Rodinal Dilution 1+25 VS 1+50 with Kodak Tri-X and Dektol | The Darkroom Knight

[@millerviz]

Using rodinal at 1:100, I use a minimum agitation technique that dramatically increases edge definition for better perceived sharpness. Developing times are around 18 minutes. I agitate every minute for five minutes then change to every three minutes for the rest of the time. It radically improved the look of my images. Worth a try.

[@CAMERADACTYLCameras]

ALL HAIL THE DARKROOM KNIGHT! Really great video, I'd love to see some more experiments on this channel!

[@thomaspopple2291]

I go back and forth between the two. In high contrast scenes I use 1:50 as it evens out the contrast a bit. In lower contrast scenes I use 1:25 to bump the contrast up a bit. Both done at 20c with slow agitation the first minute and 3 inversions every minute. I re-watched this after a year or so because my skills and knowledge are getting better and I wanted to see if my method produced similar results as you and they did. Thanks again for all you put into educating and entertaining. Cheers

[@RossoVans]

Thanks! Finally somebody who points out that chemicals are actually disposed by other means rather than dumping them in the sink ... Nobody dresses that issue which I find really irresponsible!

[@peoriavideosltd6822]

I use 1:50 because I like the longer developing times; it gives me a little "peace of mind" just in case I'm slightly quicker or slower pouring in or out the developer. A few seconds quicker or slower won't matter very much on a 14-minute development time (just to pick one example, in this case Delta 100).

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks for the comment, those are good points.

[@JimSollows]

I’ve always wondered because I’m cheap so I use 1:50 😀 Having seen this I’m now confident that I’m not sacrificing anything 👍 Thanks Azriel!

[@AzrielKnight]

No problem Jim!

[@photoholic6369]

I love how your videos are designed, your intro and the end part of your videos ! And as well I like your tests and visible and useful tips and results !

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks, that's very kind.

[@Marijnopdecomputer]

Thank you. I came to the same result

[@Otokichi786]

That sounds about right from my experiments with Rodinal in the 1960's and 1970's. I noticed that Rodinal did better with East German ORWO panchromatic films than HC-110, though D-76 1:1 was OK. (120 ORWO films had that "1930's look" about them when processed in Rodinal.)

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks for the comment. Can you explain what you mean by Rodinal doing "better" with Orwo

[@Otokichi786]

D76, at 1:1 dilution, returned higher density than expected, somewhat grainy, NP21 negatives. The results from Rodinal at 1:50 produced a less dense, smooth grain negative that turned into great looking prints with that "pre-World-War-II movie" look. (Or prints/magazine pages from that era.)

[@azadpeymaparham]

Ok, I aggitated that like button and it's developing rather nicely :D

[@AzrielKnight]

Wicked :)

[@RickJohnson]

That intro has me dying! Well done! 🤣

[@AzrielKnight]

lol, thanks :)

[@agylub]

Ha! I just dusted off my Beseler 23. And have loved Rodinal for years. Especially with Agfa 25. 1 roll left.

[@AzrielKnight]

Right on.

[@iainmc9859]

I love the experimental videos. It goes to show that the chemicals and film are so reliable these days that you can be fairly loose with the process. Didn't stop me accidentally rolling the negatives all on to the first outer rim of the spool somehow tonight and only getting two clear negs out of a roll. I knew something wasn't right as the ratchet noise had stopped but the film was slowly being drawn on. When you're committed in the darkroom (boiler cupboard) and the film is out of the canister you can't really reverse the process. Good old fashioned 'human error' can't be cured.

[@AzrielKnight]

Sorry to hear about that. I also recently had several rolls with blemishes in the highlights. Looked like air bells, but not air bells. Turned out if was because I used my paper fixer for film.

[@poniatowski3547]

Grain gawking - saying of the week

[@edwardhodges9087]

I'm gawking that grain bro! 1 to 50 Stand method seems to be the trick!

[@RickJohnson]

As for dilutions, I'd like to further compare it to a 1+100 stand or semi-stand development. I just ordered some Adonal and D-76 to replace my nearly-depleted supply of DD-X and will be trying various dilutions as well. I don't have a darkroom, however, so will have to rely on scans to evaluate.

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks for the comment Rick. I think that experiments will work with whatever your intentions are so if you don't have a darkroom you don't need it for your personal results since you want the most out of a scan.

[@TheLastDacian]

Maaaan, you missed the chance to go for the classics of blazinal 1:420 and 1:69 :)

[@AzrielKnight]

lol, I considered it. check out my rodinal vs hc-110 vs ddx, I make the joke there ;)

[@Arturo.H.M]

Good work Arziel! And good point compare yield and development time for a bottle.

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks Arturo!

[@wsy2304]

Great comparison. I personally used 1+100 switching from 1+50 previously purely for chemical savings. I never made any 1 to 1 comparisons but I do not remember seeing any significant differences in the output.

[@AzrielKnight]

I would imagine it's slightly sharper and grainier, but less of a difference from 1+25 to 1+50

[@Nick_r]

If you can get Bellini Hydrofen in the USA it is well worth trying. As easy as Rodinal and keeps well, a finer grain developer similar to the old Studional. I’ve used it on a range of films and it’s very good with all so far. I’ve almost stopped using both Rodinal and HC110 now.

[@anthonydennis460]

I got great results shooting it at 100 ISO and developing it for 4 minutes at 68 degrees in Rodinal.

[@neilpiper9889]

I prefer Xytol but Rodinal is a convenient choice and works well. I use 1 to 50 to save money! I use an Nikon FE with a 55mm2.8 Ai micro Nikkor lens. So sharp and versatile. I use a condenser enlarger and a Schneider Componon S lens.

[@AzrielKnight]

Is that a typo or am I just not familiar with Xytol?

[@neilpiper9889]

@@AzrielKnight kodak xtol, powder developer for deep tanks or 1 to 1 or 1to 3 dilution

[@buyaport]

Thanks for sharing this experiment and doing the maths. One gets punchier negatives with 1+25, while saving a lot of time. Wasting 4 hours just to save half a bottle of Rodinal doesn't sound very reasonable to me. Being more careful when making pictures gives a bigger saving effect, by the way: If I don't waste just one frame per film, I'd get the same saving effect.

[@AzrielKnight]

Glad I could help!

[@DeRose05]

I think I might give this a go. I have everything but the chemicals to develop my film.

[@rpdee7344]

Good video using standard developers and films. I was thinking that a lot of the differences can be fixed in the darkroom when printing with variable contrast filters and papers plus or minus details and grain in the negatives. When I was in the Navy we would use a densitometer with control strips to know how to keep the balance of chemicals accurate especially on slide films cause of all the layers for accurate colors.

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks Robin. I have a densitometer but it needs a calibration card.

[@35mmlove_eric]

You need the 00 filter to bring out highlights. The 5 filter works on shadows.

[@peterrenn6341]

nonsense

[@35mmlove_eric]

Peter Renn have you tried 00 vs 5 on Highlight burning?

[@steven1000000000]

Thanks for this - I've wondered what the difference between 1:25 and 1:50 are. Just haven't got around to trying them back to back. Maybe a future test would be the difference between normal development and stand development in Rodinal. As far as I know, the stand development is going to reduce the contrast, allowing the shadows to develop further whilst not blowing the highlights, but what does it do for the grain?

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks Martin. I imagine is would be more of the same result. sharper, but grainier.

[@millerviz]

I use a 1:100 dilution all the time. I develop for 18 minutes at 72 degrees. I agitate 5 inversions once a minute for 6 minutes then once every 3 minutes for the remainder. The minimal agitation gives much improved edge contrast for a sharper look without blowing out the highlights. Gives you stand-like developing without the problems. BTW I shoot medium format so grain is less of an issue.

[@RickJohnson]

As someone who's considering stand developing some P30 in Rodinal, what problems would you be concerned with over agitation?

[@millerviz]

@@RickJohnson There can be problems with uneven development due to the lack of agitation. Bromide drag is one such problem. Infrequent agitation preserves the benefits of stand development with no problems except that it requires some monitoring.

[@AzrielKnight]

Very cool. would love to see an example. :)

[@AzrielKnight]

Good point Curtis. I'd be curious to know if there are some developers that can handle less agitation better than others.

[@millerviz]

I like these experiment videos.

[@AzrielKnight]

Thank you :)

[@lumenetumbra4223]

I made the same test and saw a greater difference in sharpness between 1+25 and 1+50 (Delta 100 and FP4)

[@AzrielKnight]

Interesting and good to know, thank you :)

[@benjaminvleugels5609]

What if you do 1+100 and agitate it the whole time to bring back contrast

[@AzrielKnight]

That is a good question.

[@gobgobcachoo]

As I’ve tried different developers over the years, I use rodinal less and less. However, acros 100 with rodinal is beautiful and unlike anything else.

[@AzrielKnight]

What makes Acros different?

[@GaetanCormier]

Very cool experiment! I've been using Blazinal for a few years now... Recently I got my hands on an Agfa Rodinal (the original stuff). In the product itself I noticed some differences.. First the color.. The original Rodinal I found it's more reddish than the Blazinal. Ever noticed how some crystal form in the bottom of Blazinal (if bottle in use for several weeks)? I don't get these crystals with the original Rodinal. Would be to check on this but I believe that Blazinal is actually more the R09 version of Rodinal.. not the classic version. Anyway, just an observation I made since I had the chance to use both! Keep up the good work, cheers!

[@AzrielKnight]

I did come across a lot of info saying there's different versions of Rodinal, would be interesting to test. Also, I should check for crystals in mine. Bottle is a year old.

[@rogerwalker3201]

I had a bottle of the “original” that was twenty plus years old. It had crystals in the bottle - actually it was chunky down in the bottom, but it was still working. I used a coffee filter to pour it into a measuring cylinder. So I lost a bit of developer, but the negs came out great and no mysterious spots or “drag”. I used a 1:100 ratio with Tri-x @ 200; two slow rotations in the middle of “stand” development. When I got down to the last quarter of the bottle, I didn’t push it any further, just got a new bottle.

[@janhoogendijk8604]

Good work I used it many times on 1:50 but Rodinal gifs extra grain.

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks Jan. I personally don't mind grain. What bothers me are long developing times.

[@joeycovington4681]

Thanks!

[@indrekpoiss]

Hi, what scanner do you use?

[@AzrielKnight]

Depending when this came out the Epson V500 or V800

[@JamieMPhoto]

I've tried to do 1+100 whenever possible, but I've only recently attempted to use Rodinal. I completely love the results I've gotten, though. I've got to remember Grain Gawking ... I'd have inverted the Subscribe button with that alone had I not already ... haha.

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks Jamie!

[@JamieMPhoto]

@@AzrielKnight You're welcome!

[@RickJohnson]

Dunno, that remark got me looking at his Patreon! Very effective indeed!

[@neilpiper9889]

Is your enlarger a Condenser or Diffuser?

[@AzrielKnight]

Condenser

[@darylbaker8911]

if you have to "grain gawk " i think it probly no real differance.

[@CristianGeelen]

I just threw my T-Max in 1/25 Rodinal!

[@AzrielKnight]

How did it come out?

[@azzalos]

Do something on stand development!

[@AzrielKnight]

Okay, I'll keep that in mind! We were actually just discussing that on the discord.

[@azzalos]

@@AzrielKnight thanks Azriel. Love your work.

[@poniatowski3547]

Your t spring link is not working working.

[@AzrielKnight]

really??? That is odd.

[@poniatowski3547]

@@AzrielKnight hi mate. It seems you can click on the individual merch you have at the bottom the page and see each item to purchase but if you click the "T-Shirts, Mugs, Hoodies, Stickers teespring.com/stores/knight-l..." link it goes to a "sorry can't find it" page at Teespring. cheers

[@ViaOjo]

I want some!!!

[@tchuvak41]

beard nishtyak 👍

[@quaesitorveritatis777]

cool beard

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks :)

[@Zetaphotography]

If I donate.can you send me some Rodinal. Can't get it here in Florida