developing 120 film

[heshanj]

i got myself a yashica TLR last week.. and also a couple of medium format toy cameras. haha. so i'll be developing some 120 film soon. a couple of questions

firstly, is developing times same for 35mm and 120 film? like, if developing tri-x in ilford ilfosol is 8:30 - is it 8:30 for 120 film too? my ilford chart gives only one timing per film brand

secondly, i got a couple of cheap 120 rolls.. rollei 400 and fomapan 100. i cant find developing times for these films on the ilford chart. any idea of how i can get the developing times for these films?

EDIT: on digitaltruth massive dev chart, i found a time for fomapan 100 in ilfosol 3 - but for 35mm only. would that same timing work for 120? but i still cant find dev times for rollei retro 400s in ilfosol 3 - any help?

lastly, a fixer question. i have a working solution amount of fixer that i have used for 35mm film - it is the quantity required for my tank for a single 35mm film roll (375ml) - now, to develop a 120 film in the same tank, i need 575ml. would it be ok if i mix a fresh amount of fixer of say 200ml and add it to the used fixer i have, so that i make up a total of 575ml or so? or should i mix a completely fresh 575ml of fixer and not mix it with my used fixer?

thanks for reading !

 

[catchlights]

film processing time is the same for 120 and 35mm.

how old is your fixer? usually I don't reuse film fixer unless I process film again the next day or two.

 

[heshanj]

thanks hmm, i thought can keep fixer and reuse for a while? mine is a couple of weeks older. stored in full (99% full at least!) plastic bottle. just used about 3 times

 

[Achim Reh]

Some companies, such as Kodak, have different timings for 135 and 120 film for certain developer ( not all) .
That depends on many factors , no time to write now , sorry. But this is just fine tuning, in general you should be safe with the 135 timing. You can always give it a try, and if necessary, increase the time for 120 film by 10% ( thumb-rule ;-) )
I also would advice not to mix old and new fixer . I keep ilfor rapid fix ready solution for a couple of month , and did not have problems. Well, it all depends on your demands. See, the original data for fixing and washing where made for arrival of film. It should last forever. Today , you probably scan the film and archive the data file , and the negative itself might get moldy , unless you keep it in a dry box, and you trow it away sooner or later.

 

[Benji77]

I'm not as seasoned/skillful as some other members, but I will share what I do for myself.

''secondly, i got a couple of cheap 120 rolls.. rollei 400 and fomapan 100. i cant find developing times for these films on the ilford chart. any idea of how i can get the developing times for these films?''
I use the 35mm times, and if I really cannot find the time for that type of film, I will use other similar ISO ratings for that developer and 'agar agar'.

''EDIT: on digitaltruth massive dev chart, i found a time for fomapan 100 in ilfosol 3 - but for 35mm only. would that same timing work for 120? but i still cant find dev times for rollei retro 400s in ilfosol 3 - any help?''
Ilfosol 3 was my first Developer, and I must say its really nice. The price has gone up, but it still gives good mileage as compared to DDX.

''lastly, a fixer question. i have a working solution amount of fixer that i have used for 35mm film - it is the quantity required for my tank for a single 35mm film roll (375ml) - now, to develop a 120 film in the same tank, i need 575ml. would it be ok if i mix a fresh amount of fixer of say 200ml and add it to the used fixer i have, so that i make up a total of 575ml or so? or should i mix a completely fresh 575ml of fixer and not mix it with my used fixer?''

For 120mm, you need about 450-500ml each for both Developer or Fixer as this will then cover the entire film plane.
Initially I did single 35mm rolls, clocking 300ml of fixer. But when I started 120mm, the best way was to mix 500ml portions, and use them for the 35mm as well
Each dilution of Fixer lasts me for about 12 rolls.

 

[oceanpriest]

I'm not as seasoned/skillful as some other members, but I will share what I do for myself.

I use the 35mm times, and if I really cannot find the time for that type of film, I will use other similar ISO ratings for that developer and 'agar agar'.

Ilfosol 3 was my first Developer, and I must say its really nice. The price has gone up, but it still gives good mileage as compared to DDX.

For 120mm, you need about 450-500ml each for both Developer or Fixer as this will then cover the entire film plane.
Initially I did single 35mm rolls, clocking 300ml of fixer. But when I started 120mm, the best way was to mix 500ml portions, and use them for the 35mm as well
Each dilution of Fixer lasts me for about 12 rolls.

agar-agar ;p

 

[heshanj]

i see! thanks for the replies! i guess i'll mix a separate batch of fixer to use with 120 film or 2x 35mm film. and even for a single 35mm!

so i guess i can use the fomapan's dev time for 35 and 120, same timing

but i wasnt able to find any dev time info for rollei film. any ideas where to find, or where i could start? its rollei 400, so maybe i could use the recommended time for tri-x 400 or something?

EDIT: i googled that rollei retro was cut from agfa apx 400 film.. so i guess that same dev time would work

 

[Benji77]

From my Massive Development Chart (iPhone App), I have Rollei Retro 400 with Ilfosol 3 (1+9) (@ISO320) = 9min / 20'C. This is for 120mm film.
As for your Fixer, I'd say just have a 500ml solution for all your films. Once exhausted, make a new set

 

[heshanj]

oh, thanks bro. the massive dev chart on their website doesnt have it. rollei retro 400S right? do they have 1+14 dilution too? sorry to bother u

and yeah, thats a good idea, mixing 500ml for all my film. no need to get it all mixed up i guess. but i think i'l still keep my old 375ml bottle of mixed fixer, it seems a shame to dump it after 3 uses! lol

 

[Benji77]

Yup, they have Rollei Retro 400S.
Ilfosol 3 (1+9) = 12min 20'C.
Sorry they dont have 1:14 for this. But you can still do it, just increase your timing accordingly.

 

[heshanj]

thanks bro, i can use 1+9 also. cheers!

 

[crispy12]

Haha I also agar-agar my timing, usually shoot a test roll when I try a new film and change accordingly based on results. Sometimes I stop mid roll and just cut off half a roll in changing bag to develop, see the results then process the rest of the roll. The exact workflow that's done like when you start timing, water type, agitation technique etc can affect the development so much that I find this method works best for my technique.

 

[losheng]

Well, since you are going to experiment with a new film/developer combination, why not take the chance to calibrate it:

Zone System Calibration

Sometimes the manufacturers have different recommended timings for the same film in different formats, and I suspect that among the reason is that the base fog is different between them.

As for adding newly mixed fixer to used ones - absolutely. That's how basic replenishment is done. As long as you take care to prevent cross contamination of chemicals when you reuse chemicals.

 

[heshanj]

thanks for the replies guys, i'll definitely look into all that. but conflicting opinions here.. can add fresh fixer to used fixer or cannot? thanks! (when i say can or cannot, i mean is it recommended.. can be done safely or not?) thanks!

 

[crispy12]

I just developed my first roll of BW 120 a few days ago, upgraded from the usual 35mm. Wah addicted! Love the large neg size. Only using 645 size need to get some 6x6 or 6x7.

For fixer I completely discard after about 5 or 6 times. I mix up one tank worth, usually about 150mls fixer and 350 water agar agar. This way the ratio of chemicals and effect is always the same.