Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/05/12

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Subject: [Leica] XTOL Report
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 21:20:35 -0400

I finally bought some XTOL at the urging of many LUG and Rollei List
members.  This is an interesting developer.

First, it was released in the US first in a five-litre size and many camera
stores are unwilling to stock the smaller 1-litre size until they sell out
of the larger size.  And since the five-litre size is grotesquely
inconvenient for an American user (it comes out to about 1 gallon, 1 quart,
and slightly more than a cup), US purchasers avoid this size like the
plague.  (I was sold a five-litre size by my local camera store at the
1-litre price just to unload it:  they haven't sold ANY of the five-litre
size!)  This may be one of Kodak's dumbest marketing ploys.

Second, it mixes magnificently.  It mixes much more easily than does D-76
or ID-11+.

Third, it works quite well.  I have processed ONE roll, of Leica-shot TMZ
and have one more roll ready to go, a Rolleiflex 2.8GX-taken roll of
Ilford's PanF+.  The quality of the single roll I have developed is on par,
completely, with the Rodinal-developed TMY I have been printing to this
point. 

This analysis comes only after developing, not printing.

Marc


msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!