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  #11  
Old 6th January 2019, 11:34 PM
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Maris Maris is offline
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I use Fotospeed FX30 Odourless Fixer and Fotospeed SB50 Odourless Stop Bath in my darkroom. Because there is no smell I don't need a fume extraction system and run an air-conditioner instead; very pleasant in all seasons.
These Fotospeed products are more expensive than the cheapest (smelly!) alternatives but the costs are trivial compared to the price of photographic paper.
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  #12  
Old 9th January 2019, 04:09 PM
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Another proponent of FX30 odourless fixer since the old Agfa machine fixer was discontinued a few years ago - that was stupidly cheap and neutral ph to boot... I tend to to use Ilford stop-bath as that too is odourless (citric acid based).
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  #13  
Old 26th February 2019, 03:36 PM
Tom Kershaw Tom Kershaw is offline
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A few years ago Fotospeed was often a budget option compared to ILFORD but that no longer seems to be the case.
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  #14  
Old 27th February 2019, 01:12 PM
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Just started using FD10 and, though it’s early days, it looks to be outstanding. Delta 100 negs are perfect to my eyes and I’ve never managed to get HP5 looking this good. It’s also cheap and versatile. If Fotospeed can keep supplying it I think I’ll keep buying it.


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  #15  
Old 27th February 2019, 06:17 PM
KevinAllan KevinAllan is offline
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I've used FD10 film developer, and their stop bath, fixer, and warm tone print developer, all to my satisfaction.
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  #16  
Old 27th February 2019, 10:11 PM
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I've been using their Lith developer a lot recently. Works very well and is responsive to different dilutions.
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  #17  
Old 7th March 2019, 01:52 PM
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I have not yet tried much from Fotospeed, but I am going to try their FD10 film developer very soon. I know Richard had bad results from FD10, but perhaps it was from a bad batch? It seems cheap enough and does the business from what I have read, so must be well worth a try.
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  #18  
Old 7th March 2019, 08:12 PM
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Richard's well-documented problem with FD10 put me off for a while as well, Keith. However, if you do a search online there are only one or two people who have had an issue with FD10 so I wouldn't let that bother you. It may have been a dodgy batch but I think there would have been more complaints on the internet had that been the case.

Reading Richard's report about his experience, I don't think he ever found out what the problem actually was and, if I remember correctly, it ended in a strange fashion. Richard had been getting thin negs at 15 mins and four inversions, changed to 13 mins and two inversions and started getting good negs.

The developer is certainly cheap enough to give it a go and there are many more people with positive experiences than negative so I'd say go for it!
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  #19  
Old 8th March 2019, 01:02 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brock View Post
Richard's well-documented problem with FD10 put me off for a while as well, Keith. However, if you do a search online there are only one or two people who have had an issue with FD10 so I wouldn't let that bother you. It may have been a dodgy batch but I think there would have been more complaints on the internet had that been the case.

Reading Richard's report about his experience, I don't think he ever found out what the problem actually was and, if I remember correctly, it ended in a strange fashion. Richard had been getting thin negs at 15 mins and four inversions, changed to 13 mins and two inversions and started getting good negs.

The developer is certainly cheap enough to give it a go and there are many more people with positive experiences than negative so I'd say go for it!
The end of my story is that in the end I never got good negatives, I started with the suggested times, 2 were given, and neither worked for me, very thin negatives, almost nothing onnthem and the edge marking was non existiant, tried extanding the times, and event at double and treble the times I was still getting un printable negatives, in the end I rhrew away 4 1/2 litres as it was not working for me, and within a month of opening it was dark brown, My very first films were not to bad at extended times, but after 1 or 2 films it just would not work whatever I did, I will say that the first 2 films were not to bad, so I bought a 5 liter bottle, but while it was on it's way the stuff just stopped working, and 1n the 1/2 liter of the 5 I managed to use I got nothing, then first the original 1/2 liter bottle went dark brown and the 5 liter bottle went the same way, I tried contacting Fotospeed by both phone and Email, got a promise to phone/email back but I am still waiting, could have been a bad batch, the batch numbers on both the 1/2 liter and 5 liter bottles were the same, but for me it was back to safety and good old Rodinal.. I know other people have got good results with it, using the suggested times, In fact Larry Gallifod, who tried to help me find out what was happening, ( he was more helpful than Fotospeed) swore by it and it was his main film developer, I never did find out what was wrong, my only conclusion with other good reports was a bad batch, but I tend to be a once bitten twice shy person
Richard

Last edited by Richard Gould; 8th March 2019 at 01:09 PM.
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  #20  
Old 12th March 2019, 11:19 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Gould View Post
I never did find out what was wrong, my only conclusion with other good reports was a bad batch, but I tend to be a once bitten twice shy person
Richard
I can understand that Richard. I will report my findings in due course.
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