Hi Michael,
HP5 in ID-11 is a great combo. Very reliable. It is one of two developers that I regularly use with this film.
One thing to be careful about with ID-11 is storage - full bottles only is the way to go.
I'm curious as to what happened with your failures? Did the developer not work at all? Blank films? Or something else? Perhaps with some background info we can help you fix this problem so you can keep using ID-11 (if you still like the results from it, that is).
I haven't used HC110 as yet, but it is said to yield similar results to ID-11 / D-76, especially at higher dilutions. The concentrate lasts forever, apparently. I have a bottle to try, but haven't got around to cracking it open yet.
If you're inclined, you might try dilute Perceptol at 1+1. It's my other go-to developer for HP5. Gives finer grain than ID-11, excellent sharpness, great highlight control, but softer contrast (which can be wonderful for certain scenes). The drawbacks are that it's another powder that needs mixing, and you get about 1/2 to 2/3 stop speed loss when used 1+1 (more if you use it undiluted). I love it for landscapes and any high contrast scenes where I need strong compensating effect to rein in the highlights.
Hope this helps, but do let us know what happened with your ID-11.
__________________
Regards,
Svend
|