For fast films I prefer HP5+. I find that I can push it better than I can Tri-X without getting the grain. HP5+ seems to have a very wide latitude for exposure. I use it in 4x5 and medium format. For a finer grain I like Delta 100 in medium format. This works well for me with portrait work. I use FP4+ in 35mm... for some reason I've had the best luck with it.(posted 8710 days ago)I use Ilfosol-S 1:8 dilution. I've tried Rodinal, but the grain was just a bit more than I like. D-76 is good, but I prefer using a "one- shot" developer. If I were developing 15 rolls or more a day, I probably would use D-76. Anyway, I know what to expect with the Ilfosol and in the end, I feel that consistancy is better than never ending experimentation.
Discussions like this are good... and every now and then it is a helpful and healthful thing to re-think our everyday motions. Obsession over these details, however, will serve more as a distraction to creative thinking.
cheers,
chuck k