Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/16

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Subject: Re: [Leica] RE: Tri-X , AB55, and Kodak vs Ilford?
From: "bob burgess" <boburgess@erols.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 23:10:17 -0500

Where is AB55 available.  And, of course, thanks for the insight.

Bob
boburgess@erols.com

- ----------
>From: "Gary Todoroff" <datamaster@humboldt1.com>
>To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
>Subject: Re: [Leica] RE:  Tri-X , AB55, and Kodak vs Ilford?
>Date: Tue, Feb 16, 1999, 10:03 PM
>

>>After about a 20 year photography hiatus I got back into it last year.  >
>>I love to hear about the film/developer combinations that work for other. .
>>Bob Bedwell
> With all the postings on darkroom setups, etc, I want to recommend again the
> absolutely simplest developer I have ever used - Cachet's AB55. I have used
> it with Tri-X, Delta 100, and Agfa25. In fact, I once souped all three films
> at the same time in a four reel Nikkor tank. Temperature requirements are
> pretty much whatever is currently reasonably comfortable in your darkroom.
> Time is somewhere around five minutes in part A followed by another five
> minutes in part B. If you don't have a watch or timer, you could probably
> estimate the five minutes, too!
>
> So if anyone is getting started or getting lazy, it's hard to beat AB55. The
> results have been as good as any other developer I have tried. I have used
> is successfully for medium format, 4x5, and in a Jobo rotary processor, too.
> I also used it with Kodak HC (high contrast) film, making negative to
> negative, positive B&W slides for projection, using a Honeywell Repronar
> slide duplicator. The HC film and AB55 developer captured all the midtones
> of the original Leica neg, projecting a sparkling slide that you could never
> get by taking a picture of a B&W print. The two working solutions also keep
> well for many weeks without changing characteristics
>
> AB55 is like the Swiss army knife of developers - I keep thinking I need a
> more specific developer tool for different situations, but the AB55 just
> does the job like an old workhorse. It's a great asset in the darkroom.
>
> Regards,
> Gary Todoroff
> Tree LUGger
>
>