Which developer next?

[Cluster]

Apologies for this question, variants of this must have been posted so many times in the past.

I have returned to B&W film use for the occasional 35mm roll. Years ago, I used to use ID11 as it was cheap and easy. Then, I continually hopped around different films and different cameras (and formats), so I couldn't tell you what the strengths of ID11 is/was.

I am using Fomapan 100 and Kentmere 100 with Ilfosol3 and am about ready to order more chemicals. I have a half bottle of Ilfosol3 left, but am low on fixer, so will order enough chems and film to last a while.

Ilfosol3 is economical enough and to my eyes, has given good results, but I read that it's not the favourite developer of many, so thought I would ask for some comparative comments for the films I plan to use.
The claims made for many developers is confusing, as I really need to know how they might perform with the films I want to use.

I found XTOL, D76/ID11 and Rodinal easily available and quite fancy a dabble with a Diafine alternative.
I wondered how they would compare for the way I will use them. (only 2-3 films per month, box speed or +1, negs for scanning)
And.. can the powdered devs be divided into smaller quantities (as powder)?

 

[Cluster]

I guess that I should say that I like the fine grain that I've got so far from the two films, surprisingly fine, a little more visible grain would be OK.

The Fomapan 100 has (with my first couple of films) given higher contrast than the Kentmere 100. The negs look dramatic but the apparent lower contrast of the Kentmere 100 retains more highlights and scans well..... but I am still tuning my exposure/dev process, so may have made mistakes that gave these results.

 

[Boots]

Hi Dave,

I have been very pleased with the results from DD-X. It gives me quite strong contrasty negatives. I tend to shoot a couple of films a month (although mundane things have got in the way recently) and have batched up processing to do two or three in a day (with multiple tanks) with a single mix of developer. This has worked well and makes the cost of DD-X far less of an issue.

However, the developer probably wouldn't give you the visible grain you want from those films, although I have no personal experience with either of those films. I have been using HP5+, often pushed one or two stops, and the grain has (mostly) been quite restrained.

Like you, I used to use ID11 way back - however looking back on what I used to do, I made many mistakes in my efforts to save money as a student. That included sub-dividing powered developer into smaller lots. I now understand that is not advisable, as the different component chemicals may have settled inconsistently.

 

[Cluster]

I was thinking that the chemicals might be a mix of different components in powder form, making division a gamble...
Thanks for the pointer about DD-X, not one I've looked for, I'll check it out.
As for economy, I guess that Rodinal would take some beating... but doesn't Rodinal give prominent grain? (Ive got a full 10y old bottle in my garage, maybe I should try it on a short piece of film).
EDIT: I like the look in the slightly oof areas of some images on Kentmere, a hint of grain and a nice softness. Lovely. I'm not looking for more prominent grain, but might be able to live with a little more.
ANOTHER EDIT: As I was writing this, my Ebay Pentax P30 arrived... My first step into Pentax, nice condition, more test films to do, maybe fit in a Rodinal test too.

It's still fun.

 

[Cluster]

I was filled with an urge to dash out to test my newly arrived P30 and lens so I had a little developing session this afternoon. As had I prepared the stop and fix (one shot) for the film, I planned to re-use it to process some film dev'ed in my old Rodinal. I removed a short length of exposed film from my Voigtlander CLR and developed it in some Rodinal that has been in my garage for 10 or more years. It has been in a nearly full, airless bottle stored in a dark cupboard for this time.
The dev chart showed a 1:50 mix for 15mns. As it seemed a long shot to imagine that anything would work, I saw no need to vary the dev time. The Rodinal is a little discoloured, a bit like a weak mix of blackcurrant cordial. I was shocked to see that the 6 or so frames had come out very well..... I expected a blank negative, but it's good, very good. Grain nice.... Rodinal may be the way to go for a while (I'll buy a new bottle).

Test shot: Kentmere 100 Voigtlander CLR 10y+ old Rodinal at 1:50.

 

[Boots]

Excellent news!