Ilford Ilfotec DD-X Black and White Film Developer 1 Litre

Product Information

So interestingly, whilst I was developing the 2 test rolls I also had a roll of HP5 shot at 1600 to do. I decided to dev it in DD-X. Mamiya m645 – Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm – Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 8:00 @ 20C Mamiya m645 – Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm – Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 8:00 @ 20C Mamiya m645 – Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm – Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 8:00 @ 20C Mamiya m645 – Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm – Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 8:00 @ 20C I know the definitive answer is 'test it yourself' but Delta 100 is bloody expensive compared to Fomapan and DDX isn't cheap either compared to HC110... Minolta Maxxum 9 – Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 – Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford DD-X (1+4) 10:30 @ 20C Minolta Maxxum 9 – Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 – Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford DD-X (1+4) 10:30 @ 20C Minolta Maxxum 9 – Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 – Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford DD-X (1+4) 10:30 @ 20C Minolta Maxxum 9 – Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 – Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford DD-X (1+4) 10:30 @ 20C

There seems to be some consensus on Delta 400 and Delta 3200 especially when pushed, but almost nothing regarding Delta 100 at box speed... Dilution tends to allow the highlight development to exhaust in between agitations, an effect which will be enhanced by increasing the time in between agitations (what is known as "stand" and "semi-stand" development). Such increases in time can also lead to muddling of consistent tones in an image due to the buildup of byproducts from the development process (such as "bromides", etc.), and this problem is worse with some developers yet essentially non-existent with others. However, the dilution alone along with consistent 5 second agitations at one minute intervals will generally still tend to improve shadow detail and highlight separation because of the dilution of the developers. It seems the rule of thumb for increasing development time is generally agreed-on at being x1.41 for a doubling of the dilution (or halving the amount of developer for a given volume), so the recommended 10.30mins at 1+4 @ 20C would be theoretically be 14.50mins at 1+9 (ish). In which case, the Massive Dev Chart seems way off with 1+9 timed at 18.30 at 20C (converted from their posted timings for 1+9 which are at 24C - sigh)... In Semi-Stand Development (SSD), the approach is the same with one minor variation. Going with the Ilfosol 3 example above, I would do 2 x 30 minutes and stir 10 seconds initially and 10 seconds before the second 30-minute time slot. Nothing else changes. Why break it down into two slots instead of just letting it stand for 30 minutes? Depending on the chemistry I am using, I may want to enhance the effect of that chemistry slightly. So, the second stir at the midpoint works harder to produce the desired effect. Ilfotec DD-X is one of the very best film developers for pushing film. This developer is the perfect balance between solvent action (reducing the size of grains) and shadow enhancement.I spent the latter part of 2018 and all of 2019 with Rodinal, and I made the descision to spend 2020 with HC-110, but to be honest, after my first few rolls, I found it delivered far superior results to Rodinal for the films I shot and the look I liked. HP5 in Rodinal looks terrible to my eye so it's not included here. It is more expensive on a roll-for-roll costing, but I've also found that it's cheaper to buy a bottle than the more economical developers. It's a false economy, but sometimes it works for the wallet that way. I'm getting timings which vary between 13 minutes and 20.30 minutes, which is obviously a fairly vast gulf and not really much help...

Certainly, the developer is not hampering my capability as a photographer as I perhaps suspected. It must be something elseGrain is much more pronounced, esp in the zone II & III shadows and there's a "kludgy", muddy look to the image - which suits the subject in this case. This grain is less pronounced through the tonal range, but it's visible, and nowhere near as clean as the DD-X shot. I may well sacrifice a couple of rolls of P3200 to compare. The last downside is that DD-X is not an environmentally-friendly chemical. Like most developers, DD-X made from the phenols dimezone and hydroquinone, which come from the petrochemical industry. It’s not safe to place in a septic tank and is known to be toxic to aquatic life downstream. If you’re the type of photographer who often pushes your film and likes having a liquid developer, DD-X is going to be one of the best developer choices. DD-X will not let you down, no matter what kind of lighting you throw at your negatives. Ilford DDX for single roll – 15 ml + 485 ml water – 22+22 with 20-second stir at start and midpoint.

Where maximum film speed is needed I would always use Ilford Microphen powder, still the best speed enhancing developer. Paper DeveloperNo, I only use this tone with people who waste my time by posting irrelevancies over the why's and wherefore's. It's my business as to why I want to do it. . If you don't know the answer, say so. You've been spectacularly unhelpful by the way - I can see your profile descriptor is pretty accurate... The low solvent action and enhanced shadows make this especially useful for fast films like Ilford Delta 3200, where it will reduce the grains just enough to have a pleasing appearance without eating the grains and lowering the film’s speed. Well, I've used Rodinal and HC110 and ID-11 - as you know Rodinal and HC110 act differently to developers like ID-11, D-76, Microphen etc. - and now I want to compare those results to DDX at various dilutions without wasting too much film... If I have a reasonable starting point that others have successfully used, maybe I'll waste less film than if I just guess... if that's OK with you? Nikon FE – AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 – Kodak TMax 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 7:00 @ 20C Nikon FE – AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 – Kodak TMax 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 7:00 @ 20C Nikon FE – AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 – Kodak TMax 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 7:00 @ 20C Nikon FE – AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 – Kodak TMax 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 7:00 @ 20C

I generally use the manufacturer’s recommendations for film and paper processing, except for film development where I find the Ilford recommended development times rather long for my way of working. A single 1L bottle isn’t that expensive, but when you consider that it requires a 1+4 dilution, that means you’re only getting 10 cycles out of a single bottle. For example, Rodinal, which usually comes in a 500ml bottle at a cheaper price, can develop up to 50 rounds, totaling 100 rolls of 35mm film — all in a solution that doesn’t expire over time. That’s why I always recommend Rodinal (or Blazinal in Canad) to be the first film developer for new film photographers.Pyro - 5 ml + 995 ml water - 15+15 with 30 seconds stir or inversions at the start and the end of the first 15 minutes. If you are using 500 ml for developing only one roll of either 35mm or 120, you still need to use a minimum of 5 ml (not 2.5 ml) of 510 Pyro. Like I said though, I am not versed in the particulars of how developers work, if you are, please let me know in the comments if dilution does make a difference in the amount of grain you get in your images. Most scanners tend to struggle with high density highlights. and they respond badly to high actuance, as edge effects are accentuated by digital processing. Each person coming up with the recipe for SD has their preferred time. So, for example, in the case of Ilfosol 3, while developing Ilford Delta 100, where one would normally use 1+9 for 5 minutes – 33 ml + 267 ml water while following normal developing instructions, the same film could be developed by using 1 + 50 for 60 minutes – 6ml + 294 ml water in SD. Note that when developing 120, I always use 500 ml total, including the chemistry. The 500 ml also develops 2x35mm rolls. So, I use 6 ml + 494 ml water. You would pour the chemistry into the developing tank, stir for 20 seconds, and then leave it alone for 60 minutes. Again, that is my recipe. You can Google ‘Ilfosol 3 stand developing recipe’ to see what others have discovered. The net result of doing SD is that instead of using 33ml for each roll, I can use 6ml and get 5-10x (depending on how many 35mm and 120 rolls I am developing) more rolls per bottle of Ilfosol 3. Rolleiflex 2.8F – Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 – Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-200 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 6:00 @ 20C Rolleiflex 2.8F – Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 – Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-200 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 6:00 @ 20C Rolleiflex 2.8F – Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 – Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-200 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 6:00 @ 20C Rolleiflex 2.8F – Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 – Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-200 – Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (1+4) 6:00 @ 20C