To develop black and white film, I have several developers… Kodak HC-110, Diafine, Rodinal, Ilford ID-11, R09 Spezial, and RETRO Special. I do not need another one. Then Jim Gray (https://blog.jimgrey.net/2023/08/07/trying-clayton-f76-plus-developer/) has a blog about Clayton F76 Plus.
I was curious, so I purchased a quart from Freestyle Photo (https://www.freestylephoto.com/6232-Clayton-F76-Plus-Film-Developer-1-Quart)L.
Last Sunday, about an hour before sunset, I loaded my FM3a with Kentmere 400. The instructions cite that the developer is great for T-Max films, HP5+ and Kodak 400TX. I used Kentmere 400 to get some idea of how to use it.
The Max Development Chart noted only one result…
| Film | Developer | Dilution | ASA/ISO | 35mm | 120 | Sheet | Temp | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentmere 400 | F76+ | 1+9 | 400 | 7 | 7 | 20C |
I used the Voigtlander 28mm Color Skopar 1:2.8 and the Micro-NIKKOR-P Auto 1:3.5 Lenses. I scanned the negatives with the PrimeFilmXEs, using VueScan software.
Steven Lawrence Pictures 
Nice to know that this film/dev combo works!
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I bought a roll of t-max 100 and t-max 400. We will see how the developer works with those films.
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I tried T-Max 100 in F76 and it looked terrific. https://blog.jimgrey.net/2023/10/02/nikon-fe/
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Yeah, Jim’s results with TMX were fantastic, as he said. I think F76 Plus is one of the best general purpose developers on the market. It doesn’t last as long as HC-110 or Rodinal, and it’s quite a bit more expensive to use than either of those per roll (although it’s by no means expensive–Clayton obviously isn’t out to rip people off, like all to many), but it yields results that exist somewhere between D-76 and XTOL. It’s good stuff. I really like that leaning tree photo, Steven. The light is great. You can almost feel the sun’s warmth coming down on you. I hope all is well!
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I am fine, thank you. We will see if I can duplicate Jim’s results. As the short days have returned I have made a new batch of Diafine for when I push Kentmere a couple of stops.
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Absolutely beautiful results with great contrasts and details. Interesting to try this developer, but never saw it in our local stores.
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I also presoaked the film.
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Always do this;-)
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