Finally, I got around to developing a batch of film rolls that I shot while testing cameras. The results of the tests for the following cameras will be available soon:
- Smena
- Smena-35
- Kiev-4
- FED-Mikron
- Bencini Comet S
- Voigtlander Vitoret D
- Zeiss Ikon Contina
- Mamiya Auto Metra 35mm
- Kodak Retinette 1a
- Franka Solida Jr.
- Agfa Clack
- Agfa Parator 125
I used undiluted Microphen for the development.
The room temperature was 25°C, so the Microphen temperature was the same, specifically 25.4°C.
The tank was two-tiered, and the first load consisted of two strips, equivalent to 1/2 of a 36-exposure film. The film was Foma Bohemia 100. Development time was 6:30 minutes.
The second load was the same film, 1.5 rolls of 36 exposures. Development time was 7 minutes.
The third load was Foma Fomapan Profi Line Classic 100 ISO. Development time was 8 minutes.
After this film, the Microphen turned a greenish-yellow color. But I didn't stop there and developed two more films.
The last load was quite a compromise—two very different films: Svema (!!!) 64 and Foma Bohemia 400.
What a wonder this Svema (or is it Sveta?) is...
8:30 minutes. Svema came out very contrasty, almost too much. The film base is clear with a bluish tint. Foma came out overexposed and lacking microcontrast. Perhaps the camera had a light leak, or I might have made a mistake with the development time.
But all the films are now waiting to be scanned.
I used old fixer, a half-liter batch that I had used a few months ago to develop 6 rolls, and now I used it again for another 6 rolls. If it weren’t for the clear Svema, I would have assumed that the Foma darkened because the fixer was no longer working.
So it’s good that I didn’t discard the fixer and decided to use it again after a few months.