I guess each filmwaster has his/hers own developing standards and practices, so I'll say a few words about mine. It's a system I picked up from advices, textbooks and a little bit from own experience over the years. Let's start with B&W negatives.
I've used a fair share of chemicals so far, though lately I've been working with a Chinese copy of D76. It's dirt cheap (10-15 Yuan per liter = approx. 1-2 Eur) and it's easy to work with.
I prefer 1:0 or stock dilution. It uses less time. I hate temperature maintaining and I avoid it as much as possible. That is why I made a chart for every type of film I've worked with so far, for all temperatures 18-25 Celsius.
As for the fixing process, I prefer the older style chemicals which take 15 minutes and more. Quick fixes spend less time, but also appear to be aggressive and unpredictable. In this case I also use Chinese made fixer, a local brand. Same price as D76 for 1L.
Timeline:
- Developing - developer goes in tank, gentle agitation and air bubble removal by tapping on the side and bottom for 1 minute, gentle agitation once for each next minute.
- First Wash - developer out and a good wash under the tap for 2-3 minutes.
- Fix - fixer in, same procedure as for developing.
- Second Wash - fixer out, 2-3 minutes under tap water, and another 30 in dripping/running water (I usually leave the opened tank under the dripping tap).
- Drying - wiping the film with a new and never washed microfiber (on the non coated side, of course), leaving it to dry for 8-10 hours, or more.
They say even a fake D76 can endure 10 films with the additional 10% for each new roll, but I prefer to stay at 6-7. Processing times become too long whereas the developer itself gets polluted with dust, particles and other junk. Fixer can last for at least 10 negatives, with 5 minutes more after each 5 rolls of film. It starts at 15. For some reason, it remains clear and transparent much longer than developer.
Washing of developing gear is of uttermost importance. I use semi transparent bottles with an opening big enough to fit a sponge. A lot of dirt gathers inside over time, and it's not possible to see the scale of it with non transparent bottles. Same goes with the developing tank - lots and lots of washing with a soft sponge and mild dish detergent.
