Ok, I'm using this tetenal emofin with HP5+. Tetenal claims that emofin often results in a one to two stop speed increase. I havent found that to be the case. Has anyone else used this developer and figured out what's up with the speed increase?

-- Russell Brooks (russell@ebrooks.org), April 30, 2001

Answers

Emofin will give a lower contrast, I shoot HP5+ at 1600, developed 8 mins each and printed it on grade 2 paper. But still you won't get the shadow details. Grain is smoother, subjective sharpness is lower.

I haven't found any speed increase just low contrast which is useful for theater etc.

-- Wolfram Kollig (kollig@ipfdd.de), May 01, 2001.

Yeah, I pretty much always get negatives that print around grade 2 -- this is true. When you say you developed for 8 minutes is this at 1 minute agitation or every 3 seconds? I think this makes a big difference for emofin.

-- Russell Brooks (russell@ebrooks.org), May 01, 2001.

8 mins using a Jobo CPE 2.

-- Wolfram Kollig (kollig@ipfdd.de), May 02, 2001.

Emofin does give a high speed output, BUT you cannot turn an ISO 400 film into a TRUE ISO 800 or even 1600 film that way. I refer to true film speed which is 0.1 density above base fog level according to the ISO standard. You can achieve a true ISO rating of about 500 with HP 5 in Emofin, which is more than you can get with most other developers. The most you can achieve with other developers is about ISO 320 or even lower, if you use a densitometer. Without this speed measurements are not possible and purely subjective. Emofin is not a soft working developer. It compensates by loading the emulsion with developer. The developing process will be started in the second alkali bath. Since only a defined amount of developer can be used there will be more development on the shadows than on the highlights thus limiting the contrast. In fact you can get quite high contrast with Emofin. To the acutance: If you want high(er) acutance then I would not recommend using the 3s method, but a 1 minute agitation mode with longer developing time. The positive effects of Emofin can best be seen in the highlights at high contrast situations.

-- Volker Schier (Volker.Schier@fen-net.de), May 03, 2001.