygen has much poorer solubility in glycol compared to water, therefore the developing agents are protected).

[@beaupfeifferrecordings]

nice mixing I use a 1200ml graduated cylinder & a 45ml to do all my measuring out I find the marking are much more accurate than the markings on a conical flask or a beaker good video tho look forward to your next bourt

[@MrZosh]

Thanks for uploading another cool episode, Borut :) That Junghans Stopwatch kicks ass!!! As you can buy most chemicals only in big quantities, does it really pay off to mix developer on your own?

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

I was afraid that someone might ask that. The answer is NO. Mixing your own chemistry does not save you money, it is just better to mix the amount of developer you need and not let it age during storage. Plus the same chemistry I use for other processes. Like 2% solution of Sodium sulfite is hypoclear, potassium carbonate is basically washing soda, used in various developers and also in cyanotype. THere you can find logic. Or not, ha, ha... I'm photo geek.

[@node547]

@@BorutPeterlinPhotography I was wondering why one would go through this. Maybe if you come to a point where you can say "hmm, this negative will need more metol to come to its true potential". Do you see a difference with off-the-shelf D76/ID11?

[@Zetaphotography]

new to your channel. Thank you for this video. Subscribed

[@gerardodalchielelueiro6818]

Please make a video about the use of FX 1 developer and the results Best regards from ARGENTINA

[@bananafreakingidiot]

Obozujem videe! Sem ogromen fan! Vendar mislim da ti ni naklonjen youtubov algoritem zgolj zaradi imena(ki je meni vsec). Zelo so obcutljivi na "kletvice" haha

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

Edino še na youtube algoritem nimam fetiša, vse ostale sem že fasal... Ljudje, ne ponovite moje napake, cepite svoje otroke!!!

[@mefourb]

Welcome back home from Paris!

[@mjones410]

love that mixer, reminds me of Chemistry class in school so many years ago. I would be interested to know which developer is the most economical (cheapest)? I am guessing Rodinal in a 1:50 standard mix?

[@vincentledger1616]

Yeah I'd guess that as well. Or even 1:100 if you do stand developement. In a 2x135 Tank that comes out at less than one Euro per Roll. That is really really cheap. Diluted D76 doesn't cost much either.

[@stakkanovfriman2838]

i have been re-using id-11. from each half liter you can develop 10 rolls. just add 10% time after each roll. now that is cheap. also you can skip the stopper and stop with water in stead.

[@04ctsvader]

I was planning on mixing some of my own today and this has got me really motivated. You mentioned a cookbook. Is it something easy to find?

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

Yes, the bible is Steve Anchell:s The Darkroom Cookbook, Third Edition (Alternative Process Photography)

[@Jacksymmar]

A MUST HAVE book, available online in PDF.

[@photomaster1]

I’ve been watching your channel for about 8months now, and I have a love hate relationship due to your talking about mixing our own chemicals. Now that I’ve picked up the Darkroom Cookbook forth edition and the heated magnetic stir device. Which make be feel like some backroom chemist, I’ll be making my own developing choices. Cost just under 100-US after you get all the glassware, but life changes also happen with this deep dive into becoming a film guy. I find emulating your style is almost fun. Being a medium / large format shooter mixing your own stuff does make me feel a bit like top-shit but most important I can say I created this. Now on to the next stage making a book.. Love what you do please keep it up. And please don’t change a thing.. well the bad jokes could be better.. lol

[@stakkanovfriman2838]

how is your book coming along?

[@terrywbreedlove]

Bravo

[@gerardodalchielelueiro6818]

And Pyrocat too Thanks

[@guillermoperezsantos]

Since you have the chemicals for FX-1 you can also try FX-2, just get some Glycin FX-2 High acutance film developer 1 + 1 +8 Part A Metol 2.5g Sodium Sulfite 35g Glycin 7.5g Part B Potassium Carbonate (crystals) 75g To use FX-2 for stand development, dilute the working solution 1:1 or 1:2. Presoak the film for 2 minutes in a solution of Edwal's LFN. This helps prevent air bubbles. After immersing the film in the developer, gently agitate for 60 seconds, either by stirring with a rod, or gently swishing the developer around in the tank, altering the direction every 15 seconds tap the tank on the counter top, then leave it for 1 to 1½ hours. No further agitation is necessary. The film will develop to completion, that is, the shadows will develop as fully as they are capable, and the highlights will reach an ideal point and stop, without overdeveloping (the extreme highlight compensation will help counteract errors in exposure). At the end of the development time, rinse the film in water, stop and fix, observing the CAUTION for acid stop baths under normal development procedures, discussed above. www.flickr.com/photos/101284572@N04/13874867313/in/album-72157644432159865/

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

Thanks, I might try that.

[@node547]

Commodore... my first! Was 12 back then.

[@russjump6194]

I have some very old Metol Elon probably goes back to 1940 maybe older does that chemical go bad. also have some Hydroquinone I think it goes back to the mid-1980s and have not tested either one of them just wondering if there's a shelf life on either one of them.

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

I think Metol is OK, if it's clean white color, but hydroquinone is certainly not, especially if it's ash-gray.

[@jogrev]

Please, which brand is your weigh balance? Thank you

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

original no-name made in China brand.

[@AvaSilvery]

Don't know if something might be wrong with me, but this video relaxed me so much. Hhhhhhh. #analogasmr

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

Thank you! Eckhart Tolle says that peacefulness can be contained in books, but that has nothing to do with the rational, with the information level. Now, we know something, he doesn't! Also didactic vlogs can do that! Ha! I'm actually once in my life, not joking, I'm serious (so funny to say that:-), it's about being authentic self.

[@AvaSilvery]

.the 'authentic self'..which - in this video - authentically painfully manages to demonstrate the entire meaning of life by half-carefully preparing his 0.00000000000000001 % potassium cocktail.

[@Thode-R]

Can you check/test the caffenol method for us?

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

Yes, I might test few caffenol receipts. Oly one will be with coffee the others will be dekofenised caffenol.

[@paulo15581]

These components are all anhydrous or it doesn t matter?

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

I doubt mine were :-)

[@mefourb]

Yes, but can you cook? No, really... thanks for this excellent comparison!

[@rivendellfarmandforgehomes3040]

"Livers!!" LOL! here in the NE US we say "Kidneys!!"

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

Well, in US-NE you are simply wrong. In the head there are no kidneys! ;-)

[@ARSAnalog]

Commodore 😅... I remember those

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

ha, ha... Excellent! Doesn't have the same kind of plastic, the same kind of color and similar design then Commodore 64? ha, ha...

[@ARSAnalog]

@@BorutPeterlinPhotography right, computer (and many other beige plastic items) were so ugly back in the days and aged even worse 😏

[@photographyenthusiast1080]

Try D76 (copy) from Ukraine it costs only 6$ for dev and fixer. Very interesting how image quality differs from “real” D76.

[@theoldfilmbloke]

your Metol went BROWN as soon as you added it to the water , making the D76 ,as it was partially OXIDISED -- you should have weighed out the Sodium Sulphite FIRST then add a small amount of the Sulphite to the warm water THEN add the Metol !

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

Yes, that's the perfect way of dissolving metol.

[@atf2940]

FX-1 a modern developer? Well, it's a (very) immediate descendent of the old Beutler formula (A=sulfite+metol, B=sodium carbonate, optional restrainer pot. bromide; details easy to find). The difference: FX uses slightly less sulfite and pot. iodide as a restrainer. But the sulfite level in Beutler is already too low to impair sharpness and the restrainer isn't really needed with most films. In practical terms, I'd be surprised if anyone can tell apart Beutler from FX-1 negatives (without restrainer). I have been using Beutler wih great succes with ISO 100 films for many years, converting from Rodinal 1+49. Very good sharpness impression (better than Rodinal), good tonality (but different from Rodinal), better grain than Rodinal, full shadow details at box speed or even slightly higher (much better than Rodinal).

[@astore3757]

I've tested the developers... but I'm not agree with you about the FX 1 and Pyrocat. On my photos I can see great results with Pyrocat a 35mm film seems a medium format image. FX1 has done to me a flat image, without a range of tones. So I vote Pyrocat.

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

Thank you for your feedback. I'm glad pyrocat works for you.

[@rivendellfarmandforgehomes3040]

I know what Commodore is, I laughed . . but I am older than you Borut. ;)

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

Amazing, finally one that is older than me. Topshit!!!

[@LOLLOF90]

since i have to trough away all my chems due to poor storage, i'll may try some of this developer... in the meantime, as a nurse, let me tell you.. ocd mode on... STOP TOUCHING YOUR FREAKING HEARS WITH THE GLOVES ON!! ocd mode off..

[@josephbergel5234]

Get over your hair unless your changing your channel to beauty products instead of development of film eh ? 🤣

[@BorutPeterlinPhotography]

That's an idea! Perhaps by doing that I could finally cure my middle age crisis! And get rich and famous by the way.