My go to B/W developer – Beau Photo Supplies Inc.

Rodinal is a black and white developer that was originally produced in 1891 by Dr. Momme Andresen and also became the foundation for the future of Agfa. It is well known for being the oldest film developer still commercially available. Rodinal is available in different containers from many different companies under different names such as Adonal, Blazinal, Fomadon, and R09 One-Shot. Depending on where you live in the world, if you see any of those names being sold at your local camera store, it is most likely Rodinal.

Rodinal is one of the sharpest developers out there, but it does so at a cost. While the developer will enhance sharp films, it will also increase grain to achieve that sharpness. With lower speed films you won’t see it as much, but in faster films or films that are grainy by their nature, you’ll see it a lot more. Also the size of your film will affect the level of grain. You’ll see it more in smaller formats like 35mm or 110, lesser in larger formats like 120. It also will do this through increasing contrast, especially when working with the standard solutions of (1+25) (1+50)

A bottle of Rodinal I think should be in most home collections of developers. It can help you out in a jiffy and help get the best and sharpest results out of most films. I’m going to say this: Rodinal is ancient, even if you use it sparingly and store it right it will last. As developers go, it is easy to handle and stable in liquid concentrate. A sealed bottle will last a long time, but it does not last indefinitely. An open bottle can last for years. Mixing is easy as the liquid is easily poured, and you don’t need too much of it to make a highly effective. With standard dilutions (1+25) and (1+50) depending on the film, you can develop about 40-50 rolls. I usually get about 45 to 55 with a mix of Kodak Tri-x 400, Kodak Double X and Ultrapan’s 100-400.

I prefer to use dilution 1+25 for most film stocks I shoot because I’m not the biggest fan of having to develop for more than 10-15 minutes. I like to be consistent with my workflow and time. Developing Kodak Tri-x 400, Kodak double x, and fomapan films are all under 10 minutes with dilution 1+25 ,which is why I like developing with those films. I usually agitate for 30 seconds instead of 10 seconds for ensuring it evenly covers the film, and I prefer the overall look.

Here are some of my favourite combinations with this developer: