I’m starting to get some acceptable results with the Leica CL now after a few teething troubles.
Teething Problems 101
I’ve been using Kodak HC-110 to develop my films (Ilford HP5 above) in my Patterson System 4 tank and reels. There have been troubles…
- Loading the reels takes practice, and is not made easier by the fact that the CL reverse loads the film onto its spool – it’s best to cut a generous amount of the film leader off and to leave it rewound in the cannister for 24-hours before loading onto the developing reel.
- I had the European Concentrate version of Kodak HC-110. Very confusingly, in 500ml bottles this is weaker than the 1L concentrate syrup sold to the rest of the world (and the UK). I was diluting as per 1L syrup and thus using only 30% of the required developer, no wonder my negatives were pale.
- Scanning is a black art requiring precise repetition of steps and careful preparation of the negatives so that they are as flat as possible to achieve even exposure. I tried a few methods but gave in and got a Canoscan 8800F which is a reasonably priced and relatively high-end scanner that gets good reviews.