Should I develop Ilford Delta 400 in Rodinal or D-76?
Asked 7/21/2019
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I’m shooting Ilford Delta 400 at box speed and currently have only Rodinal and D-76 available. Which developer is the better match for this film, and how should I think about dilution choice?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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This will be a personal artistic decision - it is not like one of the developers would work and the other would not. Both are fine, and both are different.
Having said that: the typical use case for Rodinal are classical grain films (in Ilford lineup this would mean FP4/HP5+). It is a high acutance developer, producing unmistakably grainy (not unpleasingly so, but none the less visibly grainy) pictures.
Tabular grain films (such as Delta 400 you mention) usually benefit from a dash of solvent in developer. This gives appearance of a finer grain and smoothens the rough edges a bit. D76/ID11 contains sulphite, functioning as a solvent.
As a summary: there is no "wrong" option, but since you are paying extra for tabular grain my suggestion would be to try D76 first, and Rodinal second.
Originally by user62463. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user62463
6y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Either developer will work well; the choice is mostly about the look you want.
For Delta 400, D-76 is often the more natural starting point. Delta is a tabular-grain film, and D-76’s solvent action tends to give smoother negatives with finer-looking grain. If you chose Delta 400 for its cleaner grain, D-76 is a sensible first choice.
Rodinal is also perfectly usable, but it typically gives a sharper, more acutant look with more visible grain. Many photographers like that character, especially when they want a crisp, gritty rendering.
So the practical answer is:
- choose D-76 if you want smoother tonality and less apparent grain
- choose Rodinal if you want more bite, sharpness, and visible grain
Dilution also affects the result: higher dilutions generally tend to lower contrast somewhat, which can help with very harsh or contrasty lighting. There isn’t one universally “best” dilution here—use the normal recommended dilution/time for your chosen developer as a baseline, then adjust based on the look you prefer.
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