Delta 100 in FG7 w/s.sulfite?

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Iris Davis, in her "Fun with Film" page, says that she gets very good results with this combination. Has anyone else tried it? Since sodium sulfite softens grain but reduces acutance, would this be a good developer for doing portrait work?

The URL for her page is http://www.chris-iris.com/funfilm.shtml

-- Benson Wills (btw@vnet.net), September 20, 1997

Answers

Delta 100 in FG7 w/s. sulfite?

I haven't tried Delta 100 in this combo, but it is my standard when processing HP5 or TriX. I dilute the FG7 1:15 and add approx. 1 teaspoon Sodium Sulfite, then process at approx. 15% longer than the recommended times for that dilution because I like my negs a little on the dense side.

I see no reason why this shouldn't work fine with Delta 100. Good luck!

-- Mason Resnick (mresnick@idt.net), December 04, 1997.


Loose the sulphite!

Sodium sulfite is a silver solvent used to make so-called fine grain negatives. Because sulfite prevents the formation of mackie lines, it greatly reduces 'accutance,' not a desirable effect. Delta is so fine grained that the sulfite will have little effect on apparent grain, but will reduce sharpness drastically. If you stop overdeveloping your negs by 15%, you will reduce the grain, probably more than adding sulfite! Also, regular (non-pyro) developers will block highlights in new type films like Delta and T-Max unless development is carefully controlled. Mason, why not try PMK? It is the perfect developer for all (non-pushed) films, but especially Delta. As an added bonus, it's very economical.

-- Michael D Fraser (mdfraser@earthlink.net), December 22, 1997.

Sulphite? Did I say Sulphite?

Drat! So much for investing in Sodium Sulfite futures! :-)

Thanks, Michael, for the primer on Sodium Sulfite's affects on Delta and accutance. As I said before, I had no experience processing Delta, so I defer to the expert...I stand corrected!

FG7 and SS works wonders on HP-5 Plus over a wide exposure range, and is therefore the combination of choice that works best for my shooting style, which demands a forgiving process. On your recommendation, however, I'll give PMK a try.

-- Mason Resnick (mresnick@idt.net), December 22, 1997.


You say sulfite; I say sulphite, let's call the whole thing....

Sorry, I sometimes lapse into the archaic spelling from high school chemistry. ie. from sulpher, sulfer, etc. But the result is the same, sulfite throws the baby out with the bath, no matter what film you use. A sharp negative will alway look like it has less grain, unless of course, the photographer is making use of large out of focus areas. FG-7 is a superb developer, even if it is a very old formula. In an amber bottle, it will keep nearly forever like Rodinal. BTW, HP-5+ in PMK looks like FP-4 in FG-7, but with an EI of 200 instead of 64. I'll bet that everyone who tries PMK will never go back to their previous developer for normal, non-pushed shooting. I have a lot of experience with Delta, but please don't call me an expert. (Definition of expert: EX is a has-been; SPURT is a drip under pressure.) I don't want deference, either; I am always happy to answer questions on PMK from those who don't yet have the Gordon Hutchings Book of Pyro. Everyone should read his article in the current issue of Camera Arts Magazine, even if they are perfectly happy with their present process.

-- Michael D Fraser (mdfraser@earthlink.net), December 22, 1997.

Dear wills, This developer (FG7)used with s. sulfite is very good for portrait and other photo film developing. Even without the sulfite the FG7 is a very good developer and is my developer four my best developing of negs. one thing FG7 is higher in price then some other developers so four chip deveoping D76 is the chipest in price and gives me good negs. but FG7 is the best. Delta 100 film looks good developed in FG7 with s. sulfite. The best negs. are up to the photographer.

-- Greg Strakna (Poppygammy@erols.com), July 09, 1998.


Hmmm... Interesting points made about the cons of sulfite. And the stuff is not cheap either. But focusing on the FG7, I've been using their newer TG7. Supposedly it's better matched for T-grain films like Delta and Tmax. I've therefore never even used FG7. Can anyone comment on one virses the other?

-- Still Learning (spanner@accel.net), September 10, 1999.

Delta 100 in FG7 w/ SS

I have used Delta 100 in FG7 w/ SS, and I've gotten very good results. Sharpness was VG, grain fine and tight, and tonality VG. My only complain was that I would at times lose highlight detail or separation in some cases. I tried various exposure/development combinations, but always to gain highlight detail, I lost something else--like midtone separation or shadow detail.

Eventually, I tried PMK. Once I had developed a roll of Delta 100 in PMK, I never used FG7 again. PMK with Delta 100, Delta 400, FP4+ and HP5+ yields fantastic results. The staining property of PMK masks the grain so that it virtually disappears, and the stain also ads highlight density which contributes to highlight detail and smoothness that you have to see to believe. And if that weren't enough, it is fantastically sharp, with superb midtone gradation! In short, FG7 is a good or better as any other commercially available developer, but PMK is MUCH better.

-- Ted Kaufman (writercrmp@aol.com), April 01, 2001.


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