HP5 Plus and the Perfect Developer

 

I have been working with my Chroma Camera 679 using a Mamiya RB67 film back and a Topcon Super Topcor 90mm lens.  I've tried a few different films but I return to Ilford HP5 Plus time and again. The flexibility of this film in terms of latitude, developer choice and application make this film the "Swiss Army Knife" of the film world.

The box states an ISO of 400 however this film can be exposed at 200, 250, 320, 400, 800, 1600 without much bother. If you need a 100 ISO film, add a yellow filter (-1stop) and shoot at 100 and develop for 200. For a dramatic effect you can add a red filter (-3 stops) and shoot at 50 ISO while developing at 400.

The key here is the time that you need to develop for. It can get complex but it doesn't need to.

Several photographers on Twitter have been exposing at 250 and processing in Ilford Perceptol developer a slow developer that will loose effective film speed.  They have all had fantastic results. Others have shot HP5 at 1600 and developed in Ilford Microphen, a fast developer that will increase effective film speed without an increase in grain, again with fantastic results.

I have been getting great results by using a homebrewed version of Kodak D-76 that omits the Hydroquinone.  This recipe of D-76 is correctly called D-76H (sometimes referred to as D23 accelerated) and was devised by a chemist at Kodak to give the same results as D-76 but with better sharpness and finer grain.

The recipe is very simple.

• 2.5g Metol
• 100g Sodium Sulphite
• 2g Borax
• 1 litre of water

Method

N.B. ensure all chemicals are fully dissolved before moving on to the next.

• 750 ml water at 50 centigrade
• add a pinch of Sodium Sulphite
• add Metol
• add remaining Sodium Sulphite
• add Borax
• Top up to 1 litre with cold water.

I like using this developer at a dilution of 1+1, so for a single 120 film, 250ml of D-76H plus 250ml water. I use the timings for normal D-76 from the massive dev chart and add 10% extra time to allow a bit more density and improve the negatives ability to be scanned using a DSLR.  I am seeing well detailed negatives when the film is exposed at 400 ISO with incredible sharpness.  The highlights are not blown out and the detail in the shadows is amazing.  The grain, while present is well controlled and unobtrusive. It looks like a film photograph, rather than an image that could have been taken by a digital camera.

So in conclusion I feel that I have found a great developer that works for me and produces lovely images when coupled with HP5 Plus.