I'm wondering if anyone out there has done any meaningful comparisons of the leading paper developers to see what differences there may be between them. I currently use Ektaflo Type 2 and print on Ilford MC fiber papers, both IV and Warmtone.

-- Peter Hughes (leonine@redshift.com), October 14, 1998

Answers

I'd be interested to see if anyone has looked closely at these. Most effort usually goes into finding the "perfect" film developer, as this probably has more impact on the print quality than the paper developer. I've tried a lot of film developers over the years, but have only used dektol, LPD and Ilford MG for papers. I curently use concentrated LPD as I like the tone on Ilford MG FB papers better than the other two and I don't get a skin rash with LPD.

-- Gene Crumpler (nikonguy@emji.net), October 15, 1998.

Peter, I just came across your post on paper developers. I've used Ektaflo and found it very similar to Dektol, which used to use a lot, but don't use any more. I find it has a tendency to bury shadow values, rather than separate. Years ago, I used the old selectol- soft/dektol 2-bath combo, which is very nice for fine-tuning contrast, but too troublesome for me these days (I'd rather be out making new images than mixing and stocking 2 developers). Out of laziness, I started using LPD and like it alot, especially at 1:5 for a warmer color without any loss of deep, rich blacks. I also find the separation of shadow values much better than with Dektol. Recently, I tried Ilford MG, another lazy person's developer. It works fine, but doesn't seem to have any character all its own, the way Dektol, Selectol-Soft, LPD or Amidol do. I've avoided amidol because its a "cult" developer, but I've seen it at work in friend's darkrooms, staining their fingernails that chic black. I think its hilarious that people have gone to all the trouble to recreate this messy, troublesome formula just because Weston used it. Weston, in my opinion, was a genius, who could have produced equally spectacular results with any developer. What little formal training he had in photography was at a third-rate vocational school in Illinois from which he did not even graduate. He used the rudimentary chemical formulas that were taught there for the rest of his life, preferring to concentrate his creative energy on changing the course of photographic history by seeing the world as no one ever had.

-- Joel Pickford (Pickimage@csufresno.edu), October 30, 1998.