Watch Before Developing in CineStill DF96

Cinestill kindly sent me their new DF96 developer and I among the first people developed few rolls in it. I developed 5 rolls of film with Cinestill DF96, out of 5 rolls I can only consider 1 to be a success. Back then there was little to no information on how you should develop different stocks fo film. So I followed instructions on the bottle and failed most of the time. I did everything wrong. I like only how Fuji Acros came out, but then that's the only stock I developed "correctly" as per updated instructions.
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[@dalehammond1749]

I've been using df96 a lot lately on old found exposed 620 film and Kodak double 8mm magazines. It seems to work on everything. As for quality, that varies as to the age and condition of the film. But this is true of any developer. Here's my take on df96, it's good for "discoverers" and people who are not B&W perfectionists. If you're the laid-back casual type who tends to like the easier old fashioned ca. 1950's look....this may be for you. Personally I like it and will continue to use it when doing the freelance thing.

[@theclovercross]

Thanks for the informative video! Good with some real examples and varying films too

[@shraman108]

Thank you for this honest video. Just getting into processing my own film and am also approaching this cautiously. The Df96 monobath has a lot of big promises, so thank you for tempering my expectations. Still going to try it and hope I can make it work for me (as a beginner).

[@amiruladli1506]

Informative video, i watched this after ordering the new dry power DF96

[@livelongandprosper70]

lovely sphinx cat, we lost our little Simon 2 years ago :O( we still miss him every day.

[@ComGoBoo]

Regarding using solutions multiple times: first of all with Df96: works fine, just add the 15s per developed roll of film. With other solutions: I never had a problem getting consistent results while reusing developer or fixer. Multiple rolls are of course doable. If you want to make sure, you can experiment and develop longer after putting x amount of rolls through the solutions. But really: not reusing, holding temps exactly and being ultra precise is not necessary for almost all uses.

[@jokesNgiggles]

I've used DF96 with great results. used it for like 10 rolls with quite a variety of different films. i like it and it's only 20 dollars.

[@Zetaphotography]

Do you have samples. What rolls did you shoot and did you develop diffent films through the development cycle

[@jokesNgiggles]

@@Zetaphotography Yeah I posted some on my flikr if you want to look at them. I think I'm near to max recommended usages for it. I've developed 4 or 5 different types of bw film through it. I developed 2011 LegacyPro 100 bw film through it and I just used the timings for FomaPan. They turned out great. Though with Legacy Pro you have to leave it in the soup for 8 minutes instead of 4 to get rid of the purple tint on the film. www.flickr.com/photos/146121275@N07/

[@emilybomersbach3690]

I’m brand new to developing film. I put some 35mm in a brownie Hawkeye (I’ve had it developed at Walgreens before and it came out fine) but I tried it several times with this monobath and it didn’t even remotely come out. I inserted and removed the film in complete darkness, and followed the instructions from this video, but the film is completely black/opaque. What am I doing wrong?

[@biancajimenez2023]

Awww! The kitty!!!!! 😻😻😻

[@RangeFinder35mm]

О, Дмитрий, я как раз собираюсь попробовать этот проявитель, и наткнулся на это видео! Очень здорово!

[@mamiyapress]

Thanks for this informative video, I was thinking of getting this developer but I think I will give it a miss. I have just made up some 2 bath developer from raw chemicals and I am experimenting with that.

[@SoExpired]

Hey! I would still try it, like I said I did everything wrong :)

[@randallstewart175]

These results make a lot more sense than the glowing reports of universal application presented in other videos out there. The T-grain based films always are less chemically responsive to development, and the concept of push processing in a monobath is, by the nature of how a monobath works, just nuts. A different processing temperature might alter contrast a bit, but not enough to call it a "push".

[@klofisch]

I got one bottle but havent tried it yet. My assumption is that Df96 works best with classic emulsions,...but not that great with T-MAX or Delta. The whole thing is about a compromise between convenience and quality. So it's good for testing kamera with cheap bw-film

[@SoExpired]

Yes, like I said one should do testing first. I just got a bit unlucky having Delta and Tmax in my freezer :)

[@paulg7002]

I had great results with Agfa APX400. Then I tried developing Lady Gray 400 and it was a disaster. The developer turned bright green and the film was seriously underdeveloped.

[@ceritat625]

Interesting to know this as I am planning on using it as a beginner who has never developed film in my life. I will go ahead and try it but with caution now. I have to say though, I have had the same results you showed with some labs who "processed" my film, needless to say I have never gone back to those labs, but now I understand why some of my rolls have similar streaks from so called pro labs.

[@SoExpired]

I saw people getting some amazing results when closely following the chart, fingers crossed!

[@claudiabailey5302]

I used it yesterday I have developed photos once when 16 I am cough* cough* old now. But used to develop ILFORD HP5 400 and they came out fine. Maybe it’s me but it’s pretty obvious that you wouldn’t mixing your film stocks.

[@briansegarra9312]

Nice video , love your cat 😂, monobaths most of the time need a lot of experimentation, some need more than others , i never have developed film but always on the look and researching, also any updates on your polaroid 4x5 project ?

[@SoExpired]

I gotta buy a 3d printer to continue :) ETA this year. I also have some crazy ideas around that so stay tuned. Sorry it takes so long.

[@theclovercross]

Another 👍 for the cat 😀

[@briansegarra9312]

Yeah now problem i know how hard is , im designing a lens board for a polaroid 150, but having no 3d printer makes it long and hard

[@tysaylorphoto]

I'm just curious how this developer works. I've developed black and white using sprint standard, stop bath, and fix followed by fix remove and photoflo. So to see a single step monobath solution is mind boggling.

[@isshinhatakeyama759]

can somebody tell me how to process HP5 pushed to 1600 with this thing?

[@7norton4]

I tried DF96 with high hopes. My results were mediocre to poor, with Delta3200 being the worst. Negatives all came out grainy and a little milky with some blue dye remaining (were a hand full of usable pic's). Tried extending the time to get a better fix to no avail. Next I duplicated some indoor macro shots shot in FP4 plus (some of my better results with DF96) & processed with Kodak D76 and Kodafix. Using same camera, lighting, film etc. the results were stunningly better, being sharper, finer grain, and better contrast. I don't want to slam Cinnestill (maybe I got a bad batch or something), but it just didn't work for me as well as I wanted it to.

[@brianwright5566]

Brian from CineStill here. You need to double the processing time for T-grain films (like the Delta films) in order to fully remove the dyes. Doubling the processing time on any film will not hurt it either since the Df96 process is self-completing, meaning the process continues until the film is fully fixed and cleared and then stops. There is a chart and instructions on the CineStillFilm web site in the Df96 product listing to help with this. Also, if you search our site there are two blog posts on Df96 test results: "NO COMPROMISES - DF96 COMPARED WITH POPULAR TRADITIONAL DEVELOPERS" and "PROCESSING 16+ DIFFERENT B&W FILMS WITH JUST ONE CHEMICAL! DF96". If your experience differs from the results in those tests, pleas contact support(at)cinestillfilm(dot)com.

[@adarsh722]

So I’ve shot Tmax 100 which got expired in 02/2021 on box speed. How many minutes should I develop with Df96 at 80F?

[@steffenbjoern]

This developer develops the core emulsion speed of the the film. This, for example, means that Rollei Retro 80S will be developed with the same speed and results like its "brother", the Rollei RPX25 (Both 25 ASA). This also shows a negative effect of this developer: You can't just buy one film and treat it as two very different films like I do with the RPX 25, which I decide upon loading into the camera to be a RPX 25 or a Retro 80S. With other words, like you said, the DF96 might not be a huge gain for people who either use many different films for different situations or, like me, use one film emulsion without big quality impacts for any speed between 6 ASA and 160 ASA.

[@vilenius187]

Great cat!

[@availabilityAZ]

I came here looking for info on how long you need to process Acros II. The brochure seems to suggest it should be 2x normal (since it's a tabular-grain film). You say you got good results with it... but for how long did you develop it? :'(

[@SoExpired]

Hi Jane, I mentioned at the beginning of the video that at that time there was no brochure available. I developed all the rolls the same amount of time (normal). Prolonging the later rolls as suggested to adjust for the chemicals' depletion.

[@lifeonfilm7227]

Have you tried the DF96 in long term? Is there any decline in quality with the developed films as you re-use the chemical?

[@SoExpired]

I have not. That was the only films I've developed so far. I still have a half of hc110 bottle so not trying anything any time soon

[@abohosamabohosam4178]

Hello, can this developer work with fomapan 35mm 100,, I am waiting for a response, thank you..

[@CHiLECHiLL456]

i mean why would you develop 5 different brands & different iso at the same time? i learned in school every iso is treated with different times. sounds like the photographer made a mistake by assuming. also expired film takes longer to develop Cinestill DF96

[@SoExpired]

Well that was what they have advertised. Any film stock - same dev time.

[@yuriykashnikov6296]

What kind of lens was sitting on your Zenit? Doesn't look like Helios :?

[@SoExpired]

It's Jena Tessar and I love it!

[@Hector_Malot]

I find the images to be dull and lacking contrast with this developer, it looks like expired film. Good video.

[@naaldvoerder]

All T- grain films need longer fixing..

[@dps6198]

If you weren't sure how to use the developer why didn't you call cinestill for tech support?

[@SoExpired]

Because instruction was right on the bottle?

[@armenianzombie]

Honestly, everything cinestill does seems so gimmicky or unreliable. Like neat that you can do all of the process in one go, but it just seemed too good to be true with it's initial introduction.

[@SoExpired]

I would definitely appreciate more info at the beginning, though I wouldn't say it is gimmicky. I like 800T for example. I tend to believe that they target less hard core photographers which popularizes film and ultimately keeps it alive.

[@armenianzombie]

​@@SoExpired I guess, but it seems like they offer expensive films that do an okay job for extremely limited uses (that lack of an anti-halation layer always gets me). Or they have their emperor's new clothing stuff like their c-41 kits, or their glorified sous-vide which they just launched, or the monobath. It just all rubs me a little wrong.

[@blackwingvisuals5017]

Definitely user error here!! Don't be put off! Start by exposing your film correctly! Half box speed and meter for the shadows. Don't believe me? Go to jonnypatience.com and find the article "IS THE ZONE SYSTEM DEAD" Thank me later :)

[@SoExpired]

🙄

[@janosb5953]

Too cool to read the information on the website, blames the product 👎

[@SoExpired]

To cool to watch the video where I tell there was NO information on the website. Blames the author 👎